Ministries directed to present development project planning by December 31 - Mustapa

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said the planning included the expected date to call for project tenders and the start of initial works.

He said, besides that, the ministries were also required to identify the problems that might arose.

"The decision was made during the meeting on the Development Project Implementation Planning for 2021 jointly chaired by me and the Chief Secretary to the Government, Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali today.

"The meeting was held to find the ways to speed up the continuation of projects and ensure that new projects could be implemented expeditiously next year as they would give significant multiplier effects to the country," he said in a statement here, today.

Mustapa said the government also found that the measures taken to expedite the development expenditure allocation through the relaxation of several rules during the Movement Control Order (MCO) had given positive impact on the project implementation.

"The meeting today has identified several improvement measures and the relaxation of procedures which will be continued in 2021.

"The government has allocated RM69 billion for development expenditure under Budget 2021, out of which 45 per cent are for continuation of projects and 55 per cent for new projects.

"(There's) no problem to continue 3,834 projects. However, early and meticulous planning is very important to ensure that 2,558 new projects can be carried out smoothly next year," he said.

He added that public sector spending is critical during this period when the private sector especially small and medium enterprises are facing challenges to stimulate and revive the economy.