PUTRAJAYA – Low-cost housing (PPR) and public housing (PA) under the Federal Territories Ministry will be exempted from rental, October to December, to help ease the financial burden faced by the B40 group.
Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa said this is part of the Wilayah Cakna 3.0 Initiative, costing the ministry RM39.75 million in income this year.
“More than 40,000 low-income families in PPR and PA under DBKL (KL City Hall) will not have to pay rent from October to December.
“This exemption will cost DBKL and other agencies under the ministry RM15 million in rent collection. Those renting business premises owned by DBKL and Perbadanan Putrajaya are also exempted from paying rent.
“If the Covid-19 situation extends all the way to Labuan, the exemption will apply there as well. The same goes for business licence renewals in the federal territories. It is exempted until year end.”
The business rental exemption is expected to be a benefit for 6,132 small time traders in Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur. DBKL is expected to lose RM2.5 million in business rentals while Perbadanan Putrajaya will lose RM1.87 million.
The business licence exemption will impact 1,339 accounts under DBKL with a cost of RM330,000 while the licence exemption in Putrajaya will affect 302 small traders with a cost of RM50,000.
Meanwhile, the ministry is looking at helping the B40 community through RM100 food packs.
The first phase of this programme will target 1,000 families in Putrajaya while DBKL will identify B40 families to receive these packs.
Annuar will be launching the MyGrocer programme next week where wholesale, supermarket and wet market produce will be sold at discounted price at PPR and PA residential areas.
“The items will be 15% to 20% cheaper. The suppliers will have to purchase those products in bulk or wholesale to ensure costs are not passed on to the consumers. This will be implemented in the federal territories.
“Phase one of this project will be in nearly 40 locations in Kuala Lumpur.”
Other aspects of the Wilayah Cakna 3.0 Initiative include a back-to-school programme where impoverished students will receive RM100 book vouchers from the Federal Territories Foundation to be used in school cooperatives.
Another 1,000 B40 students in Putrajaya will also receive RM100 vouchers from Perbadanan Putrajaya for their school expenses.
Some 350 students in kindergartens managed by Perbadanan Putrajaya are exempted from school fees this month.
A RM3,000 one-off donation will be given to each of the 11 residential councils in Kuala Lumpur and six sub-zones in Putrajaya while 570 residential associations in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya will each get a RM2,000 one-off donation for anti-Covid-19 community programmes.
The ministry has also allocated RM1.4 million to the Federal Territories Islamic Department to assist the poor while the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council will be giving Covid-19 emergency assistance, rental and food items to public university students in Kuala Lumpur worth RM12.7 million. – THe Vibes, October 15, 2020
