KUCHING, July 23 (Bernama) -- Malaysian youths, aged between 18-40, stand to
take home up to RM2 million in financial assistance for winning the Ministry of
Rural and Regional Development''s Rural Business Challenge.
In a statement today, the ministry''s secretary-general, Datuk Ibrahim
Muhamad, said the competition aimed to motivate the youths to develop businesses
in rural areas.
"It is part of the rural development National Key Results Area (NKRA)’s
21st century village initiative that focused on the government’s long-term plan
to reverse the rural-urban migration trend and eradicate poverty in rural
areas," he said.
Ibrahim said the competition was part of the strategy to develop a
comprehensive policy that would encourage young people to return to the villages
and find gainful employment and realistic businesses opportunities," he said.
He said the programme, a collaborative effort with the Performance
Management and Delivery Unit, came under the Government Transformation
Programme’s improving rural development NKRA.
"The proposed business plan will be required to address one of four
categories -- agriculture, services, manufacturing and rural tourism.
"The winners will be provided with financial assistance of between RM500,000
and RM2 million to implement their business plan," he said.
Under the 21st Century village concept, he said, the ministry aimed to
improve infrastructure in villages, create a conducive environment and provide
access to equal employment opportunities for rural people.
The business must operate on land located in rural areas of Malaysia, he
said.
Individuals, groups, enterprises and private companies are invited to
participate while the business must employ only Malaysians from villages in the
vicinity of rural areas and demonstrate a capacity to enhance the local economy.
The closing date is Aug 3 2012 and those interested can get the application
forms from http://www.rurallink.gov.my/rbc. -- BERNAMA
CJ THS