JOHOR BARU: Johor has allocated more than RM5mil to subsidise food items and provide food baskets to the needy for the coming Deepavali.
State unity, heritage and culture committee chairman P. Pannir Selvam, who disclosed this, said Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi approved RM3.5mil for food baskets to the Indian community, with distribution ongoing.
He said RM1.87mil was set aside for the Jualan Kasih Johor initiative for people to buy food items at subsidised prices for the celebration.
Pannir Selvam said the Jualan Kasih Johor programme will be held at 63 locations in all 56 state constituencies, with 54,000 combo sets worth RM15 each for a chicken, a tray of eggs and a bottle of two-litre cooking oil.
“For some families, aid such as these can ease their burden as Deepavali approaches,” he added.
Meanwhile, Onn Hafiz said the state government will address longstanding issues affecting the Indian community through a dedicated task force.
Attending the Bangsa Johor Deepavali celebration at Taman Tampoi Indah on Sunday night, he said issues related to temple and land matters will be resolved with the help of Kemelah assemblyman K. Raven Kumar, who heads the Indian community affairs task force.
