PUTRAJAYA, Sept 30 — The Housing and Local Government Ministry (KPKT) will make the Liveable Malaysia agenda the main focus in the successful planning of the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) for the well-being of the “Malaysian Family” concept.

The priority areas in the 12MP that touch on the ministry’s functions and roles are to ensure the provision of adequate, quality and affordable housing; improving the living standards of poor households; monitoring and evaluating efforts and implementation towards achieving urban sustainability.

Other areas of priority are mainstreaming digitisation in the delivery of local authority’s services; prioritising green and resilient urban development; as well as transforming solid waste management towards the development of a recycling economy.

Under the housing focus, KPKT in a statement today on the 12MP said the ceiling price of affordable housing would be introduced in the secondary market as a mechanism to control house prices, especially in urban areas.

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The rent-to-own (RTO) scheme will be expanded to include houses priced up to RM500,000 as well as funds for affordable housing and a youth housing scheme will also be provided to finance the purchase of first homes, said the statement.

KPKT said it was in the process of setting up a National Housing Corporation (NHC) which would serve as a leader in integrated housing development to achieve the target of providing 500,000 units of affordable housing by the end of 2025.

In improving the living standards of the urban poor households, KPKT said entrepreneurship training, microfinance as well as opportunities in the gig economy would be expanded to increase and diversify the income sources of urban poor households.

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The development of smart and sustainable cities will be intensified to enhance urban competitiveness with ICT applications, advanced technologies and innovations to address urban issues.

In line with the direction towards implementing a recycling economic policy, KPKT is preparing guidelines for the development of Waste Eco Parks.

“Through the implementation of the Waste Eco Parks development, the solid waste processing industry can be effectively regulated by the authorities and the impact on the environment can be preserved, while generating the national economy,” the statement also said. 

“KPKT will see integrated and inclusive efforts to ensure that the implementation of the 12MP will be able to address the people’s concerns and restore their confidence, after the Covid-19 pandemic,” it added. — Bernama