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Nine Kuskop initiatives reflect Govt's commitment to empower Indian community

KUALA LUMPUR: The Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Ministry (Kuskop) has implemented nine high-impact initiatives to empower the Indian community since last year until mid-2025. Deputy Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan (pic) said the initiatives, which cover financing, capacity building, training, cooperative empowerment and community engagement, reflect the Government's commitment to inclusive and equitable economic development. "For this year up to June, over RM356mil has been allocated through various financing and entrepreneurship development programmes, benefiting nearly 9,000 Indian entrepreneurs nationwide," he said in a Facebook post on Saturday (July 19). Among the initiatives introduced are the Indian Community Entrepreneur Development Scheme (SPUMI), SPUMI Goes Big, the Prosperity Empowerment and A New Normal for Indian Women (PENN) programme, and Bank Rakyat Indian Entrepreneur Financing-i (Brief-i). Other initiatives include Vanigham Financing for Indian Entrepreneurs, Vanakam MADANI, the Business Accelerator Programme for Indian Small Business (i-BAP), the Empowering Indian Entrepreneur (EIP 2024) programme, the Indian Community Cooperative Conference (PKKI 2024), and financial assistance for Indian houses of worship. Ramanan said the implementation of these initiatives demonstrates the government's responsiveness to the needs and aspirations of the people, particularly the Indian community. "These are not just figures on paper, but a testament to the government's boldness and commitment to ensuring the Indian community becomes part of the national development mainstream. "We want to see more Indian entrepreneurs succeed, become job creators and contribute to the country's economic growth. Empowering the community is not rhetoric, it is ongoing work with measurable outcomes," he said. He added that Kuskop is currently evaluating several new initiatives, which are expected to be launched soon. "I remain committed and focused on uplifting the Indian community through economic empowerment programmes. I will ensure all initiatives prioritise efficient service delivery. "I will continue to closely monitor and strengthen this empowerment agenda to ensure no community is left behind in the journey towards a MADANI Malaysia," he said. - Bernama