KUCHING, May 25: Sarawak Government has allocated RM398 million under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) to implement affordable housing and non-physical projects throughout Sarawak.
Deputy Premier, Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian, said the affordable housing projects and Rumah SPEKTRA Permata (RSP) are being implementation throughout Sarawak.
“A total of 1,568 units of affordable housing and RSP are in the various stages of implementation in Kuching, Samarahan, Sri Aman, Betong, Sarikei, Sibu, Kapit, Mukah, Miri and Limbang,” Dr Sim said during his ministerial winding up speech in the afternoon session of the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting today.
Dr Sim, who holds the Public Health, Housing and Local Government portfolio, said the State Government has introduced the Sarawak Rental Assistance Scheme (SRAS) to assist low-income groups and mitigate urban poverty in major towns.
Under SRAS, eligible applicants from low-income groups staying in rented houses will be assisted with rental assistance of up to RM200 per month for a maximum of 36 months.
“An allocation of RM48 million has been approved under this initiative and will benefit about 20,000 eligible households,” he said.
As of April 2022, he said that 1,176 applications was approved by SRAS Selection Committee with a combined value of RM6.6 million.
Additionally, the Housing Deposit Assistance Scheme (HDAS) initiative was also introduced in 2021.
It provides cash assistance to the eligible applicant by giving a grant of up to RM10,000 for the house upfront deposit payment.
A total of RM10 million was approved through the ministry for the implementation of the programme which is set to benefit about 1,200 first time home buyers in Sarawak.
At the same time, Dr Sim said the Program Perumahan Rakyat (PPR) Seduan in Sibu is scheduled to be completed by April 2023.
“My Ministry will continue to pursue more funding and collaborate with Federal Government to provide more affordable housing opportunities in Sarawak,” Dr Sim added.-TVS
