KUALA LUMPUR: The Federal Territories Ministry (KWP) is committed to helping residents of the federal territories to own a comfortable house to live in, said its minister Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kassim.

He said among the initiatives implemented to achieve it was through the Residensi Prihatin Keluarga Malaysia programme, costing below RM200,000, which is targeted for the B40 group.

As for the M40, they will be offered the Residensi Wilayah Keluarga Malaysia, costing below RM300,000, he said in his speech at the investiture ceremony at Istana Negara here today.

At the ceremony, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah conferred federal awards, honours and medals to 263 recipients in conjunction with the Federal Territories Day 2022 celebration.

Shahidan said through the Baiti Jannati Keluarga Malaysia programme, it provided opportunities to existing tenants, namely the hardcore poor and the poor in Public Housing as well as the People's Housing Project, to own the residential units.

Apart from that, he said, an additional 5,000 units of Council Home would also be built for lease to city dwellers.

Meanwhile, Shahidan said infrastructure and economic development in the Federal Territory had always been the government's direction and priority.

He said they included the Labuan-Sabah Bridge, which could act as a 'game-changer' towards a more dynamic and viable Labuan.

The proposed project is currently at the evaluation stage of the documents for Request for Proposal (RfP), he added.

The ministry, he said, had also drawn up a sustainable, livable and smart development agenda for the future.

"With the concept of 'Our City Our Home', the Federal Territory is committed to providing a conducive and safe environment for its citizens and aims to become a smart city by 2030," he added.

He said residents at 178 low and medium-low housing areas in Kuala Lumpur had benefited through the MY5@Wilayah programme which aimed to alleviate the cost of living of the urban poor.

The Anak Muda Kota Entrepreneur Development Programme was the latest to be carried out by the ministry to help unemployed youths, including graduates, to become entrepreneurs.

-- BERNAMA