Aid expanded to gurdwaras, churches

The government is expanding financial assistance to gurdwaras and Indian Christian churches under the Harmoni Madani initiative.

Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan said he had instructed Malaysian Indian Community Transformation Unit (Mitra) director-general Raveendran Nair to identify more eligible places of worship for assistance.

Speaking after a cheque presentation ceremony at Menara Perkeso here yesterday, Ramanan said the initiative complemented the Dharma Madani programme, which provides assistance to Hindu temples.

"I have informed the Mitra director-general to include as many as possible to help gurdwaras and Indian Christian churches."

Present at the event was Penang Deputy Chief Minister II Jagdeep Singh Deo.

Ramanan said 164 places of worship nationwide had received a total of RM3.28 million under Harmoni Madani.

Of the beneficiaries, 57 were gurdwaras and 12 were churches, with the remainder Hindu temples.

Separately, he said RM15.42 million had been approved for 771 Hindu temples nationwide under Dharma Madani, with each receiving RM20,000.

Meanwhile, the Uyarvu Madani grant programme has received 8,368 applications, far exceeding its initial target of 700 recipients.

Ramanan said the number of successful applicants could increase to between 1,100 and 1,150, depending on available funding.

He said the initial plan was to provide grants of up to RM50,000 per recipient, although some applicants could receive RM20,000 or RM30,000 depending on their needs.

Mitra will also explore additional funding sources to assist more small businesses, he added.

"Eight thousand applications is a big number for me. It shows that many small businesses trying to succeed need this assistance," he said.

Earlier, Ramanan met Jagdeep to discuss skills training and workforce development to support Penang's investment ambitions ahead of 2030.

He said the discussions focused on training programmes to meet industry demand, with Penang projecting a need for about 40,000 skilled workers by 2030.