RM4mil allocated to strengthen rural community centres, says Deputy Minister

KOTA SAMARAHAN: A total of RM4mil has been allocated to the Rural and Regional Development Ministry under Budget 2024 to further strengthen the implementation of Rural Community Centre programmes nationwide.

Deputy Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Rubiah Wang said until last month (November), a total of 6,780 programmes had been implemented by 191 such centres across the country, benefiting 166,590 rural residents.

"This year, RM4.5mil has been allocated to further empower Rural Community Centres nationwide and as of November 2023, a total of 6,780 programmes have been implemented involving 166,590 rural residents,” she said.

In her speech when officiating at the Kota Samarahan Mobile Rural Community Centre in Kampung Tambirat near here on Saturday (Dec 16), she said there are six centres in Sarawak which provided 162 programmes involving 3,585 residents from the surrounding areas.

She added that centre is one of ministry's initiatives to help improve the living standards and well-being of rural communities, and to bring services provided by government and private agencies to rural areas through the concept of "One Stop Multiple Services".

Rubiah, who is also Kota Samarahan MP, said the ministry has also developed the MyPKD system to ensure improved operations and management and more efficiency in line with the development of digital technology.

She said the Mobile PKD was implemented this year to ensure that the ministry can continue to provide its services more comprehensively and inclusively.

The Kota Samarahan Mobile PKD is the third such programme held after the first one in Gerik, Perak, followed by Nabawan, Sabah.

"InsyaAllah, next year, we will study the effectiveness of this PKD to the rural community from the point of view of channelling service information and so on, (to evaluate whether) to hold more PKD Mobile,” she said. - Bernama