KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra) has been successfully reformed under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim with a clearer, more transparent and effective direction for the development of Indian community, especially the B40 group.
Deputy Entrepreneur Development and Cooperative Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan said that under Anwar‘s leadership, the Mitra Special Task Force was established to regulate and monitor every programme implemented under the agency.
“Mitra is now more independent and transparent compared to before.
“This is the real reform implemented by the Madani government on Mitra.
“In the past, we rarely heard any explanation from the government about Mitra or SEDIC (the old name of Mitra).
“But the current Madani government does not cover up any matters related to Mitra.
“Every programme and beneficiary will also be listed on the Mitra website, unlike before,” he said when winding up the debate on the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) Mitra at Dewan Negara today.
Regarding the issue of the absence of Indian representatives to voice the community’s issues, Ramanan said the prime minister had given an assurance that the voices and aspirations of the Indian community were never ignored because they were channeled through Mitra, the People’s Representatives, Senators and various consultation mechanisms available.
In fact, he said Anwar is the only Malaysian Prime Minister who provided enough free and open space to speak out and provide views, including issues related to the Indian community which would be given due attention in the process of formulating policies and implementing government initiatives.
Meanwhile, he said the total approval of Mitra allocations had reached RM62.28 million or 62.3 per cent as of August 15 of RM100 million provided for this year.
He said the prime minister has given approval to implement 23 programmes under the Indian Community Socio-Economic Development Programme (PPSMI) initiative which focuses on three main areas of development for the Indian community, namely education and training, spirituality and culture, and social well-being.
“The development allocation for the Indian community in this country is not limited to RM100 million alone, but also includes various other allocations channeled through various ministries and agencies covering all communities.
“The Madani government is also always open to re-evaluating the Mitra administrative structure, including proposals to upgrade it to an agency with greater powers to ensure that every proposed improvement will have an effective impact on the Mitra delivery system,” he said.
– Bernama
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