KPLB organises COVID-19 green zone community competition, offers RM50,000 prize

KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Rural Development (KPLB) is organising the COVID-19 Green Zone Community Competition for rural communities as part of efforts to empower them to fight against the pandemic.

Its minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad said the competition, which was being held in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Agency and the Office of the Chief Secretary to the Government offered prizes of up to RM50,000 in the form of development grants for the winners.

"KPLB is responsible for conducting competitions for the rural category.

"It is divided into two subcategories, namely the Traditional Village and Longhouse category under the administration of the Village Development and Security Committee (JPKK) and the Orang Asli Village category under the administration of the Orang Asli Village Development and Security Committee (JPKKOA)," he told reporters after attending the Coordination Meeting between the Minister of Rural Development and Rural Executive Councillors (MEXCLUB) here, yesterday.

He said the competition would run for six months, namely this April to September.

The evaluation session will be conducted on-site, and each village will have to provide a briefing on how the programme has been implemented, with documentation and video screenings related to the village's initiatives to be evaluated.

According to Abd Latiff there are four aspects for assessment, namely the village's proactive measures in curbing the spread of COVID-19 and the cultivating of new norms and compliance with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

Also to be assessed are the cooperation with various agencies and the role of governance of administrative institutions at the village level.

Meanwhile, Abd Latiff said KPLB was currently focused on resolving issues and problems related to rural development projects and programmes throughout the country, with the cooperation of the respective state governments.

“This is to ensure that rural development programmes/projects are on the right track by 2030," he said.

On MEXCLUB, Abd Latiff said, it was the right platform to increase understanding and cooperation between the federal and state governments in resolving any issues in the implementation of KPLB projects nationwide, which has been held 52 times to date.

-- BERNAMA