STR PROVIDES RELIEF FOR NEWLYWEDS STARTING A FAMILY

MELAKA, April 9 (Bernama) -- With her first child due in August, Nur Amera Fatiha Hamsan, 26, expressed relief that government assistance has helped her gradually prepare for the baby’s arrival.

The housewife from Taman Tasik Utama, Ayer Keroh, said the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) received had been a great help for her and her husband, Irfan Faiz Azhar, 28, in making the necessary preparations to welcome their firstborn.

“Alhamdulillah, we were blessed with this pregnancy just a few months after tying the knot last October. However, getting everything ready for the baby has been financially demanding, especially since my husband is a lower-grade civil servant.

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“Thanks to the STR, we’ve been able to slowly buy baby items such as clothes, cloth diapers and a mattress,” she told Bernama.

Now five months pregnant, Nur Amera Fatiha said she also took advantage of sales on e-commerce platforms and in shopping malls to save costs and make the most of the aid received.

Meanwhile, Irfan Faiz said that in addition to STR, the family benefited from the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) programme, which credits assistance directly into recipients’ MyKad, allowing them to purchase groceries without spending cash.

“Although it’s just the two of us for now, the assistance has significantly helped us manage our monthly budget. It has truly eased our burden, especially as we are just starting our life together,” he said.

The government began disbursing STR Phase Two payments on March 24, involving an allocation of RM1.7 billion, up from RM1.5 billion last year.

According to the Finance Ministry, 8.5 million recipients or 60 per cent of Malaysia’s adult population, received up to RM650 under STR Phase Two.

Meanwhile, the SARA aid is part of the MADANI Government’s efforts to ease the cost of living burden for the low-income group by crediting assistance directly to recipients’ MyKad.

The programme has been expanded to 5.4 million recipients starting April 1, a nearly eightfold increase from the existing 700,000, with the monthly aid raised to up to RM200 per category, compared to RM100 previously.

-- BERNAMA