PETALING JAYA: A total of RM8.8 million has been disbursed as loans to 1,299 Indian women entrepreneurs through Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia's (AIM) Prosperity Empowerment and a New Normal (PENN) Programme from April 13 to July 17.
Deputy Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk R. Ramanan said Perak recorded the highest number of PENN loans disbursed so far, totaling RM3.3 million.
This was followed by Selangor and Kuala Lumpur with RM1.8 million respectively, and Negri Sembilan and Melaka at RM1.3 million.
Meanwhile, he said there are a growing number of applications for Sahabat membership. Sahabat is a micro-entrepreneur financing programme managed by AIM.
"It is very encouraging, with Perak recording the highest number of applications at 396 Sahabat, followed by Selangor and Kuala Lumpur at 293 Sahabat, respectively.
"I urge more Indian women, especially youths and university graduates who are still unemployed, to venture into entrepreneurship. Start exploring becoming an entrepreneur," he said after the handing over of loans under PENN to entrepreneurs here today.
Present were AIM Board of Trustees chairman Datuk Seri Syed Hussian Aljunid and AIM managing director Mohamed Shamir Abdul Aziz.
He said the ministry and its agencies were providing numerous opportunities, training and financing schemes for interested individuals.
"Through AIM, you can obtain a loan with very simple conditions. There is no need for business records or financial records.
"No guarantors, no need for business premises and documents that are difficult to fulfill. What is important is that you are a woman, a Malaysian citizen and have an interest in doing business," he said.
He said achievements by AIM could also be seen in the lifting of more than four million households out of poverty with a non-performing loan (NPL) rate of 0.09 per cent last year.
Syed Hussian said this fund aimed to reach more female entrepreneurs in the Indian community, particularly those in the B40 group.
He added that this initiative would help them increase household income and lift them out of poverty.
"This effort is in line with the prime minister's aspiration to position AIM as a key agency in alleviating poverty in our country," he said.
In April, the government, through AIM, announced a special allocation of RM50 million aimed at empowering women micro-entrepreneurs from the Indian community in the country.
The allocation, provided in the form of micro-loans under AIM's PENN, was expected to benefit over 10,000 Indian women entrepreneurs from the Indian community, including 7,100 new entrepreneurs.