Dewan Rakyat News In Brief: Dec 3

REE MINING CAN PROCEED, SUBJECT TO EXPORT BAN

KUALA LUMPUR -- The government has allowed Rare Earth Element (REE) mining to be carried out in other locations, but it remains subject to the nationwide export ban, said Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

He said the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for REE mining have been approved by the Cabinet and shared with state governments for implementation.

"The approval we granted is only for a pilot project initiated in Mukim Kenering, Perak. The approval is not specific to the company but to the pilot project itself," he said during the question-and-answer session. 

“They have already begun mining at the pilot project stage and a stockpile has been created. As a result, the government has granted export approval for a set period and limited quantity,“ he added.

He said this in reply to a supplementary question from Mohd Nazri Abu Hassan (PN-Merbok), who asked whether companies collaborating with the Kedah state government could apply for federal approval to export rare earth carbonate (REC), similar to the arrangement in Perak.

-- BERNAMA

RIVER WATER QUALITY IMPROVES FROM 2019 TO 2023 

KUALA LUMPUR -- The quality of river water across the country has improved between 2019 and last year, according to Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

He said the Department of Environment (DOE) had monitored 672 rivers as part of its river water quality surveillance programme, involving 1,353 manual water quality monitoring stations.

He added that the number of rivers classified as clean increased to 486, or 72 per cent of the rivers monitored in 2023, up from 408 (61 per cent) in 2019.

Meanwhile, the number of rivers categorised as polluted decreased to 25 (four per cent) in 2023, compared to 59 (nine per cent) in 2019.

Nik Nazmi was responding to a question from Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari (PH-Sungai Petani) during the question-and-answer session, regarding the ministry's efforts to tackle river pollution and whether the number of polluted rivers has shown a decline over the years.

-- BERNAMA

JWP PARTNERS WITH KUSKOP TO EMPOWER YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS, SINGLE MOTHERS

KUALA LUMPUR -- The Federal Territories Department (JWP) has been actively collaborating with the Ministry of Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development (KUSKOP) to empower young entrepreneurs and single mothers in the Federal Territories, the Dewan Rakyat was informed today.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa said initiatives include the Informal Entrepreneur Formalisation Programme, which is being adopted from KUSKOP and is expected to benefit some 2,000 entrepreneurs.

"JWP also plans to implement strategic collaborations, such as participant matching to join government-led programmes. This includes the involvement of small entrepreneurs in the One District, One Industry programme organised by KUSKOP," she said during the question-and-answer session.

Dr Zaliha said this in reply to a question from P. Prabakaran (PH-Batu) who inquired whether JWP would allocate funding in the 2025 Budget for the development of entrepreneurs, particularly young entrepreneurs and single mothers in the Federal Territories.

-- BERNAMA