A total of RM91 million has been spent in just two days after the RM100 Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) one-off aid rolled out on Aug 31, according to Yayasan MyKasih.
The foundation said nearly 600,000 transactions were recorded as of 5pm on Sept 1, a 20% increase from the same period on the first day.
Overall, 1.45 million transactions have been made nationwide over the two days.
It also said the high demand on the first day prompted them to increase the processing capacity of SARA terminals by 60% to ensure smoother transactions.
“Slower transaction processing was still reported at several locations, particularly in Selangor, Perak, Sabah and Melaka.
“Some major supermarkets in urban areas with a high number of SARA recipients experienced congestion, especially during peak hours between 1pm and 2.30pm,” it said in a statement.
Yayasan MyKasih attributed the congestion to high shopper turnout during the long holiday weekend.
“In addition to the 22 million SARA recipients who received the RM100 one-off credit yesterday, 5.4 million recipients also received their monthly SARA credit today.
“To manage the situation, MyKasih staff were stationed at selected major supermarkets to help resolve on-site issues and provide support to merchants,” it said.
The RM100 credited into the MyKad of more than 22 million Malaysians aged 18 and above will be valid until Dec 31 and can be used at more than 7,300 retail outlets.
