Anwar says aid for Indian community goes beyond Mitra, more initiatives in pipeline

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim inspects preparations for the Deepavali celebrations and the distribution of food baskets to Indian recipients at the 2026 Deepavali Mega Bazaar in Brickfields November 4, 2026. — Bernama pic

First Published: Wednesday, 04 Nov 2026 7:14 PM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 — Government assistance for the Indian community is not only channelled through the Malaysian Indian Community Transformation Unit (Mitra), but also includes various initiatives in welfare, entrepreneurship, education and social development, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He said such assistance was also provided through various government agencies and programmes, including the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) cash aid scheme, Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA), entrepreneurship financing through Tekun Nasional and Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia, as well as allocations for the development of Tamil schools and places of worship.

“Sometimes, people think that the only assistance available for the Indian community is MITRA, whereas there are also STR, Amanah Ikhtiar, and Tekun (Nasional)... all of these are also part of the support we provide.

“Is this enough? Not yet. That I agree, but we are gradually increasing. We are discussing this constructively to introduce new initiatives where there were none before,” he said during a visit to the Brickfields Deepavali Mega Bazaar 2026 here today.

Also present were Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan, Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil. — Bernama