PETALING JAYA: The Deepavali celebration is a symbol of strength, unity and progress for the Indian community in Malaysia, says Deputy Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan (pic).
He said the community continues to flourish in line with the nation’s aspirations under the leadership of the government.
Ramanan said the spirit of Deepavali, which signifies the triumph of light over darkness, must be reflected through concrete actions that 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 yesterday.
Ramanan said he hopes this year’s Deepavali will 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 said.
Ramanan, who also oversees Indian community affairs, reaffirmed that his ministry is committed to ensuring more Indian entrepreneurs and cooperatives gain fair access to economic development opportunities through ministry-led initiatives.
These include RM100mil allocated for the SPUMI and SPUMI Goes Big programmes under 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, with a historic special allocation of RM54.5mil and the Vanakam Madani entrepreneurship training programme, implemented in collaboration with AIM, Bank Rakyat, the Malaysian Cooperative Societies Commission and the National Institute of Entrepreneurship, are among the latest efforts to boost entrepreneurial participation within the Indian community.
Overall, he said, the initiatives introduced through the ministry’s agencies so far amount to over RM500mil in allocations specifically for the Indian community.
This does not include other targeted programmes under various ministries and government agencies such as the Education Ministry, Housing and Local Government Ministry and the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit.
