CTU programs benefit 466,000 residents in rural, interior areas

SIK: Over 466,000 people residing in rural and interior areas, including the Orang Asli, have benefitted from the implementation of 84 Negaraku: Connecting the Unconnected (CTU) programmes organised by the Communications and Multimedia Ministry so far.

Deputy Minister Datuk Seri Jailani Johari said during the programmes, which was first introduced in 2016 under the National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOS) initiative, 47 communication towers were built and upgraded, while 540 satellite dishes were installed at houses of those under the B40 category.

“The idea to implement the programme was mooted by the prime minister (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) because he realised that many interior areas were still lagging behind, so when it was introduced, with the ministry leading it under the NBOS initiative with the private sector, we can see that it is beneficial.

“And it will not stop here. Some people may say that it is seasonal, but it is not. It will continue under the ministry,” he told a press conference after launching the Kedah edition of the programme at Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Ampang Muda near here yesterday.

Also present were State Information, Rural Development and Poverty Eradication Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Tajudin Abdullah and Information director-general Datuk Ibrahim Abdul Rahman.

Elaborating, Jailani said the programme was also one of the government’s efforts to close the digital gap between the people in urban and rural areas, while improving the telecommunication infrastructure in interior areas.

He said eight more telecommunication towers would be built in the constituency, along with one or two 1Malaysia Internet Centres, to give the residents, especially the young people, more access to internet.

“Right now, we have set up 820 1Malaysia Internet Centres nationwide, six of which are in Sik. For telecommunication towers, we have built over 10,000 across the country,” he added.