IPOH: The state government will cooperate with the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) to continue developing the first Commonwealth Youth City in Tanjung Malim.
Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Saarani Mohamad said the move to develop the city was postponed after Pakatan Harapan (PH) took over the country.
Saarani said the project which is part of the Southern Development Corridor 2017-2037 involved development projects covering the Muallim district to Bagan Datuk.
"We have chosen Tanjung Malim since UPSI (Universiti Perguruan Sultan Idris) and Proton City are here.
"We had conducted brainstorming sessions with stakeholders to develop the youth city in line with the development of southern Perak but it has been postponed during the government transition in 2018.
"Now that I am back and at the same time, the NCIA had also agreed to cover the whole of Perak. Previously, NCIA only focused on the southern part of the state, not the whole of Perak.
"We will take this opportunity to continue to develop southern Perak and to ensure the country will have its own first Youth City in Tanjung Malim," he said.
Saarani told reporters after presenting a letter of appointment of Perak Youth Council members at the Impiana Hotel here, today.
The Commonwealth youth city would be built by leveraging existing public infrastructure, facilities and in collaboration with the government, government-linked companies (GLCs), private sector and the civil society.
The city will be equipped with high technology systems like blockchain, artificial intelligence, big data analytics and other futuristic features.
The Commonwealth youth city will include innovation hubs, business hotels, SOHO suites and affordable homes to enable young people to develop themselves in their field of work and entrepreneurship as well as fostering vocational skills among the youth.
The visionary project, announced by His Royal Highness, Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales during the Commonwealth Youth Summit in November 2017, is backed by the Malaysian government and the state government in collaboration with the Commonwealth Youth Innovation Centre and local youth councils in Malaysia.