Pm Brings Forward Rahmah Cash Aid Payout Slashes Toll Fees For Deepavali

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BUDGET 2026 | Putrajaya will bring forward its Rahmah Cash Aid Phase 4 payment to Oct 18 in conjunction with the Deepavali celebration, said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The contribution, amounting to RM2 billion and benefiting nearly nine million recipients, was originally scheduled for November.
In tabling the Budget 2026 today, Anwar also announced that the government has approved a 50 percent toll discount for two days in conjunction with the festival.
He cited a verse from the classic Tamil text Thirukkural, saying, "joy and hardship may come and go, but steadfastness of the heart remains the highest mark of human virtue".
ADSThe prime minister said all nine million Rahmah aid recipients would also receive a monthly assistance of RM100 under Rahmah Necessities Aid (Sara) next year.
Recipients under the eKasih programme - about one million of them - would receive RM200 a month, while those who are single, RM50.
Second round of Sara
Anwar further announced the government would again provide a one-off RM100 contribution to every adult citizen next year.
This would be the second time the special contribution is made under Sara. The initiative was first introduced and disbursed on this year's Merdeka Day.
"This contribution would be channelled mid-February, and can be utilised by the people to prepare for Ramadan and the Chinese New Year.
"The Sara cash aid in 2026 would amount to RM15 billion. This increase was made possible by government savings from its targeted subsidies exercise," Anwar said.
The prime minister added that the government is increasing the amount of budget for financial assistance under the Welfare Department from RM2.9 billion to RM3.1 billion, which will benefit some 560,000 recipients. - Mkini

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