By Sofia Nasir
HULU LANGAT, March 4 — Recipients of the Indian Selangor Empowerment and Entrepreneurs Development (i-SEED) programme have praised the state government for its assistance, regarding it as a lifeline to continue their businesses in the post-pandemic period.
Broadcasting system entrepreneur N. Panirselvam, 41, said the Covid-19 pandemic that affected the nation has been a sore test to his business, which has been in operation for the past two decades.
“Before this, I was severely affected by the movement control order (MCO) which the government had to implement.
“Now things are picking up, yet I am still trying to return to the stability I had before,” he said, adding that i-SEED provided him with a soundmixer sound system unit.
Panirselvam was one of the programme’s five recipients, who were publicly feted during the Jelajah Selangor Kita Penyayang roadshow programme for the Hulu Langat district, at Taman Impian Ehsan in Hulu Langat, earlier today.
Meanwhile, flower trader K Rathna Thevi, 47, plans to expand the sale of her products to several other locations, after over 10 years of hard work.
“I applied for I-SEED in January and learned the application process was not complicated. I want to thank the state government for providing such forms of assistance,” she said.
Launched in April 2021, the programme is aimed at improving the economic status of the Indian community in Selangor, by providing them with equipment assistance, based on the types of businesses being run by the applicants.
To qualify, applicants must be born in Selangor or residents for more than 10 years, earn a monthly individual or household income of RM3,000 and below, and must operate their business within the state.
