Kuala Lumpur: Sabah and Sarawak will respectively be receiving RM5.1 billion and RM4.5 billion in development allocation for next year, as provided under Budget 2021 tabled at Dewan Rakyat Friday.
Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said the allocation is for the construction and upgrading of water and electricity infrastructure, roads, as well as health and educational facilities.
With the theme “Stand United, We Shall Prevail”, Budget 2021 was drafted based on three primary objectives, namely wellbeing of the people, business survival and economic resilience taking into consideration the current Covid-19 pandemic and its effects on the people and country.
Described as an expansionary budget, Tengku Zafrul on Friday tabled the largest budget in history valued at RM322.5 billion, with RM236.5 billion for operating expenditure, RM69 billion for development expenditure and RM17 billion under Covid-19 Consolidated Fund.
To ensure the objective of the People’s Wellbeing is manifested holistically via measures to ease the burden of the people, he said the government would be increasing the allocation for subsidy, aid and incentive for Sabah and Sarawak from RM150 million to RM200 million to implement the Essential Goods Distribution Programme, LPG and Community Drumming including expanding its implementation to 34 new areas among them Pulau Sakar in Sabah and Ulu Mujok in Sarawak.
“Through the initiative, basic necessities such as rice, sugar, flour, cooking oil, LPG gas, RON95 petrol and diesel could be enjoyed by more than 1.1 million people at controlled prices,” he said.
Through assistance for farmers, breeders and fishermen, he said more than 300,000 padi farmers throughout the country, including padi planters in Nabawan, Sabah and Kanowit Sarawak will enjoy RM570 million aid with padi price subsidy, RM960 million (padi growing subsidy and incentive ) including RM40 million subsidy for hill padi fertiliser.
To empower community development programmes in the two states in Borneo, Tengku Zafrul said RM41 million is allocated for Native Customary Rights programme in Sabah and Sarawak.
On the Government’s move to continue efforts to close the development gap between the urban and rural areas, he said RM2.7 billion was channelled to implement various infrastructure improvement programmes and projects encompassing roads, water and electricity supply, housing aid programmes, street light installation and maintenance.
He said the Government would expand mobile banking service in Sabah and Sarawak to assist communities with no access to basic banking such as money transfer, bill payment as well as facility to withdraw government assistance such as Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat (BPR).
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