KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 5 — The SARA For All programme, which provides a one-off RM100 aid credited through MyKad to all Malaysians aged 18 and above, will be disbursed starting Monday (Feb 9).

Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan said eligibility checks can be made from today via the sara.gov.my portal.

He said a total of RM2.2 billion has been allocated to benefit all Malaysians.

“No application is necessary. It will be credited automatically into recipients’ respective MyKad, and is valid for use until Dec 31, 2026,” he said during the Minister’s Question Time session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Amir Hamzah was replying to a question from Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa (PH–Sekijang) regarding the total allocation for the SARA programme through the MyKasih system that was spent in 2025 and the actual transaction value generated in the local market.

The programme is part of the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) initiative under Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR), which aims to help people cope with the rising cost of living through targeted cashless aid.

Meanwhile, Amir Hamzah said the government is still studying the proposal to include wet food as a new category under the SARA programme, to ensure quality, food safety and consumer guarantees before any decision is made.

He said that as of Tuesday (Feb 3), the total number of SARA merchant partners had increased to 10,700 outlets nationwide, compared with only 700 in 2024, adding that 3,000 of these were small traders.

“We have heard the address by the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim), who emphasised that we will further expand the SARA network and the target this year is for the number of small grocery shops to be increased to 10,000 outlets,” he said.

As such, he said this would reduce the distance from the nearest sundry shop to a recipient from 10 kilometres to seven kilometres.

He was replying to a supplementary question from Dr Zaliha on whether the government is willing to consider improving the terms and approval period for SARA merchant partner applications, as well as including wet goods under the programme. — Bernama