Govt to help urbanites

KUALA LUMPUR: The government aims to attract the support of urbanites with the development of more affordable housing in the Federal Territories.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak said the government will continue to focus on cost of living, housing and public transportation to take care of the people's welfare.
"If we can provide these for the people, I am confident a big portion of people in the Federal Territories will give us a big success.
"All these are the contributions of all the elected representatives for the welfare of the people," he said in his speech during a handing-over of keys ceremony at Residensi Pandanmas today.
Najib said the project focuses on the B40 and M40 groups to enable them to buy a housing unit.
"It is definitely worth the price as the value given is below the market price, which would easily be RM500,000 to RM700,000.
"This is like winning a lottery."
In an effort to woo Indian voters, Najib also addressed Indian families in the area.
"Due to cross-subsidy issues, 300 mostly Indian squatters who have lived here for almost 30 years will obtain a unit valued at RM42,000.
"The actual price is much higher and they will receive a 100% loan.
"I was informed that they are unable to pay even the deposit. This is a resettlement programme, part of the Indian blueprint programme launched recently," he said.
About 700 unit owners received their house keys at Residensi Pandanmas in the launch of Phase 1.
It is a project under the Rumawip policy implemented through strategic partnership between Kuala Lumpur City Hall and Syarikat Faber Vista Sdn Bhd, which is a subsidiary of Aset Kayamas.
Priced between RM280,000 and RM300,000, the 850-900sq ft units are for the middle income group as part of the government's initiative to assist the M40 group to own a home.
Also present at the ceremony were Finance Minister I Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and Deputy Federal Territories Minister Datuk Loga Bala Mohan.
At another event in PUTRAJAYA, Najib allocated RM80 million to registered "pondok" schools, Sekolah Menengah Agama Rakyat (SMAR) and tahfiz (religious) institutions, Bernama reported.
He said the allocation, under the Special Fund for Improvement and Maintenance of Schools as announced in Budget 2017, was aimed at empowering and strengthening the religious education institutions.
The allocations involved 819 recipients nationwide.