PUTRAJAYA: A total of RM3.28mil in financial assistance allocated to Indian places of worship is aimed at supporting human capital and community development programmes rather than structural maintenance, says Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan.
He said the assistance, channelled through the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra), would be disbursed under the Harmoni Madani and Dharma Madani programmes.
"Under Harmoni Madani, RM1.38mil will be distributed to 57 gurdwaras and 12 churches.
"Each place of worship will receive RM20,000 to support religious, spiritual, cultural and community-based activities," he said at a Dharma Madani and Harmoni Madani event here on Tuesday (Oct 27).
"Under the second phase of Dharma Madani, RM1.9mil will be allocated to 95 Hindu temples."
Ramanan urged recipients to ensure the funds were used effectively for the benefit of the community.
"If you use this money well, I promise you... I will fight to secure more for you. But use it wisely.
"The feedback we get must be positive, and the community must benefit.
"Then all of us can continue doing more good. We can create better opportunities and bring more hope," he said.
Ramanan also highlighted several education initiatives under Kalvi Madani, including tuition assistance and the provision of smart boards for Tamil schools.
"Previously, we only provided boards to selected Tamil schools based on student enrolment. Now, every Tamil school will receive one," he said.
He added that the Peranti Madani programme would continue providing free laptops to university students, stressing that all devices distributed under the programme were brand new.
"Not second-hand, not refurbished. With the additional funding available, we are providing brand-new laptops to everyone," he said.
Ramanan also thanked Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for increasing Mitra's allocation from RM100mil to RM150mil.
He clarified that the RM50mil allocated for maintenance and repair works at Tamil vernacular schools would be directed towards newly identified schools that were not included in previous funding lists.
