IPOH: The Perak government has allocated RM1.19bil for its budget next year.
Operational and development expenditure was set at RM794mil and RM395mil respectively.
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said the budget was based on five main thrusts: the well-being of the people, governance of state projects, environmental sustainability, sustainability of food supply, and human capital and youth development.
He added that state revenue next year was projected at RM1.16bil, including RM549mil from tax collection, RM394mil non-tax revenue, and RM190mil from non-revenue receipts.
On the expenditure next year, Saarani said RM380.9mil will be allocated for the people’s welfare, RM21.4mil for education, RM8mil for the tourism sector, RM162.6mil for environment sustainability, RM55mil to ensure food security, and RM21.6mil for human capital and youth development.
He said the state was also confident that it could close this year’s accounts with a surplus, adding that the estimated deficit of about RM49.6mil had been narrowed to RM36.9mil.
“Perak’s revenue has breached RM1bil, repeating the performance from 2016 to 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said when tabling the budget at the state assembly here yesterday.
Earlier in his winding-up speech, Saarani said the Transport Ministry was studying the need to build a new airport in the state.
The study, which started on March 7, was expected to be completed by September next year, he said, adding that it would focus on passenger and cargo flight demand.
Saarani also said the lanthanide project in Hulu Perak was going well.
He said a committee, which conducted its first round of auditing on the rare earth mining activity, found it to be under control and having adhered to the standard operating procedure.
“There has been no negative impact on the environment,” he added.