10,000 shops now available for SARA purchases

 

The number of sundry shops and minimarkets has increased from the 3,000 available last year.

The increase in the number of shops in the SARA programme will improve access for recipients and stimulate local economies and small businesses, said an aide to the prime minister.

PETALING JAYA:

 Recipients of the government’s SARA aid programme will be able to buy essential supplies from a total of 10,000 sundry shops and minimarkets this year, an increase from the 3,000 last year.

The move will improve access for recipients and stimulate local economies and small businesses, said Tunku Nashrul Abaidah, senior press secretary to the prime minister, Bernama reported.

The SARA aid is credited to recipients’ e-wallets in their MyKad, and is applicable for purchases of more than 100,000 items in 14 categories.

Monthly SARA disbursements for 2026 began on Jan 9, involving five million recipients comprising 3.7 million households and 1.3 million single senior citizens; payments to 3.1 million single Malaysians began today.

Payments of aid under the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah programme will be made on Tuesday (Jan 20), to five million recipients from household and senior citizen categories, while disbursement of the annual one-off SARA aid will be made on Feb 9 to all Malaysians above the age of 18.

A total of nine million recipients will benefit from the SARA aid programmes, which will cost the government some RM15 billion, reflecting the government’s strong commitment to easing the rising cost of living.

Tunku Nashrul said the RM150 in early schooling aid has been distributed in stages since Jan 11, benefitting more than 5.2 million students nationwide, including Form Six students.

Tunku Nashrul said the economy recorded growth of about 4.9% last year, according to preliminary estimates by the statistics department. The figure is above the government’s official projection of 4% to 4.8%. - FMT