By Ling Hui
KUCHING, Sept 15: There have been only 1,318 successful applicants for the Sarawak Rental Assistance Scheme (SRAS) since its launch in October, 2021.
Deputy Premier Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian said the Sarawak government targeted 20,000 applicants for SRAS, which offers RM200 per month rental assistance for 36 months.
He said this scheme is aimed at helping the urban poor, especially the B40 families or single parents with children in Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu and Miri.
“So far, we have only received 1,318 successful applicants and we have given out RM214,000. Please, make the most out of it. ‘Jangan tengok sahaja’ (Don’t just look),” he said.
As for the Mutiara Mortgage & Credit (Mutiara) home financing loans, Dr Sim said the Sarawak government has so far helped 1,328 applicants with a total of RM78 million.
He said this a mortgage loan with one per cent interest and 100 per cent margin that is only available in Sarawak for its people.
“And 94 per cent of these people are in the low-income group. They are either working with private company with no fixed income, like the hawkers, or they are self-employed.
“But I’m happy to say that the number of non-performing loans is zero,” he said when officiating at the Housing Deposit Assistance Scheme (HDAS) and Spektra Mutiara Program (RSM) handover to recipients at a local hotel in Miri yesterday (Sept 14).
Also present were Dr Sim’s deputies Dato Pengguang Manggil and Michael Tiang, Ministry of Public Health, Local Government and Housing permanent secretary Datu Antonio Kahti Galis, Transport Minister Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Sebastian Ting, Housing Development Corporation (HDC) chairman Dr Abang Abdul Rauf Abang Zen, Mutiara Mortgage & Credit chief executive officer (CEO) Shaharony Mat Nor. — DayakDaily
