Tengku Zafrul tabling the Budget 2023 in Parliament today. – Bernama photo
KUCHING (Oct 7): Sarawak has been allocated RM5.4 billion in Budget 2023, an increase of about RM1 billion compared to the previous budget.
The budget was tabled in Parliament today by Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz.
He said the RM5.4 billion will be used on infrastructural development involving water, electricity, roads, health and education in the state.
Tengku Zafrul said the government will also be improving facilities at the seven airports in Sabah and Sarawak by erecting wheelchair ramps to benefit around 2,300 people on wheelchairs who use MASWings services.
Next year, allocation for building and repairing homes in the rural areas in the two Borneo states will be increased from RM361 million to RM460 million, he said.
Apart from that the ceiling rate on the building of new houses will be increased, for instance from RM68,000 to RM79,000 per unit in the two states, he said.
In this connection, he said around 1,500 new houses will be built in Sabah and Sarawak.
Accordingly the Supplementary Food Plan (RMT) rate has been raised from RM3 to RM4 in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan, said Tengku Zafrul.
He added that RM209 million worth of subsidy has also been allocated for air transportation to rural Sabah and Sarawak.
Meanwhile RM100 million will be used to improve the water supply system in Sarawak.
In addition, under the development allocation, Sabah and Sarawak will benefit from an allocation from the RM16.5 billion for the construction of the Pan Borneo Highway.
“The Sarawak portion of the Pan Borneo Highway will be completed in the nearest time while the construction in Sabah is expected to be completed in 2024,” said Tengku Zafrul.