By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, July 19: A total of 59 fishermen from the Beladin area in Betong have benefited from the Beladin Fishermen Resettlement Project (PSN), a continued government initiative aimed at improving the livelihoods of rural fishing communities.
According to a press release, the symbolic key handover ceremony for the PSN participants was officiated by the Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, during his visit today.
He also took time to meet and engage with the recipients, visited the home of one of the beneficiaries, and presented food aid baskets as a gesture of the State government’s concern and support for the fishing community.
The project is a collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM), the Sarawak government, the Fisheries Development Authority of Malaysia (LKIM), and the Sarawak Economic Planning Unit, with a total allocation of RM21.25 million.
The first phase involved the completion of 68 housing units, valued at RM6.8 million, with 59 participants receiving house keys and signing homeownership agreements.
The Beladin PSN is one of the government’s strategic efforts to provide more comfortable, organised, and strategically located housing for fishermen communities, thereby enhancing their overall well-being and quality of life in the long term.
This initiative aligns with the Sarawak government’s aspiration to uplift the welfare of the people, particularly the fishing community, which plays a vital role in the State’s fisheries sector.
It is hoped that strong cooperation between the federal and State governments will continue to be strengthened to ensure the well-being of fishing communities is always protected.
This synergy is crucial in planning, implementing, and monitoring various development initiatives, including the provision of better housing, improvements in basic infrastructure, and the creation of new economic opportunities.
This continued collaboration is also expected to boost the resilience of fishing communities in facing current and future challenges, in line with the goal of making the national fisheries sector more sustainable and competitive.
Dato Sri Norazman Ayob, deputy secretary-general (policy) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security; Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, Deputy Premier of Sarawak; Rashima Baharuddin, deputy director-general (development) of LKIM; Sarawak MPs and assemblymembers; representatives from the Sarawak government and the relevant agencies were also present. — DayakDaily
