KOTA KINABALU: A green foundation – YaHijau Malaysia – is set to become a grassroots movement to encourage Malaysians to adopt eco-friendly lifestyles.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who launched Yayasan Hijau Malaysia (YaHijau) here on Sunday, described Sabah as an ideal state to launch the project because it was one the “greenest’’ states in the country.
He said YaHijau was a government initiative undertaken under Budget 2014 to promote green living.
Apart from the YaHijau initiative, he said various green-based projects had been initiated to encourage environmentally friendly development, economic and social practices.
“Among them is the Green Technology Financing Scheme which grants loans for companies or entrepreneurs venturing into ‘green’ projects,” he said.
“RM3.5bil has also been set aside for this, out of which RM1.66bil had been used for 124 green technology-based projects,” he explained.
Muhyiddin said government departments and organisations have also been urged to reduce 5% of its utility usage in daily operations.
He said tax rebates are given to companies that adopt eco-friendly practices and green technology-based operations.
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman and Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili attended the event.
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