Reconsider RM100mil allocation for Mitra, govt told

 

Batu MP P Prabakaran said the amount set aside for Mitra had not changed much over the last eight years.

KUALA LUMPUR: 

A government backbencher has called on the government to reconsider the RM100 million allocated to the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra) under the 2025 budget.

P Prabakaran (PH-Batu) said the allocation was inadequate to fund initiatives aimed at uplifting the socio-economic status of Malaysian Indians.

“The RM100 million should not be considered a ceiling, but a starting point for initiatives that would drive meaningful change,” Prabakaran, who also heads Mitra’s special task force, told the Dewan Rakyat.

He said this when debating the national budget this evening.

Prabakaran also noted that the amount set aside for Mitra had not changed much over the last eight years.

“The government must consider increasing the budget to support projects that are truly transformational for the Indian community.”

Prabakaran also questioned why the government did not prioritise funding initiatives for the Indian community.

He pointed out the current reliance on Mitra to subsidise students who were forced to attend private kindergartens due to a lack of adequate preschool facilities in Tamil schools.

Mitra, which comes under the purview of the Prime Minister’s Department, sets aside RM10 million every year to subsidise the students.

“This responsibility should ideally lie with the education ministry,” Prabakaran said.

He also revealed that as of 2024, only 271 out of 528 Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil (SJKT) have preschool facilities.

Prabakaran said many schools could only accommodate one preschool class.

“And with 65% of these schools operating with only one class, we are limiting access to early education for thousands of Indian children.” - FMT