PUTRAJAYA — The Malaysian Indian Community Transformation Unit (Mitra) has successfully utilised all RM100 million of the allocation it received under Budget 2023.
The achievement, which was announced by Mitra’s special vehicle committee chairman Datuk R. Ramanan today, marks the first time the unit has managed to use up its allocation since its formation in 2016.
“In 2016, Mitra, which was then known as the Socio-Economic Development Indian Unit (Sedic), used 35% of its allocation, followed by 57% in 2017 and only 1% in 2018.
“Following Sedic’s rebranding to Mitra in 2018, the unit used 58% of its allocation in 2019, 63% in 2020, 73% in 2021 and 63% in 2022.
“Based on previously announced programmes, we are pleased to announce that all RM100 million of Mitra’s allocation under Budget 2023 has been utilised for this year,” Ramanan, who is also PKR’s Sg Buloh MP, said during a press conference here.
In March this year, DAP’s Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran had called on the government to explain what happened to the funds allocated to Mitra under Budget 2022 as only RM60 million of the RM100 million allocation then was used for anti-poverty and social development programmes for the Indian community.
This came after the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had in 2021 investigated Mitra over allegations of misappropriation of funds from 2019 to 2021, leading to the arrest of 16 company directors for allegedly mishandling Mitra funds.
It is estimated that the group misused tens of millions of ringgit from the unit after originally applying for Mitra grants to organise programmes for the Indian community.
Previously, Ramanan had assured that Mitra will be audited by the National Audit Department as part of ongoing attempts to cleanse its tarnished image.
Meanwhile, Ramanan said today that the distribution of Mitra’s funds involve subsidies for degree studies, private kindergarten early education and dialysis.
Besides targeted socio-economic development initiatives in collaboration with 72 people’s representative centres, the lawmaker added that Mitra is also in the process of preparing fund distribution documentation for several other initiatives that will be implemented in the future.
He also said that Mitra will be carrying out in phases a poverty eradication programme for Indian households, with details on the initiative to be revealed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim soon.
“Mitra will be working with the Prime Minister’s Department for this programme, which has an allocation of RM8.24 million. The first phase will focus on hardcore poor Indian families in Kuala Lumpur.
“As many as 1,800 households whose members have a per capita earning of less than RM339 have been identified through Mitra’s e-Kasih implementation coordination system,” Rmananan said.
When questioned on whether Mitra is hoping for an increase in its allocation under the upcoming Budget 2024, Ramanan said that he will be leaving the matter up to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s consideration.
“I’m sure that the prime minister will take into account the fact that the money (allocated to Mitra) was spent properly this year.
“We’re hopeful that he will give a bigger amount (of allocation) to the Indian community (under Budget 2024), but I will leave it up to him to determine the direction we should head in.”
Mitra was first placed under the Prime Minister’s Department during the 2018 Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration, but was moved to the National Unity Ministry in April 2020 after the Sheraton Move that toppled the PH government.
The unit was then returned to the Prime Minister’s Department in September last year by then prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob. — September 20, 2023