Reducing urban-rural gap in Sabah, S'wak
Published on: Friday, March 27, 2015
Sandakan: More programmes will be implemented by the government through the Rural and Regional Development Ministry to bridge the gap between urban and rural areas in Sabah and Sarawak. According to its Minister Shafie Afdal, a total of 1, 233.9 kilometres of road in the interior had been developed and upgraded in Sarawak whereas for Sabah, 1, 448.6 kilometres of roads in rural areas have been developed.In terms of water supply, he said that 82, 988 houses in Sarawak and 107, 318 houses in Sabah had received water supply.
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"For the housing assistance programme, 24, 771 houses in Sarawak and 16, 764 houses in Sabah have been developed and upgraded," he said, adding that 65, 729 houses in Sarawak and 49, 972 houses in Sabah have received electric supply.Shafie also said that the Rural Transformation Programme and the Basic Rural Infrastructure Programme under the National Key Result Areas (NKRA) have helped to improve the basic infrastructure facilities in rural areas. According to him, the total allocation for the (NKRA) projects in Sarawak worth RM7.4 billion whereas for Sabah it was worth RM7.3 billion."The allocation given to Sabah and Sarawak under the 10th Malaysian Plan are the highest compared to the other states," he said, adding that allocations were also given for the implementation of Jalan Perhubungan Desa and Social Amenity Programme (Pams).
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He explained that the Social Amenity Programme is to improve unity by providing social facilities such as town hall, multipurpose hall and others. The government, according to him, also allocated RM13.6 million for Sabah and RM12.4 million for Sarawak to increase the income of people in the interior.
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"Among the programmes are Program Desa Abad ke-21 (21st Century Village), Rural Business Challenge, and Program Desa Lestari."There are four villages who are involved in the Program Desa Lestari in Sabah and Sarawak. It is introduced to develop the rural areas and solve the 'reverse migration' issue. "Each of the village is required to develop a cooperative and it is estimated that 30 per cent of the youths will benefit through this programme in terms of agriculture, manufacture and tourism," he said, adding that other examples of programmes introduced by the government to develop the rural areas in Sabah and Sarawak are Program Lonjakan Mega Luar Bandar (Agropolitan), Replanting Rubber and Oil Palm Programme as well as the farm infrastructure programme.The Ministry up till 2014, he said, have implemented two Agropolitan projects in Sabah and five in Sarawak."This programme is expected to increase the income of the people from RM300 to RM1, 800through their active involvement in plantation farms and distributions of dividend to all participants," he explained. Besides that, the Ministry also developed the Rural Transformation Centre and mini Rural Transformation Centres in providing facilities and assistance services to all the people. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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