KUALA LUMPUR: A PKR state assemblyman has proposed for the government to establish The Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra) centres in every state nationwide.
Sentosa state assemblyman Gunaraj George said these one-stop centres would serve as hubs where individuals from the Indian community could seek assistance and guidance on various initiatives offered.
In congratulating Mitra for its full utilisation of the allocations provided in the 2023 Budget, Gunaraj hopes for the unity government to consider such a proposal.
"I hope that the unity government under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will consider this proposal and allocate sufficient resources to support this initiative.
"I believe that there is much more that can be done to empower and uplift the Indian community in Malaysia," he said in a statement.
The Kota Raja PKR chief described Mitra as being given a "new life" as the group had successfully utilised its entire allocation since its formation in 2016.
"More significantly, the transparency and accountability in which the fund has been used set a new benchmark on the utilisation of public funds moving forward.
"The decision to undergo an audit on previous operational years by the National Audit Department lends credibility to the transparent nature and also enables mistakes of the past to be rectified to avoid future mistakes."
He added that the uplifting of the B40 Indian community by Mitra with programmes such as subsidies for degree studies, early education in private kindergartens, dialysis support, Tamil Schools Empowerment and socio-economic development initiatives in collaboration with various NGOs would benefit as many as 100,000 Malaysian Indians.