Kuala lumpur: The need to review the unchanged per capita grant (PCG) rate since 2002, along with the progress achieved by the National Artificial Intelligence Office (NAIO), are among the highlights of today's Dewan Rakyat sitting.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the Order Paper on the Parliament portal outlines that Mordi Bimol (PH-Mas Gading) will question the Education Minister about whether the ministry plans to review the PCG rate. The current rate is deemed insufficient for covering school operational costs and teaching and learning (PdP) programmes, particularly in rural areas.
In the same session, Datuk Dr Ku Abd Rahman Ku Ismail (PN-Kubang Pasu) will inquire about the contributions of NAIO in AI development. He will also seek details on how the Digital Minister plans to collaborate with other ministries to ensure effective cross-sectoral coordination in AI development and applications.
Datuk Muslimin Yahaya (PN-Sungai Besar) is expected to ask the Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives about the rationale behind drafting a new Bill to replace the Cooperative Societies Act 1993 (Act 502). He will also focus on how the new Bill will address current challenges and the needs of Malaysia's cooperative movement.
Additionally, S. Kesavan (PH-Sungai Siput) will raise a question to the Science, Technology and Innovation Minister regarding the status of the Local R and D Products and Services Utilisation Programme (MySTI) and the ministry's efforts to enhance the visibility of products or services bearing the MySTI logo.
Following the question session, the Dewan Rakyat will continue the debate on the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP). The debate, which began last Monday, has seen participation from 78 Members of Parliament so far. RMK13, themed 'Redesigning Development,' was tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on July 31, with RM611 billion in government investment required to drive national development from 2026 to 2030.
The current Dewan Rakyat session is scheduled to run for 24 days until August 28.