Kuala lumpur: The Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (MITRA) has fully allocated its RM100 million budget for 2025 to implement 34 initiatives under the Socio-Economic Development Programme for the Indian Community (PPSMI).
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Deputy Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Datuk Seri R. Ramanan, who oversees Indian community affairs and MITRA, highlighted that the initiatives focus on education and training, entrepreneurship and careers, spirituality and culture, and social well-being.
Among the approved initiatives is the Dharma MADANI Programme, which aims to empower Hindu houses of worship and local community centres with a RM20 million allocation. Additionally, a RM12.8 million allocation has been set aside to upgrade equipment and furniture at Tamil National-Type Schools (SJKT). Ramanan stated that the programmes are currently in the fund disbursement stage and are expected to be completed by next month.
A one-off assistance programme for minor maintenance of homes for B40 Indian plantation workers has been implemented with a RM10 million allocation. Furthermore, a Dialysis Subsidy Assistance amounting to RM10 million is set to benefit over 1,000 dialysis patients. Ramanan emphasized that the programmes are executed based on Management Guidelines approved by the Prime Minister’s Department to ensure transparent spending.
In a bid for transparency and openness, Ramanan instructed MITRA to display the list of recipients for all initiatives on its official website, allowing the community to verify the beneficiaries. He reiterated that the MADANI government and MITRA are committed to transparency.
Ramanan also clarified that the MADANI Food Basket Programme, funded by MITRA, has been implemented in previous years with larger allocations. Under the previous government, RM6 million was spent for 24,467 beneficiaries in 2020, followed by RM14 million in 2021 and RM4.6 million in 2022. This year, RM804,000 has been allocated for the programme.
The 2023 MADANI Food Basket Programme is divided into two phases. The first phase, with a RM500,000 allocation, has been distributed to 5,100 recipients. The second phase, involving RM304,000, is set to be distributed by year-end. The aid is distributed through collaboration with Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM), NGOs, and local leaders to support the Indian B40 community.
Ramanan noted that the MADANI Food Basket initiative serves as a quick intervention by the government to alleviate the burden of the Indian B40 community during the Deepavali celebration. AIM is currently compiling the list of recipients, which will be available on MITRA’s official website.