MIRI: Sarawak is compiling data on diesel dependent rural communities amid concerns that the federal government’s 200-litre monthly subsidised quota may not meet actual consumption needs.
Miri Division Resident, Galong Luang, said data collected from all districts in the division has been submitted to the State Secretary’s Office to support the state’s efforts to ensure that the implementation of the targeted diesel subsidy programme reflects the realities faced by communities in the interior.
He said the information includes details of households and villages that continue to rely on diesel powered generator sets and engines as their primary source of energy and for daily activities.
“We have collected information from all districts in Miri Division and submitted it to the State Secretary’s Office.
“Among the information gathered is data on villagers who are still using generator sets and diesel engines for their daily needs,” he said in a news report by TVS at a briefing session on the BUDI MADANI diesel subsidy programme here on Friday (July 3).
Galong said the data collection exercise was important as many rural settlements, particularly in Sarawak’s interior, have yet to receive full access to grid electricity and continue to depend heavily on diesel to power homes, community facilities and economic activities.
He also clarified that the previous restriction limiting diesel purchases to 50 litres per transaction has been abolished.
“There is no longer a limit on the amount of diesel that can be purchased in a single transaction,” he said.
“However, the subsidised quota entitlement for individuals remains at 200 litres per month, subject to the stipulated eligibility criteria.”
The briefing session was organised to provide greater clarity on the implementation of the targeted diesel subsidy programme and to address confusion over eligibility requirements among individual users and commercial operators.
The federal government introduced the BUDI MADANI initiative to better target RON95 petrol and diesel subsidies to eligible recipients while reducing leakages and ensuring assistance reaches intended beneficiaries.
The initiative comprises three components namely BUDI Rakyat, BUDI Agri-Komoditi and the SKDS/SKPS Fleet Card or BUDI MySubsidi, which benefit individual users, agricultural operators, as well as eligible public transport and goods transportation sectors.
The implementation of the targeted diesel subsidy programme has drawn attention in Sarawak due to concerns that the monthly subsidised quota of 200 litres may not be sufficient for some rural households that rely on diesel generators as their primary source of electricity.
