KUCHING: Welfare aid recipients, specifically from the Indian community in Sarawak are encouraged to apply for the Launching Grant which is worth RM5,000.

Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said no entrepreneurs among the Indian community had apply for the aid so far which is eligible for those who have skills in food production, sewing and others.

“This programme is geared specifically for recipients to enable them to be able to conduct their small business such as selling traditional Indian food and others,” she said.

She said this in her speech during the Sejambak Kasih Deepavali 2022 ceremony at Waterfront Hotel here on Tuesday (Oct 18).

The Sejambak Kasih Deepavali 2022 ceremony was organised by Kuching district Social Welfare Department (JKM) in collaboration with PETRONAS Sarawak to ease the financial burden among recipients in conjunction with the upcoming Deepavali celebration.

On the same note, Fatimah also shared that from January until September 2022, Sarawak JKM has distributed aid totalling RM184,418,170 to 52,751 monthly recipients in the state.

“Some of the aid distributed to the recipients are the elderly aid, children’s aid, general aid, disability worker’s allowance, chronic patients caretaking aid and others,” she added.

Fatimah also urged more corporate companies, non-governmental organisations (NGO) and individuals out there to get involve and donate as much as they could to those most in need not only during the festive seasons but also in any other emergency situations such as natural disaster and others.