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PUTRAJAYA – A budget monitoring committee will be established to ensure allocations under Budget 2024 are well-disbursed for the people’s benefit, said Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan.
He said the committee would be headed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also finance minister, and its members would include Deputy Finance Minister Steven Sim, Treasury secretary-general Datuk Johan Mahmood Merican, and himself.
The establishment of the committee would also be in line with the Public Finance and Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2023 that was passed by Parliament last Wednesday, he told reporters after the “Larian Kewangan” run programme organised by the Putrajaya Treasury Club here today.
He said the functions of the committee, among others, would be to report on the achievements of the 2024 Budget for the period from January to June before its reporting in Parliament in September next year.
“It is important and the responsibility of all agencies and ministries to ensure that the budget is implemented efficiently, and I hope that all ministries also have a timeline for projects they want to implement,” he added.
Anwar, when tabling the 2024 Budget in the Dewan Rakyat last Friday, said the second Madani budget involved allocations amounting to RM393.8 billion, which is the highest budget ever presented.
Earlier, Ahmad and Sim joined in the run, which was held in conjunction with the 2023 National Sports Day. The run attracted more than 2,300 participants.
Half of rural areas to get 5G by mid-2025
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that the government aims to ensure at least 50% of rural areas in the country get 5G technology telecommunication coverage by the middle of next year.
He said the government will also ensure not less than 85% of rural areas obtain 5G coverage by the end of 2024.
“The remaining 15% might be mountainous areas and so on that may be quite difficult to reach. We know that under the leadership of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, he is very progressive in terms of his ideas and vision.
“We are carrying out this coordination because we feel that rural folks deserve it also. We don’t want when trying to get access to the internet, they have to climb up trees to get coverage. So, this must be avoided... although difficult, we can do it,” he told the Selamat Pagi Malaysia talk show programme aired on Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) today.
Zahid, who is also rural and regional development minister, said his ministry, together with the Communications and Digital Ministry (KKD) and the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa), has identified Orang Asli areas for the installation of Starlink satellite devices so that this group will not be left behind.
Commenting on Budget 2024 that was tabled by Anwar on Friday (October 13), Zahid said the Orang Asli community had been allocated RM333 million, which covers the implementation of socioeconomic development projects, infrastructure and provision of social assistance.
Targets for Orang Asli development
He also said that KKWD (Rural and Regional Development Ministry) is also targeting a total of 400 Orang Asli children to enter university next year, in addition to ensuring more people take up non-conventional Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes that are geared towards high technology.
Zahid, who is also the National TVET Council Committee chairman, said such efforts are vertical social mobility approaches meant to elevate the community’s standard of living.
“We find that Orang Asli settlements in the country are scattered, but under the Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954 (Act 134), we will discuss with the Attorney-General’s Chambers and carry out detailed studies with the state governments because many of their areas have been encroached,” he said.
Previously, he told the Dewan Rakyat that the government is implementing a review of the act to refine certain provisions involving the community.
On the overall allocation for KKWD under Budget 2024, Zahid said a big portion or 64.4% of the RM11.5 billion set aside for the ministry would be for development.
“RM7.4 billion from the overall RM11.5 billion (for development) and only RM4.1 billion for operating expenses. This shows our concern for issues on infrastructure and development in rural areas,” he said.
Elaborating, Zahid said emphasis must also be given to infrastructure facilities for the people in Sabah and Sarawak, including the supply of water and electricity, social amenity projects as well as other amenities.
Under Budget 2024, KKWD will receive a 4.7% or RM513 million increase in allocation, including RM2.4 billion to the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda), Federal Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Felcra) and Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda) to boost agri-commodity activities and increase smallholders’ socioeconomy. – Bernama, October 15, 2023