KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 — The Madani government will add 186 new Digital Economic Centres (PEDi), bringing the total to 1,097 nationwide by the end of this year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.

He said there are currently 911 PEDi, and the effort to add more such centres, especially in areas often overlooked, is the government’s initiative to address the digital and income gap, while adding that digital transformation is a crucial agenda in realising the vision of the Madani Economic Framework.

"The level of mastery in new fields must be quickly developed and acquired so that society does not lag in the rapid tide of change. I believe the people will benefit from it and use it to make society more self-reliant and progressive,” he said in a Facebook post today.

Anwar, in his speech at the Penang Entrepreneurs Connectivity and Development Empowerment Carnival in Permatang Pauh earlier today, announced the addition of 38 new PEDi in Penang, at RM47 million, bringing the total to 41 PEDi in the state.

The prime minister also expressed appreciation for the efforts and services of those who have made PEDi successful, especially for rural communities and remote areas, that have provided exposure and benefits to the surrounding community.

Also present at the event were Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow; Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil; Communications Ministry secretary-general Datuk Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) executive chairman Tan Sri Mohamad Salim Fateh Din. — Bernama