PUTRAJAYA (Jan 21): Payment under Phase 1 of Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah or Rahmah Cash Donation (STR) will be disbursed in stages from Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Finance (MOF).

A statement issued by the ministry on Tuesday stated that payments will be credited into the bank accounts of registered recipients or in cash through Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) in stages according to the respective STR qualification categories.

The ministry said the STR 2025 involves an allocation of RM2.3 billion, compared with RM2.1 billion last year.

It said the 2025 STR and Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) 2025 will benefit nearly nine million recipients or 60% of the adult population in Malaysia.

"For the STR and Sara 2025, the government has increased the maximum rate for households to RM4,600, which is an increase of almost 25%, compared with RM3,700 last year.

"The minimum rate for singles also increased to RM600 from RM500 last year, which is an increase of 20%," according to the MOF.

In the same statement, the MOF stated that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also the finance minister, said the increased allocation under Phase 1 of the STR, which far exceeds the national inflation rate, reflects the government's determination to ensure the welfare of a large number of people in the country improves, despite the increase in the cost of living.

"Although the increase in the cost of living is a phenomenon affecting the whole world, the government hopes that the increase in Sara and STR contributions every year will help the people achieve a better life," said Anwar.

Application for the STR is open throughout the year, and for applicants whose names are not in the STR database, they need to apply on the official STR portal at the link https://bantuantunnai.hasil.gov.my.

The MOF also advised the public to be wary of unauthentic links by irresponsible parties.

Uploaded by Tham Yek Lee