KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 1 — The fourth and final phase of the “Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah” (STR) cash assistance for this year will be distributed before the Deepavali celebration in stages beginning November 7 with an allocation of RM2.1 billion benefiting 5.5 million recipients.

The Ministry of Finance in a statement said 5.22 million existing STR recipients would receive cash assistance of up to RM1,200, while over 280,000 new recipients whose appeals had been approved would receive up to RM2,500 based on their qualifying categories.

“This disbursement is the final remaining payment of the amount that should be received this year,” according to the statement.

In the same statement, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also the finance minister, said the government spent almost RM8 billion for STR 2023 to benefit 8.7 million recipients, which comprised almost 60 per cent of Malaysia’s adult population, to help deal with the rising cost of living.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance informed that in order to improve the disbursement of STR in 2024, the government would take a different approach to ensure that no group is left behind.

According to the ministry, beginning today (November 1), eligible individuals can make a new application and update their information for STR 2024 throughout the year compared to the STR 2023 application process which was only done once.

“This is to ensure that those who are eligible but not in the government’s database can come forward and submit their respective applications in addition to allowing existing recipients to make updates if there is a change in information,” read the statement.

Apart from that, it said to reduce exclusion errors, existing STR recipient data would be automatically brought into the government database and the data would be cross-checked with that from several government agencies to ensure eligibility based on the set conditions.

STR applicants can refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on STR’s Official Portal at https://bantuantunnai.hasil.gov.my for more information, while checks for payment status and STR appeal approval can be done via the same link. — Bernama