KUALA LUMPUR: The one-off Sumbangan Asas Rahmah cash assistance of RM100 has significantly eased household expenses while stimulating domestic economic activity.
Social media platforms have been flooded with posts from recipients sharing how they used the assistance to purchase basic necessities since distribution began on National Day.
Most interviewed recipients described the aid as a meaningful double blessing particularly for the B40 group in coping with rising living costs.
Nabila Mohd Azmai from Damansara stated the assistance arrived at a crucial time when her household relies solely on her husband’s income.
“This assistance really helps with buying rice, eggs and other dry goods for the month,“ she said at a local supermarket.
Zamri Ahmad noted that the SARA assistance enables people from all income levels to obtain necessities at reasonable prices while helping small traders clear stock.
In Pahang, single mother Norlia Abdullah described the aid as a great relief that enabled her to stretch household expenses for more than a month.
She paid just RM1.85 for over RM200 worth of essentials by combining the RM100 SARA assistance with her monthly MyKasih aid.
Housewife Zakiah Che Mat Mokhtar expressed hope that the assistance could eventually be extended to cover wet items as well.
“Items with the SARA tag are fine, but it would be even better if wet goods were included,“ she commented.
In Selangor, Aifa Natasha Azmi reported that combining SARA assistance with her husband’s allocation allowed them to pay only RM1.25 for 27 basic items.
“Normally we would spend around RM200 monthly on dry goods, but this month our family has extra RM200 for other needs,“ the private sector employee explained.
Nor Zamira Che Noh plans to use the aid to stock dry food as savings for her family in preparation for the year-end flood season.
In Terengganu, restaurant owner Norharizan Hassan carefully planned with her children to set aside the assistance for emergencies during flood season.
“To be honest, my income just covers food, housing and car payments,“ the single mother of three revealed.
In Kelantan, businessman Ab Manaf Mat Shah views the assistance as an opportunity to instil wise spending habits within his family.
All nine of his children, their spouses and three grandchildren received the aid, totalling RM2,100 for essential needs.
The SARA assistance distributed via MyKad benefits 22 million Malaysians with a total allocation of RM2 billion.
This one-off RM100 contribution is provided to all citizens aged 18 and above regardless of income category and can be redeemed at selected supermarkets nationwide. – Bernama