The focus and priority are now on the implementation of diesel subsidies until the targeting of diesel subsidies becomes stable and achieves the set objectives, as the Ministry of Economy emphasised.
The government is now looking into the need to implement subsidy rationalisation for RON95 petrol, as the ministry stated on the Parliament's website yesterday.
"The fuel subsidy targeting initiative has commenced with diesel subsidy to ensure the country's economic sustainability by reducing leakages from smuggling activities and minimising the impact on the cost of living.
"Through this approach, the targeting of diesel subsidies is expected to generate savings of RM4 billion for the government and can provide a wider fiscal space in improving the quality of public services," said the ministry.
On the overlap between the central database hub (Padu) and the Budi Madani initiative, the Ministry of Economy explained that based on the government's overall approach to formulating and implementing the national development agenda, the programmes being implemented are interconnected and support the government's goals.
"Padu is still in the improvement stage, and data integration will continue to be implemented from time to time," the ministry said.