A total of RM6.9bil has been allocated in Budget 2011 to implement the various initiatives of the RBI NKRA such as providing clean and treated water supply, electricity and roads to improve the living standard of the rural communities especially those in Sabah and Sarawak.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced that RM2.1bil would be used to construct new roads as well as to upgrade existing ones in the rural areas of Sabah and Sarawak while RM696mil would be spent on rural roads in Peninsular Malaysia.
Up to RM1.5bil would be used to provide water supply and electricity to the rural areas of Sabah; RM1.2bil in Sarawak and RM556mil for the peninsula.
Najib had also reiterated the Government’s intentions to include those dwelling in rural areas in the pipeline of its expenditure.
“The Government has allocated more than RM1bil from the Seventh Malaysia Plan to the Ninth Malaysia Plan for various development projects and programmes for the orang asli,” he said in July.
“This amount does not include the Economic Stimulus Package 1 and 2 which involve an allocation of RM131.7mil to build houses and village roads and provide them with economic resources, and RM200mil for water supply projects and RM20mil for education and food for Orang Asli students,” he added.
Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (pic) said his ministry had undertaken numerous measures to coordinate and accelerate the deployment of these basic services to meet the NKRA targets.
For example, he said the ministry had conducted a special NKRA briefing for district officers and state secretaries to evaluate their understanding and support to effectively implement the NKRA projects.
“Despite Malaysia’s considerable economic achievements, there are many villages still not connected by roads, especially in Sabah and Sarawak.
“As a result, the Government is currently pursuing a major programme to develop RBI in these states, centred on improving the rakyat’s quality of life,” he was reported saying.
Shafie also said that the Government wanted the poor in the country to earn a monthly household income of at least RM1,000.
Shafie said besides fulfilling basic needs, the Government is looking at human capital development.
“Changing the mindset of orang asli folk will take time and it needs a focused approach. The ministry’s focus group is also working to improve the education level of the community,” Shafie said.
The allocations for RBI is by far the highest amount of money spent by the Government in the history of Malaysia in efforts to build more roads, houses, and connect the people with water and electricity supply.
According to Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) CEO Senator Datuk Seri Idris Jala, about RM17.4bil has been allocated for the Rural Basic Infrastructure (RBI) programme that will be implemented over the next three years.
“The amount will see RM6.6bil allocated for building new roads and improving existing ones, RM1.32bil to build 50,000 homes and for rural communities to be supplied with electricity and clean water,” said Idris who is also Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.
