KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 18 — Budget 2025 reflects the government's inclusiveness and concern for rural communities, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Rural and Regional Development Minister, said the ministry has been allocated an additional RM457 million, bringing the total allocation to RM11.9 billion, the largest it has received so far.

"This reflects the concern of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The rural population as a whole is 8.1 million people, and this inclusiveness shows that rural communities are not being left behind," he said at a press conference after the presentation of Budget 2025 in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, presented Budget 2025 with an allocation of RM421 billion, the largest in history.

Anwar said the government continues to maintain an expansionary budget, with RM335 billion for operating expenses and RM86 billion for development, excluding RM2 billion in contingency reserves.

More to come