Mitra's RM100mil allocation has been fully disbursed

The Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra) has fully disbursed the RM100 million allocated to them under Budget 2023, benefiting over 100,000 individuals, according to Mitra Special Task Force Committee Chairman Datuk R. Ramanan (pic).

He stated in a press conference on Wednesday (Sept 20) that this is the first time since 2016 that a 100% distribution has been achieved, with the previous allocations of RM100 million in 2016 and 2017 only reaching 35% and 57% distribution respectively.

Ramanan also revealed that Mitra is currently in the process of preparing documents for disbursing funds for their Hardcore Poverty Alleviation program for Indian households. He added that the program will be implemented in phases.

The first phase of implementation will specifically target the hardcore poor Indian community in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. A total of 1,800 households have been identified through the Implementation Coordination Unit’s (ICU) e-kasih system,” he explained.

Ramanan mentioned that the per capita income of this group is less than RM339, and efforts should be made to increase it so that they can escape the hardcore poverty category.

To ensure transparency, Mitra plans to publish the details of each fund recipient under the program on their website to avoid any confusion.

Looking ahead to Budget 2024, which will be presented next month, Ramanan expressed confidence that more allocations would be provided for the Indian community, given the successful disbursement of this year’s RM100 million fund.

Mitra, established under the Prime Minister’s Department, aims to reform the socio-economic development policy for the Indian community and bring them on par with other communities in the country. – Bernama