Menteri besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar said the state government would also allocate RM40 million for water supply expenditure.

Under operating expenditure, a total of RM92.99 million is allocated for liability payment and RM1.56 billion for supplies (RM264.84 million for emoluments, RM244.47 million for assets, RM1.032 billion for grants and fixed payment charges and RM1 million for other expenditures), he said when tabling the budget at the state assembly at Wisma Darul Iman here today.

He said that under the grants and fixed payment charges component, a total of RM400 million would be channelled to the development fund, RM230 million to local authorities, statutory bodies and various agencies, RM664.71 million for grants to government departments and RM270 million for various service programmes under the state secretary’s office.

Under development expenditure, he said, a total of RM436.92 million (72.82%) was allocated for the social sector, including education, infrastructure and public facilities.

Apart from that, a total of RM137.28 million (22.88%) is allocated for the administrative sector, such as information technology, and RM25.8 million (4.3%) for the economic sector, covering agriculture, tourism and micro, small and medium industries.

The state government is projecting a total of RM1.507 billion in revenue – RM61.02 million from taxes, RM157.49 million from non-taxes and RM1.28 billion from non-revenue receipts including petroleum royalties, he said.

To address housing supply and homeownership in the state, the state government has allocated RM24.4 million to continue the construction of affordable housing projects in Pulau Redang, Bukit Gasing II, Gong Chengal II and Tajin, as well as affordable flats in Tok Jembal and Banggol Pauh.