Malaysian PM Najib Razak approves $26 million for uplift of  NRI Community

June 07, 2015
NRIpress-Club/F. Raukri/Gary Singh

Haji Mohammad Najib bin Razak, who became sixth  Prime Minister of Malaysian on April  03, 2009, announced 100 million Malaysian ringgit ($26 million US)  to NGOs and skills training institutions for the uplift of NRI Community.  

PM Najib Razak belongs to  United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the largest component party of the Barisan Nasional (National Front), which was known as the Perikatan (Alliance Party) until the 1969 general election. He  is the eldest son of Abdul Razak Hussein, Malaysia's second Prime Minister, and the nephew of Hussein Onn, Malaysia's third. He was elected to the Parliament of Malaysia in 1976, at the age of 23, replacing his deceased father in the Pahang-based seat of Pekan. He continued his secondary education at the Malvern Boys’ College in Worcestershire, England. Upon completion of his secondary education, Dato' Sri Najib enrolled at the University of Nottingham and graduated in 1974 in industrial economics.

NRI minority ethnic group, making up 8% of the Malaysian population. Most Indians migrated to Malaysia as plantation laborers under British rule-most of these are Tamil but some Malayalam- and Telugu 80% of ethnic Indians in Malaysia identify as Hindus. Deepavali and Thaipusam are the main festivals.

It is said that that wave of Indians migration towards Southeast Asia happened when the Asoka's invasion towards Kalinga and Samudragupta's expedition towards the South. and then they have been present in the Malayan archipelago since the period of the influential Tamil Chola dynasty of the 11th century. Today, they form the third largest ethnic group in Malaysia after the Chinese and the Malays.

NRIs make up 38% of the Malaysian medical workforce and constitute 15.5 percent of Malaysian professionals. This includes doctors (28.4%), lawyers (26.8%), dentists (21%), veterinary surgeons (28.5%), engineers (6.4%), accountants (5.8%), surveyors (3.0%) and architects (1.5%).
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Malaysian PM approves $26 mn for Indian community's uplift
 (13:35) 
Kuala Lumpur, June 6 (IANS) Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has approved 100 million Malaysian ringgit (about $26 million) for the uplift of the Indian community in the country.

The fund was approved to the Special Unit for Socio-Economic Development of the Indian Community (Sedic), Malaysia's Bernama news agency reported.

Sedic Director N.S.Rajendran on Friday said it was an effort to create opportunities to improve the lives of 40 percent of the 2.6 million ethnic Indians in the southeast Asian nation.

He said funds would be channelled through non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and skills-training institutions that were selected based on certain criteria and not to individuals or political parties.

Rajendran said Sedic has identified 11 scopes for the Indian commmunity, including Tamil schools issue, documentation, admission to universities, youths at high risk, and Indian participation in the public sector.

"Sedic will ensure that the funds are managed efficiently so that the target groups receive benefits from the government," he said.

Over 600,000 Indians nationwide make up the bottom 40 percent in 38 districts in nine states and earning less than 2,500 Malaysian ringgit ($664) per month.

Every application made by NGOs and skills training institutions goes through three stages before it is approved by the prime minister.

    Haji Mohammad Najib bin Razak, who became sixth  Prime Minister of Malaysian on April  03, 2009,

• Asia