10/10/2011 (Borneo Post) -  With Budget 2012 freshly tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Sarawak and Sabah is set to be the beneficiary of several initiatives for the rakyat.

Formulated with the theme ‘National Transformation Policy: Welfare for the Rakyat, Well-Being of the Nation’, among such measures included funding to accelerate the development of the regional corridors including the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE).

“In 2012, the government would allocate RM978 million to accelerate the development of five regional corridors,” Najib said during the tabling of Budget 2012 yesterday, with emphasis on the Samalaju water supply in SCORE and the palm oil cluster project in Lahad Datu in the Sabah Development Corridor.

This was on the back of a total of a total allocation of RM232.8 billion in Budget 2012 to implement all government development plans, which included projects under the Rolling Plan 2, National Key Economic Areas, National Key Results Areas, and Strategic Reform Initiatives.

From this amount, RM181.6 billion had been allocated for operating expenditure while RM51.2 billion for development expenditure.

To ease inflation as well as enhance the well-being of the rakyat, Najib stressed on taking both short-term and long-term measures to resolve the issue of rising food prices.

One such initiative was the allocation of RM1.1 billion in 2012 for the development of the agriculture sector, whereby main projects included irrigation projects in Sabah and Sarawak.

In terms of strengthening the development of rural basic infrastructure in a more detailed manner, the government planned to allocate a total of RM2.1 billion to expand clean water supply to 200,000 houses as well as RM1.1 billion for electric supply to 39,000 houses in the rural areas, particularly in Sabah and Sarawak.

“The government is committed to ensure the supply of clean water to the rural community particularly in the interiors of Sabah and Sarawak,” highlighted the Prime Minister.

“However, the implementation of water supply reticulation projects in these areas takes time.

“As an immediate measure, the government has provided an additional 20,000 water tanks costing RM52 million for rainwater harvesting, benefitting 100,000 people living in the interior of Sarawak.

“For 2012, the government will also expand this programme to Sabah with an allocation of RM50 million,” he added.