Ramanan: 577 Indian Entrepreneurs Benefit From BRIEF-i

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 23 (Bernama) -- The addition of RM50 million in funds for the Bank Rakyat Indian Entrepreneur Financing (BRIEF-i) programme has successfully made a significant impact on the Indian entrepreneurial community, with 577 beneficiaries to date.

Deputy Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan said from this amount, a total of 482 recipients were micro-entrepreneurs while 95 involved small and medium enterprises (SMSs)

"Although BRIEF-i is a financing programme, it plays an important role in helping Indian entrepreneurs grow their businesses to a higher level," he told reporters after officiating the BRIEF-i Programme Briefing Ceremony at Bank Rakyat Twin Towers here today.

At the ceremony, Ramanan handed over RM3.275 million in cheques to 18 entrepreneurs through agencies under the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (KUSKOP), including Bank Rakyat, Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia, TEKUN and SME Corp.

Ramanan said that besides BRIEF-i, three other main programmes are also available for the Indian community, including the Prosperity, Empowerment and A New Normal for Indian Women (PENN) programme, Business Accelerator Programme for Indian Small Businesss (I-BAP), and Indian Community Entrepreneur Development Financing Empowerment Scheme (Spumi Goes Big).

He said the programme benefitted over 11,300 recipients so far.

Ramanan said that besides financing, various grants are also offered through relevant agencies under KUSKOP, including the Malaysian Cooperative Societies Commission (SKM), which provides specific grants, while SME Corp offers grants through the I-BAP programme.

As an additional step, a special entity has been established at Bank Rakyat to facilitate Indian entrepreneurs in obtaining halal certificates more quickly and efficiently.

Regarding the new responsibility of monitoring projects related to Hindu temples and Tamil schools, Ramanan said he would ensure the smooth implementation of four key initiatives involving the Indian Village project, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Lab for Tamil National Type Schools (SJKT), Dharma MADANI for temples, and one-off assistance to plantation workers.

"I will chair a coordination meeting this Tuesday to ensure immediate assistance is channelled to the B40 group and places of worship," he said.

For Tamil school projects, he also said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had approved an allocation of RM30 million to upgrade five schools, with discussions with Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek scheduled for this Sunday (tomorrow) before implementation is finalised.

-- BERNAMA