‘Initiate other means to uplift livelihood of rural people’
SIBU: Agencies involved in economic development programmes in rural areas should come up with other means to help improve the socio- economy of the rural people.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Joseph Entulu Belaun, who made the call, suggested that one of the ways is to introduce poultry farming to help rural families raise their income.
“This is because the economic development programme does not only focus on the plantation of commodities such as rubber and oil palm, so the agencies should initiate other activities that will upgrade the participants’ monthly income,” he pointed out.
Entulu was speaking at a press conference after lunching the Rubber Collection Depot/Sekuau Agropolitan Rubber Tapping Site at Nanga Sekuau yesterday.
He praised the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority ( Risda) for allocating RM275,000 to implement the ‘ Program Tuisyen Rakyat@ KKLW’ for 22 schools this year through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme.
“Risda’s initiative should be emulated by the other agencies who are involved in the implementation of the economic development programmes in the rural areas through their respective CSR programmes to help those in need.
“The ‘ Program Tuisyen Rakyat@ KKLW’ involves seven schools with an allocation of RM87,500. Each school will be allocated RM12,500 per year. As for Selangau parliamentary constituency, SMK Ulu Balingian has been picked for the ‘Program Tuisyen Rakyat@ KKLW’,” he added.
Earlier on in his speech, Entulu urged all the participants of the Agropolitan Nanga Skuau and Risda rubber smallholders to fully utilise the Sekuau Agropolitan Rubber Tapping Site.
Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi was among those present.