Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir is confident that Perak will become a developed state under the Perak Maju Plan 2015.

He said the development plan was announced in 2008, taking into consideration a seven-year period to achieve the objectives of the plan.

Zambry said although there were some shifts as a result of the global economic uncertainties that also affected Malaysia, the state government had also drawn up a holistic plan known as the Perak Amanjaya Development Plan.

He was replying to a question from Mohd Tarmizi Idris (BN-Kenering) on the Perak Amanjaya Developent Plan and Perak Maju Plan 2015 at the state assembly sitting in Ipoh today.

He said the Amanjaya plan focused on overall transformation covering three main aspects of development - socio-economic, sectoral and physical.

With regard to socio-economic development, Zambry said the approach taken was based on seven key result areas, including balanced development and distribution, skilled, knowledgeable and ethical society as the pulse of development, participative young generation, and environment-friendly practices which were all in line with the federal government’s objectives towards achieving Vision 2020.

As for physical development transformation, he said the Perak Amanjaya Development Plan used the World Bank's regional development model (2009), applying the 3D concept of reducing gaps, increasing densities and narrowing the gaps in five main corridors, namely Hulu Perak, Beriah Valley, Manjung, Ulu Bernam and Kinta Valley.

He said among the positive indicators of the Amanjaya plan were increased  average household income from RM2,809 in 2009 to RM3,548 in 2012 and reduced hardcore poverty rate from 0.5 percent in 2009 to 0.2 percent in 2012.

On foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow, the menteri besar said this was still encouraging despite the prevailing global economic uncertainties.

The FDI into Perak increased from RM399.5 million in 2009 to RM1.6 billion in 2010, down to RM90 million in 2011 and up again to RM1.5 billion in 2012.

Zambry also said that the state government used the Perak Maju Plan 2015 to gauge the development taking place in the state by getting a group of planners, professionals and experts from the universities to study the level of development.

“Among the suggestions received was for the state government to focus on a new area in the context of cluster development.

“We have plans under K Perak to turn the state into a knowledge and education hub,” he added in reply to a question from Dr Zabri Abd Wahid (BN-Trong).

- Bernama