IPOH, Dec 18 — The Perak State Legislative Assembly today unanimously approved the state’s budget for 2021.
The Perak State Budget 2021, which involves an allocation of RM1.215 billion, was debated for one day by six representatives from the government and six from the Opposition.
A total of RM430.0 million has been allocated for the development expenditure while the remaining RM785.1 million from the budget is for the management cost.
In his winding-up speech, Mentri Besar Datuk Saarani Mohamad said the budget took into account the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Development projects and programmes planned for 2021 will emphasise on the state economic recovery and at the same time will focus on reducing the impact faced by various economic sectors and affected groups,” he said.
“The 10 years plan (2021-2030) will emphasise on sustainable and inclusive development to revive the post-Covid-19 economy.
“The plan will be refined at the Federal and state government agencies level so that a holistic long-term development plan can be prepared and used as a guide in developing Perak.
“We will focus on the implementation of high-impact projects that will provide economic overflow to the state as well as affordable housing projects for the B40 group,” he explained.
Saarani said that a study on the Perak Industrial Development Plan (P3) will be conducted to identify the types of service industries and potential projects that can be brought to the state.
“The plan was first drafted in July 2020 and is expected to be completed by the consultants by mid-2021,” he said.
“Several strategic projects were also identified and placed under the monitoring of the Central of Investment (COI) namely the Silver Valley Technology Park (SVTP) project in Kantan and the Glove City Project in Bidor, which will be developed by private investors.
“In the 2021 budget, the state government for the first time has provided an allocation of RM2.2 million for the purpose of upgrading the industrial areas,” he added.
In accordance with the National Agro-Food Policy 2.0, Saarani said that the state has taken several initiatives to prioritise the food safety agenda, among which is to encourage urban and community farmings.
Saarani also said the state is planning to develop Pangkor Island as a “smart island” via effective natural resource management and in controlling pollution.
“The state also intends to make Pangkor Island free from petroleum-based vehicles and replace it with electric-based vehicles using green technology,” he added.
Saarani added that the state government is also developing an online employment platform, Talent Perak, via the Perak Children’s Aspiration Centre (PASAK).
“This platform serves not only as a platform to offer job opportunities, but also perform as a centralised data collection centre for graduates, unemployed and those who were retrenched.
“Through this platform, the job opportunities offered by the companies will be categorized according to the demographics of the district, industry and education.
“This will allow job seekers to choose a job that suits them from the 150 registered companies involving 500 job opportunities,” he added.
