KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 — The government has allocated RM30 million to improve and provide childcare centres and preschools in government buildings and hospitals as part of initiatives announced under Budget 2021.
Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Tengku Abdul Aziz said an additional RM20 million in matching grants will be allocated for the private sector to provide childcare centres within their premises.
He said the allocation was made in response to the grouses of parents working as frontliners who found it hard to acquire childcare services while on duty during the movement control order (MCO).
The allocation was made under the Budget’s topic labelled “Enhancing the Role of Women”, where Tengku Zafrul expressed the government’s appreciation for the role of women in nation building.
Other allocations under the same topic included RM95 million that was set aside for special micro credit financing through TEKUN, MARA and Agrobank aimed at empowering women entrepreneurs, and additional RM50 million to the Islamic Economic Development Foundation (YaPEIM) to support Islamic Pawnbroking through the Ar-Rahnu BizNita Islamic financing scheme.
The finance minister also announced training programmes covering marketing, labelling and packaging, while providing technical business guidance tor more than 2,000 women entrepreneurs.
Some RM21 million was also announced for the establishment of a One-Stop Social Support Centre to address the issue of domestic violence.
“This centre in collaboration with NGOs will provide social protection and moral support to women facing domestic problems like divorce and abuse,” he added.
Additionally, RM10 million was allocated for cervical cancer screening and subsidy incentives for mammograms for women who are at a high risk of developing breast cancer.
