Govt Targets Implementation Of 500 MADANI Adopted Villages This Year – Fadillah

KLUANG, April 18 (Bernama) -- The government is targeting the implementation of 500 MADANI Adopted Villages nationwide this year, up from 219 villages in 2025, following the programme’s positive impact in expanding access to basic facilities in rural areas.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the expansion would strengthen efforts to bridge the development gap between urban and rural areas through comprehensive collaboration among ministries and agencies.

He said the initiative, introduced under Budget 2024, benefited 43 villages in its first year of implementation before increasing more than fivefold the following year.

“It is part of the government’s ongoing efforts to narrow the urban-rural development gap and ensure that no community is left behind in the nation’s development,” he said.

Fadillah, who is also Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, said this when speaking at the completion ceremony of the PETRA MADANI Adopted Village Project at Kampung Orang Asli Berasau here today.

He said the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA) was entrusted with implementing the project in the village with an allocation of RM2.5 million after identifying the residents’ key needs, namely a stable 24-hour electricity supply and a community hall.

Fadillah said the project entails the construction of a fully enclosed solar-roofed community hall and the installation of an integrated photovoltaic system with a capacity of over 50 kilowatt-peak, along with a battery energy storage system of 516 kilowatt-hours, capable of providing continuous 24-hour electricity supply to more than 20 houses and the community hall.

“This will benefit residents who previously relied on generators for their daily electricity supply. We want Kampung Orang Asli Berasau to serve as a role model for other Orang Asli villages in the provision of basic facilities,” he said.

He added that the community hall would also be used for local community activities and social programmes for residents in the surrounding areas.

According to him, the solar-based solution was chosen as the development of a conventional electricity grid would require a longer timeframe and involve routes through forest reserves and private land.

Fadillah said the project in Kampung Orang Asli Berasau, which is located far from the main road, is among the first of its kind to use an integrated solar energy system to comprehensively support community needs.

He said the needs-based approach would continue to be expanded under the MADANI Adopted Village initiative to ensure more rural areas gain access to basic facilities in a phased and systematic manner.

— BERNAMA