By: Nurul Fazliana Norman
KUALA LUMPUR: Oct 10, 2026 – The government has increased the allocation for Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) to RM16 billion in 2027, with benefits of up to RM150 a month or RM1,800 a year for nine million Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) recipients.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the increase in allocation was among the government’s measures to help the people cope with cost-of-living pressures. He said this when tabling the Fifth MADANI Budget, themed “Reaching for the Sky, Rooted in the Earth”, in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
“All STR recipients will receive SARA of up to RM150 a month or up to RM1,800 a year. This will benefit up to nine million STR recipients,” he said.
He said the government is also channelling SARA MADANI of RM100 twice to Malaysians aged 18 and above, namely before Aidilfitri and ahead of the Ambang Tujuh Dasar Warisan Merdeka.
“This initiative will benefit up to 13 million Malaysians, including the M40 group,” he said.
The government is expanding the use of SARA for the purchase of wet and fresh goods at 216 farmers’ markets run by the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) nationwide.
Anwar said 15,000 premises now accept SARA, including small grocery shops and cooperatives.
“Insya-Allah, before the end of this year, the government will increase the number of small grocery shops to 10,000,” he added.
He also announced that allocations for Jualan Rahmah MADANI and Jualan Agro MADANI will be increased, with a target of 35,000 events.
“This means we hear the concerns of the middle-income group, who remain patient even though they too are squeezed by the cost-of-living burden,” he said.
