KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 — An allocation of RM10 million under Budget 2024 for the Home Ministry will let it set up three more temporary shelters for children of immigration detainees, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.

Currently, one temporary shelter has been set up in Nilai and another three were planned for Sabah, Sarawak, and the peninsula.

"With the approval of RM10 million the ministry will be able to set up three more (temporary shelters) next year.

"So altogether there will be four (temporary shelters),” Saifuddin said when met by reporters here at the Parliament building.

He also expressed gratitude that most of the ministry’s wishlist that was fulfilled in the Budget 2024.

The allocation will help cover expenses for border control, prison reforms, maritime enforcement assets and the amendment to Section 15 (1) (of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952).

"The budget allocation will help with the ministry’s preparations for rehabilitation centres as we will no longer place the drug abuse offenders in prison.

"Followed by that (budget allocation), starting from next year security for 150 entry points (into the country) will be centralised under a single body agency, it will not be managed by several different agencies and will be given a new name.

"This decision will ease border control agency management,” he added.

The government has agreed that the policy to shift drug abuse from being sentenced to prison to treatment and rehabilitation programmes needed to be implanted.

Saifuddin said the amendment to the Dangerous Drugs Act will be tabled end of this Parliament meeting.