Kuala lumpur: A total of 347 housing units have been handed over to eligible recipients under the Baiti Jannati Programme (PBJ) @ Federal Territory so far to ensure they enjoy comfortable, conducive, and quality residences. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh said the handover of the residential units covers seven parliamentary areas in the Federal Territories, with an estimated cost of around RM50,000 for each unit.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Yeoh mentioned that for this year in Kuala Lumpur, 20 housing units have been provided, covering the Bandar Tun Razak, Batu, and Setiawangsa parliamentary constituencies, each with four recipients; three recipients in the Cheras parliamentary constituency; two recipients each in the Lembah Pantai and Bukit Bintang parliamentary constituencies; and one recipient in the Wangsa Maju parliamentary constituency.
"This is a meaningful gift to the city residents because they are receiving houses that have been fully furnished by Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB). We hope that more GLCs (government-linked companies) and more in the private sector will provide funding through meaningful programmes like this for the recipients, and they can pass it on to their children in the future," she said here today. Yeoh made these remarks to reporters after the presentation ceremony of the Baiti Jannati @ Federal Territory Programme and the Projek Mesra Rakyat 2026 (PMR), at the Public Housing (PA) Desa Rejang multi-purpose hall, which was also attended by TNB chairman Tan Sri Abdul Razak Abdul Majid.
PBJ, which started in 2016, is a strategic collaboration between the Federal Territories Department (JWP), Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP), and TNB aimed at helping underprivileged Muslims improve their quality of life and well-being. Commenting further, Yeoh said that through the collaboration, it allows tenants of the People's Housing Project (PPR) and PA to own their own refurbished homes.
She explained that the financing of PBJ is channelled through zakat wakalah funds, while for non-Muslim recipients, corporate social responsibility (CSR) allocations are used for the PMR. "This programme is not just about numbers... 347 families now have safer and more organised homes. As long as there are still families living in uncomfortable conditions, efforts to help will continue to ensure that every family has a stable foundation to move forward," Yeoh further added.
Meanwhile, Abdul Razak noted that until last year, TNB had spent more than RM69 million to provide 997 housing units through the PBJ nationwide. "Since 2016, a total of 161 housing units, worth RM8.19 million, have been handed over in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur in close collaboration with DBKL. Recipients are selected based on e-Kasih data and screening by various agencies including MAIWP to ensure that assistance reaches the hardcore poor who truly need it," he added.