By Danial Dzulkifly
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today refuted claims that the government has neglected the Indian community, noting that more than RM1 billion in allocations have been channelled since 2022.
Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat, Anwar said these efforts go beyond the RM100 million annual allocation for the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra), with millions more reaching Indian households through education, housing and healthcare aid since the current government came into power.
“Allocations for healthcare, housing and education for Indians reached nearly RM1 billion in 2024 alone, which is unprecedented,” he said during Prime Minister’s Question Time in Parliament here today.
Anwar was responding to a supplementary question by Tapah MP Datuk Seri Saravanan Murugan, who questioned the government’s efforts to raise the three per cent equity target for the Indians.
Saravanan said despite decades of efforts, equity among the Indian community still hovers around 1.5 per cent.
Commenting further, Anwar said the government has channelled various aid through programmes such as Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (RM500 million to Indian households), the Housing Credit Guarantee Scheme (RM1.2 billion to Indian beneficiaries), and Mitra, which disbursed RM98.9 million in 2024, benefitting more than 122,000 individuals.
Anwar added that assistance for the Indian community does not come solely from Mitra, as other programmes under various ministries also benefit the community.
“Mitra’s annual RM100 million allocation is only part of the support. In fact, by early 2025, 60 per cent of its allocation had already been approved. But I’ve instructed that disbursements should not only go through associations.
“For example, allocations for kindergartens (RM10 million), higher education subsidies (RM20 million), and STEM literacy (RM698,000) have been channelled. These should be better communicated.
“Our approach is not communal, but comprehensive, involving all ministries,” he said in response to a question by Kapar MP Dr Halimah Ali on total aid channelled this year.
Anwar said other than early and higher education subsidies, Mitra’s funds have gone towards laptops for students, dialysis treatment, STEM literacy initiatives, entrepreneurship grants, and housing repairs for estate workers.
Programmes in aviation training, agro-entrepreneurship and microcredit financing also benefited thousands of Indian youths and small businesses.
He also pointed to subsidies for 13,330 dialysis patients and entrepreneurship training worth RM37 million.
On education, he said 4,450 preschoolers received monthly subsidies, 9,622 students received RM2,000 higher education aid, while STEM literacy kits were supplied to 525 Tamil schools.
However, the prime minister acknowledged persistent challenges facing the Indian community, particularly estate workers and at-risk youths.
“While Malays make up the largest share of the poor, there are pockets of Indians who are relatively poorer, especially estate workers. These are prioritised. Our hardcore poverty programme provides clear criteria such as for food, housing, clothing and transport, and we have records,” he said.
