Some four million Malaysian households with a gross monthly income of RM5,000 or less will get up to RM500 under Phase 4 of the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) program, The Edge Malaysia reported.
Meanwhile, 1.4 million eligible single senior citizens will receive RM150. In total, RM1.1 billion will be disbursed for this phase.
Recipients will receive payments directly into their respective bank accounts, while those without accounts can collect the aid in cash at any Bank Simpanan Nasional branch.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is also the minister of Finance, said in a statement on Wednesday that the payments would be disbursed in stages from Nov. 4 to 6, Named reported.
Newly approved applicants and those whose appeals were successful are scheduled to receive their payments from Nov. 16, he noted.
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Pedestrians cross a road in front of Malaysia’s landmark Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo by AFP |
STR, also called the Rahmah Cash Contribution program, is a direct financial aid initiative aimed at easing the cost of living for low-income groups in Malaysia, Southeast Asia’s third-richest country by nominal GDP per capita.
Anwar said the latest disbursement coincides with the Deepavali celebration and benefits recipients from various ethnic backgrounds, including more than 630,000 from the Indian community.
He expressed hope that the aid would help ease the financial burden on families celebrating the festival.
He added that the assistance underscores the government’s commitment to prioritizing the welfare of the people, especially those in lower-income groups.
Anwar said the restructuring of government finances and improvements in governance had allowed more national revenue to be channeled towards Malaysians in need.
From 2018 to 2022, the government’s cash assistance allocation increased from RM6 billion to RM8 billion, he said.
The figure is set to hit RM15 billion this year for STR and Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA), another cash assistance program, and rise to RM16 billion under the 2027 budget, he added.