Ahmad Jazlan: RM274.8m allocated for housing assistance programme this year

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of RM274.8 million has been allocated under the Housing Assistance Programme (PBR) to build 3,055 new housing units, and restore 8,168 units, this year.
Rural and Regional Development Deputy Minister Datuk Ahmad Jazlan said the programme was aimed at providing assistance to the poor and hardcore poor in rural areas.
"The aid is financed in the form of grants to the target groups, whereby the recipients do not have to make any repayments.
"It is hoped that the implementation of the PBR will improve the lives of the target group, by providing them safe and comfortable homes," he told the Dewan Rakyat.
He was replying to Datuk Mohd Fasiah Mohd Fakeh (BN-Sabak Bernam), who wanted to know the measures taken by the ministry to assist the rural population in terms of home ownership and restoration.
In reply to a supplementary question by Mohd Fasiah who asked the government to review the conditions set for applying the PBR, so that more rural residents could own houses, Ahmad Jazlan said the government was aware of current high costs of living.
"We understand the current household income levels. It is time for it to be reviewed, in line with the rising costs of living," he said.
Ahmad Jazlan said the ministry would submit a proposal to the Implementation Coordination Unit to increase the size of the PBR homes for the comfort of its residents.
He was responding to a question from Datuk Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali (Kuala Nerus-PAS) on whether the government intended to expand the size of houses built under the programme in the future, for the convenience of recipients with large families. — Bernama