KUALA LUMPUR: The festive spirit of Deepavali came early on Wednesday (Oct 15) as Deputy Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan treated nearly 100 media practitioners to a warm gathering.
The event, held in conjunction with the Festival of Lights celebrations, was also attended by Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) chief executive officer Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin, along with representatives from mainstream media, news portals, and social media.
Ramanan said the event was organised as a gesture of his appreciation for the media, particularly Tamil media practitioners, for their ongoing role in disseminating government policies and his ministry’s initiatives to the public.
"I feel especially fortunate this Deepavali, as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday (Oct 14) approved several initiatives for the Indian community,” he said at the event, where media practitioners enjoyed a spread of traditional Deepavali treats.
Earlier, at a press conference held after a separate event, Ramanan, who is also the Indian Community Initiatives Implementation Committee chairman, announced initiatives worth RM42.25mil for the Indian community.
These include the ‘Kalvi Madani’ free tuition programme, the provision of laptops through the Peranti Siswa initiative, and the maintenance and repair of Tamil schools. — Bernama
