PETALING JAYA: The Deepavali celebration stands as a symbol of strength, unity and progress for the Indian community in Malaysia, says Datuk Seri R. Ramanan.
The Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Deputy Minister said the community continued to thrive in line with the nation’s aspirations under the leadership of the Madani government.
He said the spirit of Deepavali, which signifies the triumph of light over darkness, must be translated into concrete actions through efforts to strengthen unity, empower the economy and reinforce solidarity within the Indian community.
“Deepavali is not merely a religious celebration but a symbol of strength, love and togetherness. In the spirit of Malaysia Madani, I urge the Indian community to remain united and continue playing an active role in shaping a more prosperous and inclusive future in line with the nation’s development agenda,” he said in conjunction with the Deepavali celebration on Saturday (Oct 18).
Ramanan, who is also a Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) vice-president, said he hoped this year’s Deepavali would illuminate and bring "puthiya nambikai" (new hope) to all Malaysians, particularly the Indian community.
“Let us come together and unite in fulfilling our mission to strengthen the Indian community’s economic empowerment. The Madani Government remains committed to upholding the hopes and aspirations of the Indian community,” he added.
Ramanan, who is also entrusted with overseeing Indian community affairs, emphasised that his ministry is fully committed to ensuring that more Indian entrepreneurs and cooperatives gain fair access to economic development opportunities through various ministry-led initiatives.
These include RM100mil allocated for the SPUMI and SPUMI Goes Big programmes under National Entrepreneur Group Economic Fund (Tekun Nasional), RM100mil under the Indian Women Entrepreneur Empowerment Programme managed by Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM), RM100mil for the BRIEF-i financing programme under Bank Rakyat, RM6mil for the I-BAP Matching Grant under SME Corp, and RM50mil for the Vanigham Programme under SME Bank.
In addition, the Soorian Programme under Perbadanan Nasional Bhd (Pernas), with a special allocation of RM54.5mil the first in the agency’s history and the Vanakam Madani entrepreneurship training programme, implemented in collaboration with agencies such as AIM, Bank Rakyat, the Malaysian Cooperative Commission (SKM) and INSKEN, are among the latest efforts to boost entrepreneurial participation within the Indian community.
The Sungai Buloh MP added that overall, the initiatives announced and implemented through the ministry’s agencies so far involve allocations exceeding RM500mil specifically for the Indian community. This does not include other programmes under various ministries and government agencies, such as the Education Ministry, Housing and Local Government Ministry and the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra), which also provide targeted benefits for the community.
