KUALA LUMPUR: Starting this month, the application for Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) will be open throughout the year, unlike the previous once a year.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the matter was agreed upon by the government to improve the STR application.
He said the Phase Four STR payment will be disbursed on Nov 7.
"A total of 5.5 million recipients will receive cash assistance of between RM100 and RM1,200.
"The new beneficiaries will receive between RM100 and RM2,500 based on their eligibility category. The total allocation for Phase Four is RM2.1 billion."
As for Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara), Anwar said the rate was increased from RM600 to RM1,200 with the number of beneficiaries increasing from 200,000 to around 700,000.
"The Sara mechanism will be used as a new approach for targeted subsidies.
"By giving Sara monthly, this can ensure that the poor get a sufficient supply of basic food items," he said.