PUTRAJAYA, Jan 7 — Better environmental conditions in the countryside have attracted more urbanites to migrate to rural areas, including retirees, said Rural Development Minister Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun.
She said, according to the Department of Statistics’ 2018 Migration Survey report, the migration rate from urban to rural areas was at 19.5 per cent (in 2018) compared to only 4.2 per cent for 2016, while the rate of migration from rural to urban areas for 2018 dropped to 4.8 per cent compared to 15.2 per cent in 2016.
“Looking at the pattern of increasing urban migration to countryside, I hope it will also attract investors’ interest to invest in rural areas,” she told a press conference after delivering the New Year 2020 mandate at her ministry here today.
With various basic amenities and quality infrastructure including a good business ecosystem, Rina said there was no need for rural population to go to town to do business.
“Nowadays people can run business online and there are many examples of entrepreneurs in the rural areas who have now become millionaires with the right technology and guidance,” she said.
Based on the pattern of increased migration, Rina said her ministry would also intensify efforts to provide high quality digital infrastructure to encourage online business activities as well as programmes to strengthen the human capital in rural areas.
In the meantime, she said among her ministry’s focus this year, which is also the final year for the implementation of the 11th Malaysia Plan, was to increase the income of the rural population where the gap between the top 20 per cent (T20) and the bottom 40 per cent (B40) of the household income groups still needed attention.
According to the Household Income and Basic Amenities Surveys carried out in 1989 and 2016, the income gap between the T20 and B40 groups, has widened, from RM1,935 in 1989 to RM10,148 in 2016, she said.
“I hope beginning this year, the development of socio-economic and human capital of the rural community will be fully implemented so that after 2030 they will no longer be associated with poverty,” she said.
Rina said a sum of RM8.415 billion was allocated to her ministry this year, involving a development allocation of RM5.224 billion and RM3.192 billion allocation for management.
A total of 77 programmes will be used as the ministry’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) this year, with allocation totalling RM4.67 billion to benefit 1.158 million recipients, she said. — Bernama
