KUCHING, Dec 1 — The Sarawak government continues to intensify its efforts to provide affordable housing for the people, to enable them to secure a comfortable and liveable home.

The Chief Minister’s Office, in a statement issued today, said in line with this commitment, Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg, has approved the introduction and implementation of the Housing Deposit Assistance Scheme (HDAS) under the recent 2022 State Budget.

It said that an allocation of RM10 million will be provided for this scheme, and is expected to benefit about 1,200 homeowners. The scheme will be managed by Mutiara Mortgage & Credit Sdn Bhd (Mutiara), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Housing Development Corporation (HDC).

"The objective of HDAS is to provide assistance of up to RM10,000 to first-time homeowners under category B40 and M40 groups for payment of housing deposits.

"The implementation of this scheme would enable more of those in low and middle-income groups to purchase and own houses, as it would help to mitigate mortgage cost upfront.

"This is a clear testimony of the continuous effort by the state government to ensure that a significant segment of Sarawakians would be able to purchase and own their houses,” it said. — Bernama