PUTRAJAYA: The Rural and Regional Development Ministry is placing its focus on enhancing rural infrastructure and economy, as well as Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), in Budget 2024, according to its minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Deputy Prime Minister highlighted this focus during the engagement session for the 2024 Budget with industry players and stakeholders held on Thursday (Sept 7).
In a Facebook post about the session, Ahmad Zahid expressed his commitment to ensure that all inputs and suggestions gathered from the session will be submitted to the Finance Ministry for inclusion in the 2024 Budget.
He stated, “I am particularly focused on enhancing rural infrastructure, among other initiatives. This includes improving the lives of the people in Sabah, Sarawak, and the Orang Asli communities through the construction and maintenance of social amenities, expanding telecommunications coverage in collaboration with the Communications and Digital Ministry, as well as the construction of houses for the hardcore poor.”
In addition to this, Ahmad Zahid mentioned that the Rural and Regional Development Ministry aims to empower the rural economy by creating income generation opportunities for rural residents through rural tourism and mixed farming.
He elaborated, “I hope to witness the ministry playing an effective role in assisting rural entrepreneurs in upgrading their products for global markets. The global halal market alone has reached a value of US$3.3 trillion (RM15.44 trillion). This vast market presents opportunities for entrepreneurs to compete with international products, but rural entrepreneurs must possess a competitive spirit in marketing their products.”
Ahmad Zahid also stressed the importance of the TVET field in producing highly skilled workers in line with the demands of Industrial Revolution 4.0.
The engagement session on Thursday was attended by a total of 120 participants, including representatives from government agencies, heads of departments and agencies under the ministry, as well as industry players such as business associations, cooperative chambers of commerce, entrepreneurs, non-governmental organizations, and academicians. – Bernama
Credit: The Star : News Feed
