Ministry of Finance (MOF) in a statement today said the government will also distribute an additional one-off cash assistance under the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) to eight million STR recipients who are not from the poor and hardcore poor groups through the STR payment method starting Dec 9.
It said the remaining 700,000 STR recipients from the poor and hardcore poor groups will continue to receive the SARA assistance throughout the year.
"With this additional cash aid, eligible households will receive up to RM1,000 in the final STR payment for this year, in line with the MADANI government's commitment to prioritising the welfare of the people.
"The final STR payment involves an allocation of RM3.4 billion, and the government has already disbursed nearly RM10 billion to STR and SARA recipients this year, compared to RM8 billion in 2023," the statement read.
Meanwhile, the statement also said that when tabling Budget 2025 last month, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that the government will improve the STR and SARA programmes next year with a total allocation of RM13 billion.
The Prime Minister was quoted as saying that this 30 per cent increase in allocation is the largest ever provided by the government to address the cost of living for the people, benefiting nearly 60 per cent of the low- and middle-income population.
He said the increase in allocation is the result of the government's financial restructuring, which takes an approach of redistributing the nation's wealth to the broader population.
The statement also noted that the government will adopt an approach of opening STR 2025 registration throughout the year, allowing more people to benefit from the assistance.
"This will ensure that those who are eligible but not yet registered in the government database can apply, as well as allowing existing recipients to update their information if there are any changes.
"To reduce the risk of exclusion error, the data of existing STR recipients will be automatically integrated into the government database, along with data from several other government agencies, to verify eligibility for STR 2025 according to the specified criteria," it said.
In the statement, the MOF also advised STR recipients to always be cautious of fraudulent links from irresponsible parties seeking to gather information related to the STR programme.
"As a protection against scams, the MOF does not send SMS or WhatsApp messages asking for personal information from individuals," it said.
Applicants can refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section on the official STR Portal at https://bantuantunai.hasil.gov.my for more information, where payment status and STR approval checks can also be made through the same link.
For any inquiries regarding STR, please contact the STR/SARA MOF helpline at 03-8882 4565/4566.
-- BERNAMA
