SHAH ALAM: Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad (SPNB) today launched six new designs for the Rumah Mesra Rakyat (RMR) scheme including stilt houses for the comfort of applicants.

Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin said the new designs would also provide applicants with more options compared to only two designs previously.

She said Pahang would become the first state in the country to have such houses, under the RMR scheme and their construction would begin soon.

"Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah had previously asked for stilt houses to be built to prevent floods," she told Bernama after visiting the new SPNB headquarters here today.

To date, a total of 47,153 houses under the RMR scheme have been built nationwide.



ZURAIDA-SPNB 2 (LAST) SHAH ALAM



This year, SPNB has been entrusted by the government to build 3,000 RMR houses, of which 749 units are currently under construction, while another 1,531 are in the process of signing agreements.

Meanwhile, SPNB chief executive officer, Datuk Haslee Isnin said besides the new designs, there were improvements to the existing RMR insurance coverage policy for new applications.

"Apart from the fire and flood insurance policy, applicants will also receive coverage against accident as well as benefits for badal haji (haj by proxy), khairat kematian (death benefit) and hospitalisation payment of RM100 per day," he said.

Haslee also said that SPNB was currently in the final stage of obtaining approval from the Finance Ministry to increase the monthly income limit for eligible buyers from RM3,000 to RM5,000.

--BERNAMA