By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Dec 11: The Federal government has allocated RM15 million for the surveying of Native Customary Rights (NCR) land in Sarawak next year.
In a news report by TVS, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa stated that the funds are part of the Sarawak Bumiputera Special Programme, allocated under the indigenous rights cluster.
She explained that this cluster receives the largest share of the allocation to safeguard and protect NCR land in Sarawak, through the Native Land Survey Programme.
“The Federal government has earmarked RM24.4 million under the Sarawak Bumiputera Special Programme, which is divided into five clusters: indigenous rights, economic development, indigenous courts, rural infrastructure, and human capital development,” she told the august House today.
She was responding to a question from Senator Pele Peter Tinggom regarding the budget allocated for NCR land surveying in Sarawak for 2025.
Dr Zaliha further clarified that since 2010, a total of RM282 million has been allocated to the Sarawak government for the implementation of NCR land surveying projects.
As of November 2024, she said, a total of 1,179,893 hectares of NCR land have been surveyed, with 114,169 individual lot surveys completed.
“The Federal government remains committed and provides the necessary funding annually for NCR land surveys, covering an estimated 1.5 million hectares,” she added.
Dr Zaliha explained that the programmw, managed by the Land and Survey Department Sarawak, aims to accelerate NCR land surveying, ultimately ensuring land ownership is recogniaed through the issuance of title deeds. — DayakDaily
