‘Government has proven commitment to rural devt’
PAKAN: The commitment of both state and federal governments towards rural development has been proven by the large sums allocated for such projects.
Minister of Social Development Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom said this could be seen from the Rural Transformation Programme (RTP), especially in this year’s budget.
He said about three quarters of the federal budget was allocated for rural development and a similar commitment has been made by the state government under Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem.
Mawan pointed out that Adenan had sought the approval of the State Legislative Assembly for an additional allocation of RM500 million for rural development during his first year as Chief Minister in 2014 and also last year.
“Given the great concern he has shown to narrow the socioeconomic gap between the rural and urban areas during his two years as Chief Minister, Adenan, who is seeking a strong five-year mandate to enable him to deliver more, deserves to get the full support of the rural people in particular,” Mawan said when presenting minor rural project (MRP) grants yesterday.
He said Adenan’s mission to claim back the state’s autonomy and rights deserved the support of all Sarawakians.
“The rural folk should consider now as their turn to get a bigger share of the development `pie’ than the urban people and have every reason to support RTP, which the BN government is according top priority now,” he said.
During the function, Mawan presented MRP grants of over RM1.3 million to 139 village security and development committees and organisations in Pakan District.
He also distributed 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) vouchers to the first batch of 530 recipients from the district.
Mawan added he would distribute similar grants in other areas including Julau and Sarikei. Among those present were Pakan District Officer Alex Liau, Sarikei Resident’s Office representative Jeffry Jalong, Meradong/Julau District council secretary Adrian Luang, Pemanca Tekong Ranggi and Special Affairs Department Julau officer Sylvester Embuas.