PUTRAJAYA: The government is expanding financial assistance to Sikh gurdwaras and Indian Christian churches under the Harmoni Madani initiative, says Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan.
He said he had instructed Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra) director-general Raveendran Nair to identify more eligible places of worship for assistance.
Speaking to reporters after a cheque presentation ceremony at Menara Perkeso, Ramanan said the initiative complemented the Dharma Madani programme, which provides assistance to Hindu temples.
"This will continue. I have informed the Mitra director-general to include as many as possible to help gurdwaras and Indian Christian churches," he said.
Also present at the event today 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 comprising Hindu temples.
Separately, he said RM15.42 million had been approved for 771 Hindu temples nationwide under Dharma Madani, with each temple receiving RM20,000.
Ramanan said the government would continue to assess the programmes and identify more eligible places of worship for assistance.
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 would 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.
Ramanan said priority would be given to applicants who genuinely needed assistance and had viable businesses with the potential to succeed.
He said unlike other financing schemes offered by government agencies, Uyarvu Madani provided grants rather than loans.
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.
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