KUCHING: The Cabinet has agreed to set up recovery councils in every state to speed up economic recovery following the Covid-19 pandemic, says National Recovery Council chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

       Their formation, he said, required the district-level action committee to assess the type of aid that can be channelled by the state governments without Federal Government involvement.

       "We had made a decision to propose the formation of State Recovery Council; this has been agreed by the Cabinet and a directive has been issued for the states to immediately establish the council.

       "The responsibility for speeding up the states’ recovery process is not solely up to the Federal Government. The directive also involved the role of the action committee at the district level, which is led by the district officer, so that he can take the matter up to the state (level),” he told a media conference after a town hall session with the Sarawak edition of the National Recovery Council on Wednesday (Dec 15).

       He said that should the state governments require assistance at the Federal level, the National Recovery Council would study and refine the matter for further action.

       At the town hall session, Muhyiddin urged those making suggestions to the council to prepare a complete paper or memorandum to be forwarded to the National Recovery Council.

       Among the issues raised at the session included assistance for small and medium enterprises, the education sector and renewal of work permits for foreigners. - Bernama