KUALA LUMPUR: Dutch Lady Milk Industries Bhd says the 2021 Budget is designed in the spirit of Malaysia Prihatin and #kitajagakita.
The dairy company said the expansionary budget would provide the right targeted assistance to the rakyat and business communities for recovery due to the unprecedented impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"We are pleased that the government is striking the right balance for the best interest of all stakeholders through 2021 Budget with its priorities to curb the Covid-19 pandemic with a healthy share of the budget allocation for healthcare and stimulating the economic growth.
"We believe this budget would set the country in the right direction towards revitalising the economy," said managing director Tarang Gupta.
Dutch Lady also welcomes the government's move to ensure the inclusivity of the rakyat's welfare from all walks of life via targeted assistance as the economic impact from the pandemic has hit almost all layers of the society in many ways.
Putting more cash in the pockets will help Malaysians weather this storm and allow parents to obtain and have access to nutritious meals for their children, critical for their overall health and well-being.
Tarang lauded the government's allocation of RM19 million to implement the Malaysia Health National Agenda to promote a healthy lifestyle and help reduce risk of non-communicable diseases and RM28 million to implement the MyFit programme, the National Sports Day and Inspire Programme for the disabled community.
"This agenda is consistent with our purpose of nourishing Malaysians as we are avid supporters of programmes to address malnutrition and obesity among the rakyat, especially our children," he said.
Dutch Lady said strong support by the government, through a RM420 million allocation to the Education Ministry, to improve the existing supplementary meal plan for school children from low-income families would ensure they have a healthier and more nutritious diet including a supply of milk daily for schoolchildren, compared to just twice a week previously.
"Additionally, we are encouraged that RM170 million ringgit has been allocated for early childhood education programmes by Kemas to fund, among others, Supplementary Food Assistance for pre-school children.
"We are extremely pleased that some of our budget wish lists were heeded by the government as we are strong proponents of the benefits of milk for pre-school and schoolchildren in addressing stunting and obesity, and also malnourishment; these are the two issues is currently faced by our children as outlined by the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2019 by the Health Ministry," said Tarang.