KUALA LUMPUR: Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming sprung a major surprise when he announced he was giving away a month’s salary to ministry staff who won the highest categories in the 2023 Public Sector Perdana Innovation Awards (AIPSA).

       Nga posted on X (formerly Twitter) that it was a way to acknowledge the contributions of those who made the effort to do their best and achieve excellence.

       “Malaysia Madani, leaders and the people are never apart,” he said at the end of his post.

       The Local Government Development Ministry, through the Fire and Rescue Department, won two awards with their Audio Frequency Intercept System (AFIS) category of the 2023 AIPSA held at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre on Nov 8.

       The AFIS innovation, a information delivery and early warning system, also won the Safety and Administration Track category of the 2023 Public Sector Innovation Awards (AInSA).

       Additionally, the ministry also won an 2023 AInSA Award through the Local Government Department for their Public Sector-centric ePayment gateway, PBTPay, designed to tackle issues with service bill payments at local authorities.

       Collections through PBTPay have reached RM540mil and is expected to reach up to RM1bil by 2025 and is currently used by 99 local authorities.

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       It is expected to be expanded to Sabah and Sarawak in 2024. - Bernama