SEREMBAN: Recipients of Malaysian Indian Community Transformation Unit (Mitra) aid must share their stories as many in the community remain unaware of the government benefits available to them, says Datuk Seri R. Ramanan.
The Human Resources Minister said segments of the community are still missing out on these initiatives because past recipients often stay silent after receiving assistance.
By speaking out, he said, beneficiaries can help ensure the entire community is informed about the support provided by the Madani government.
"We do not see aid recipients talking about this on social media such as on Facebook or Instagram, for example.
"That is why there were years when the bulk of the allocation was returned to the government simply because members of the community were unaware of it," he told reporters after handing over aid to pre-schools and Hindu places of worship in the southern zone at Wisma Ceylonese here.
Ramanan said Mitra gave out various types of aid to the Indian community which included for B40 and M40 families, pre-schoolers, students, undergraduates, senior citizens and those with special needs.
Mitra is a government agency focused on the socio-economic development of the Indian community with Ramanan serving as the minister in charge.
He said under Pakatan Harapan's Madani government, Mitra had been receiving an allocation of RM100mil annually and this was increased to RM150mil this year.
Ramanan said Mitra will also be able to seek more funding from the government if the application for aid increases.
"In the past three years, we managed to utilise the allocation in full.
"Together with my friends in the Cabinet such as Abang Loke (Transport Minister Anthony Loke), we can then justify if we need a higher allocation to help deserving people," he said.
Loke, who is Seremban MP, was also present at the event.
Earlier, Mitra in a statement said an allocation of RM8.8mil has been approved to assist 3,612 Indian preschoolers at 162 pre-schools nationwide under the Celik Madani programme for this year.
At the event, approval letters were also given out to representatives from 168 Hindu places of worship nationwide to carry out the Dharma Madani programme involving an allocation of RM3.36mil.
In total, RM12.54mil has been disbursed to 627 Hindu places of worship for the programme this year.
Ramanan said both initiatives reflect the Madani Government's comprehensive approach to strengthening community development by empowering social institutions, expanding access to early childhood education and enhancing human capital development, while ensuring the benefits of national growth are enjoyed inclusively by all segments of society.
