By Sofia Nasir
GOMBAK, Oct 30 — The Selangor administration is transparent and always seeking to strike a balance between growth and development for all communities in the state, said Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari.
The Menteri Besar said that some of the efforts include the Selangor Indian Entrepreneurs Development Programme (Sitham), introduced in the past four years.
He said the state government allocated RM1 million for Sitham last year and plans to increase the amount in the future.
“The Selangor government is open, and we would address the issues raised. By doing so, we can bring about stability in the state.
“We safeguard the welfare of all individuals, regardless of skin colour. Last year, we provided RM1 million for Sitham. In the coming year, it might be RM3 or RM4 million for the Indian community,” he said at an event with the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (Keadilan) activists of the Sungai Tua state constituency at Mercure Hotel, here, yesterday.
Last week, Yayasan Hijrah Selangor (Hijrah) announced they had spent RM2.9 million on Sitham for the past four years.
Its chief executive officer Dato’ Mearia Hamzah said that during this period, 3,730 entrepreneurs were facilitated through development training, skills courses, and production.
Meanwhile, 400 Jom Shopping vouchers worth RM200 each were distributed to the Sungai Tua constituents in conjunction with the upcoming Deepavali celebration.
Batu Caves Indian Community Welfare and Development Association chairman B. Viskineswaran said that the increase from RM100 to RM200 in voucher value, compared to the previous year, demonstrates the state government’s concern for the Indian community.
“The Indian community appreciates the state government, and we hope this programme will continue every year,” he told SelangorKini.
This year, the state administration has increased the value of Jom Shopping vouchers to RM200 from RM100 in response to the current economic climate and the needs of the people.
