KUALA LUMPUR: MIC will set up a special committee to study the 2017 Budget tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on Friday.
Its president Datuk Seri Dr
S. Subramaniam said the party machineries would go down to the ground to explain to the people how they could benefit from the programmes mentioned in the budget after consulting with the relevant agencies.
“We want to see how the Indian community can reap benefits through the measures announced in the 2017 Budget,” he said before a meeting with state MIC leaders here yesterday.
Thanking Najib for having the wellbeing of the Indian community close to his heart, Dr Subramaniam called on the community to explore the benefits from the 2017 Budget.
Among the allocations in the budget were RM100 million for the Indian Entrepreneurs Financing Scheme, RM50 million under the Amanah Ikhtiar scheme for women and RM50 million for capacity- building and income uplift for the Indian community.
A total of RM260 million has also been allocated for the Indian community, including RM50 million for Tamil schools’ development and RM10 million for preschools.
“Take for example, housing. Many initiatives were announced benefitting those in the B40 income group.
“This is where the Indian community can benefit,” Dr Subramaniam said.
“There are training programmes and digital economy development, as well as for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
“All these can benefit the Indian community and not just the slew of goodies announced specifically for them.”
He said the soon-to-be-launched 2050 National Transformation (TN50), a 30-year plan to propel the nation forward, charted a clear path for the long-term development of the country.
Dr Subramaniam, who is also health minister, thanked Najib for the whopping RM25 billion in allocation for the ministry to improve and deliver better health services to the people.
He expressed his gratitude to Najib for finding a solution to the housemanship placement issue with the announcement of the strategic housemanship on contract initiative.
“We hope the 2,600 medical students registered with us, can be absorbed into the new system by the end of the year.
“This will resolve the current problem where some of them have to wait for one year to get placement,” he said, adding that the contract posts would have similar perks as permanent posts.
Malaysian Associated Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry president Tan Sri K. Kenneth Eswaran said under Najib’s leadership, the Indian community had continued to enjoy many benefits.
“The 2017 Budget once again reiterates the prime minister’s commitment to ensure positive national growth, which emphasises the people’s welfare.
“As such, any negative comments, be it from the opposition or past leaders, should be ignored by the people.”
Eswaran said the various funds and rebates for local SMEs in the budget showed the government’s recognition of their importance.
“About 97 per cent of businesses in the country are in the SME sector, which contributes significantly to the country’s gross domestic product and opens up employment opportunities.”