RM100 MLN SPENT ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES FOR INDIAN COMMUNITY LAST YEAR

KUALA LUMPUR, A total of RM100 million was fully utilised for the Indian Community Socio-Economic Development Programmes last year for the community's B40 group. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, in a written reply published on the Parliament website, said the allocation was spent on 216 programmes which targeted 134,247 participants from three scopes. "The Indian Community Human Capital Development Programme scope involved 43 programmes, costing RM35,278,580.46 and targeted 21,321 participants while the Indian Community Career and Entrepreneurship Development Programme encompassed 113 programmes, costing RM35,034,811.90 and benefited 83,883 participants. "The Well-being, Spiritual, Welfare and Social Development Programmes for the Indian Community involved 60 programmes, with a cost of RM29,686,607.64 and targeted 29,043 participants,' the prime minister said in response to a question from V. Sivakumar (PH-Batu Gajah). On June 24, Sivakumar asked the prime minister about the expenditure of the Ma laysian Indian Transformation Unit (MITRA) funds for last year, the amount of MITRA funds that have been spent this year and the high-impact economic development plans for the Indian community. Elaborating, the prime minister said that, as of June, MITRA had planned four programmes, costing an estimated RM40 million and targeted at 15,300 people. He added that the programme is awaiting approval and would be launched soon. Source: BERNAMA News Agency