by DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, April 16: The National Information Dissemination Centre (NADI) can also benefit urban communities, particularly the urban poor, by providing equal access to essential digital tools and facilities, says Bandar Kuching MP Kelvin Yii.
In a statement today, he highlighted that while NADI was initially conceived to bridge the digital divide in rural Sarawak, the centres could become essential resources for urban populations, especially the urban poor who remain digitally excluded.
“While this initiative was initially targeted to close the digital gap in semi-rural and rural areas, I believe such initiative will also benefit those in the urban areas especially the urban poor that may not have the asset or facilities to tap into the ever important digital world.
“That is why I believe that even in the urban setting such as Bandar Kuching, such facilities will bring benefit to those that need it especially the urban poor,” Yii said.
“This initiative clearly reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to closing the digital gap and improving the standard of living of the local community by offering a wide range of services and training programmes free of charge.
“From high-speed internet and free computer access, e-tuition classes for core subjects like English and Mathematics, entrepreneurship workshops, digital and hands-on skills training such as cooking, sewing and gadget repair, to free health screenings – these centres provide real value to people from all walks of life,” he added.
He therefore urged Kuching residents, especially those from low-income urban communities, to take full advantage of the newly launched NADI centres, which offer free digital access, entrepreneurial training, and government services.
He also noted that for 2025, NADI targets to train at least 7,000 participants under the ‘NADIpreneur’ entrepreneurship programme, with 60 per cent of the participants expected to be women as one of the key components of this programme is the ‘Nadi EmpowHER’.
As of March 31, 4,000 entrepreneurs have been trained under the programme, of which 3,390 are women.
“This is a significant and commendable step towards empowering women economically through digital tools and platforms,” he said.
“I strongly believe this initiative will benefit everyone — school children can make use of the free e-tuition services, university students can access computers and internet for their assignments, and even senior citizens will benefit from free health screenings that include blood pressure, blood sugar, and BMI tests,” Yii added. – DayakDaily
