The draft special initiative plan to assist the 40 per cent middle income group (M40) to own a house is expected to be completed this May.

Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said her ministry was now in the process of working out the mechanics of how to help the group.

“The M40 is the extension of the B40 programme and the M40 is divided into two categories, the top and bottom categories,” she said.

"The top category is families with a household income of between RM5,000 and RM10,000 while the bottom category covers those between RM3,000 and RM5,000," she added.

Zuraida said that the drafting process for the plan was being carried out in collaboration with several relevant agencies and the aim was to match homes with the needs of the related income groups.

The housing shortage - 7.5 million households versus less than 5.8 million available homes in 2016 – has forced consumers to opt for heavier prices or remain without their own homes.

The Pakatan Harapan government's National Housing Policy, launched in January for the B40 is a move aimed at countering this and the draft plan for the M40 group is the next phase of this initiative.

- Bernama