DEVELOPMENT projects worth RM75mil have been approved for Chinese new villages and Indian villages nationwide this year, says Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu.
She said the 573 projects, totalling RM73mil, granted to Chinese new villages came under three categories: infrastructure upgrades, home repair assistance and the construction of new houses.
“The first category comprises 366 projects, of which 148 have been completed while 218 are still under way.
“The second involves 197 projects, with 47 completed and 150 currently in progress.
“The third consists of 10 projects, all of which have yet to commence,” she told the Dewan Rakyat during Question Time yesterday.
For Indian villages, she said the Local Government Department had approved 21 projects for 18 settlements in Johor, Melaka, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Perak and Negri Sembilan.
“To date, five projects have been completed, 13 are in progress, two are undergoing the procurement process and another one at the planning stage,” she said.
Aiman Athirah also revealed that a total of RM328.9mil had been allocated for development projects in Chinese new villages between 2023 and 2025, benefiting 613 residents.
The allocation comprised RM107.1mil for 593 projects in 2023, RM118.8mil for 631 projects in 2024 and RM102.9mil for 560 projects in 2025.
For Indian villages, Aiman Athirah said the ministry began administering a special RM15mil allocation in 2025.
“The funding has been channelled through two key initiatives, benefiting 22,104 residents in 50 identified settlements through 87 projects. Of the total, RM10mil was allocated under the ministry’s 2025 budget, covering 54 projects. The remaining RM5mil was channelled through the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit,” she said.
To a supplementary question from Sungai Siput MP S. Kesavan on the disparity in allocations between Chinese new villages and Indian villages, Aiman Athirah said the two development programmes should not be compared directly.
She said development initiatives for Indian villages only came under the ministry’s purview in 2025, whereas the Chinese new village programme has been in place for many years.
“The ministry is continuously improving the programme.
“We are aware of the issues raised.
“However, this will require the cooperation of all parties to assist us in this effort,” she said.
