KUCHING: More than 5,000 boat owners in Sarawak have received the Budi95 targeted fuel subsidy, says state Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Henry Harry Jinep (pic).
He said the Budi95 initiative was extended to individual boat owners in Sarawak who do not have a driving licence, as many rural communities still use rivers as their main mode of transport.
"The state Transport Ministry is working closely with the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry and Sarawak Federal Treasury to coordinate the implementation of this programme.
"The registration of individual boat owners is being done with assistance from divisional residents and district offices," he told Anyi Jana (GPS-Ngemah) during question time in the Sarawak Legislative Assembly on Tuesday (Nov 25).
Henry said 7,480 applications from boat owners had been forwarded to the Sarawak Federal Treasury as of Nov 19.
He said 5,765 applications had been approved while the rest were being evaluated for eligibility.
"This is the state government's effort to make sure eligible rural folks are not left out of the Budi95 subsidy," he said.
Henry also said the subsidy was for those who used their boats for personal transport and for livelihood purposes, such as fishing, transporting personal goods and going to work.
In addition, he said eligible recipients must be Malaysian citizens without an active driving licence.
