Friday, January 22, 2010

RM2.1 Billion For Rural Basic Infrastructures In Sabah And Sarawak

KOTA KINABALU, Jan 22 (Bernama) -- The Rural and Regional Development Ministry will spend about RM2.1 billion to provide rural basic infrastructures in Sabah and Sarawak under the National Key Result Areas (NKRA) this year.

Its Minister, Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, said the allocation also involved the completion of last year's projects to build new roads and provide water and electricity supply.

Of the total, he said, about RM928 million would be allocated to Sabah and RM1.2 million for rural areas in Sarawak.

"This is part of the government's efforts to intensify rural development in Sabah and Sarawak within the next three years in line with the Prime Minister's aspiration to see that the two states are moving forward."

He said this after meeting Sabah and Sarawak manufacturers and suppliers involved in the NKRA's infrastructural projects for rural areas in Sabah and Sarawak here on Friday.

Mohd Shafie said for NKRA's rural road projects, Sabah was allocated RM134.9 million to complete 40 of last year's projects and another RM56.8 million to implement 36 new projects, while Sarawak was allocated RM146 million to complete 14 of the existing projects and RM352.3 million to implement 62 new ones.

For NKRA's rural electricity supply projects, Sabah would get RM332 million to complete 353 existing projects and RM81 million to implement nine new ones, while Sarawak would get RM236 million to complete 281 of last year's projects and RM56 million to implement 10 new projects, he said.

The minister said Sabah and Sarawak would also receive of RM183 million and RM211 million respectively, to implement rural water supply projects.

"Under the Housing Aid Programme, RM114 million was allocated to Sabah this year to build 2,853 new houses and RM25 million to repair 2,135 existing houses.

"As for Sarawak, we have set aside an allocation of RM133 million to build 3,328 new houses this year and RM29 million to repair 2,491 existing ones.

"Our target is to build 50,500 houses nationwide over the next three years under the programme," he said.

-- BERNAMA

No comments:

Post a Comment