Budget support measures not meant to raise reliance on Govt: DPM Heng

He says many of them are meant to encourage S'poreans to upskill themselves

- Chin Soo Fang

The support measures in Budget 2024 are not meant to increase Singaporeans' reliance on the Government, but to help them upskill and upgrade.

Speaking in Mandarin, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said: "Many of our support measures encourage our people to upskill themselves. As the saying goes, if you give a man a fish, it will last only one day. If you teach a man to fish, it will last forever."

DPM Heng, who is also the Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, was responding to a question at the Mandarin discussion titled Survival And Challenges Singapore Faces In This Ever-changing World, organised by the Teochew Federation on March 11.

It was moderated by Ms Lee Huay Leng, editor-in-chief of SPH Media Trust's Chinese Media Group. About 160 attendees, including business and community leaders, attended the inaugural event at Chui Huay Lim Club in Keng Lee Road in Newton.

Budget 2024 was delivered by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong on Feb 16.

Under the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme, for example, a $4,000 Skills Future credit top-up will be given to Singaporeans aged 40 and above in May. The credit can be used for about 7,000 part- and full-time courses designed to generate better employability outcomes.