OVER 12.5 MILLION M'SIANS BENEFITTED FROM RM1 BILLION SARA EXPENDITURE IN THREE WEEKS - PM ANWAR

PUTRAJAYA, March 4 (Bernama) -- More than 12.5 million Malaysians have benefited from the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) untuk Semua programme, with expenditures exceeding RM1 billion for the purchase of basic necessities within just three weeks of its announcement.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that the success of the programme proves that savings from more disciplined national financial management can now be channeled directly to the people.

Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, said SARA untuk Semua is the result of savings achieved through the restructuring of the nation's finances.

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"Leakages are plugged, governance is streamlined, and the saved revenue is returned to the people. This proves that when national revenue is distributed equitably, the benefits are felt by households across the country," he said in a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance (MoF) here today.

In the statement, MoF noted that sales on the first day of SARA untuk Semua this year reached RM97 million, nearly double the RM50.7 million recorded on the first day of last year.

In the same statement, Minister of Finance II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan said MoF has ensured system fluidity to avoid any disruption to the public's purchasing experience.

"From 3,782 transactions per minute on the first day of implementation last year, the system is now capable of processing more than 11,000 transactions per minute without any delays or interruptions," he said.

According to MoF, the use of MyKad as the medium for the SARA untuk Semua program makes it easier for the public to utilise targeted aid more efficiently, while ensuring the distribution process is conducted in an orderly manner.

To date, 56 percent of the RM100 credit under the SARA untuk Semua programme has been used by recipients for the purchase of basic necessities, and the remaining credit is still valid for use until December 31.

In terms of geographic distribution, the usage rate for SARA untuk Semua shows higher redemption rates in the Borneo zone as well as the East Coast and northern Peninsular Malaysia.

Among the states and Federal Territories recording the highest redemption rates are Sabah at 70 percent, followed by Perlis (65 percent), Kelantan and Labuan at 64 percent each, Terengganu (63 percent), Kedah (63 percent), Sarawak (62 percent), and Pahang (60 percent).

MoF stated that the SARA untuk Semua programme not only helps reduce cost-of-living pressures but also supports local economic activities, particularly at the community level.

According to the statement, the SARA Business Partner network includes over 4,400 small retail shops nationwide, in addition to existing supermarkets, bringing the total number of premises accepting SARA transactions to over 11,300.

MoF informed that the government aims to increase the number of small retail shops to 10,000 by the end of this year, thereby increasing the total number of SARA Business Partners to 20,000 premises.

This step is expected to reduce the average distance for the public to SARA-accepting premises to around seven kilometers compared to about 10 kilometers currently, thus facilitating easier access for the public to use the aid.

-- BERNAMA