Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) has allocated a special fund of RM50 million to empower Indian women entrepreneurs through the Prosperity Empowerment and A New Normal for Indian Women (PENN) program, said Deputy Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Datuk Ramanan Ramakrishnan.
He said the allocation, which utilises AIM’s internal funds, benefits more than 7,100 new Indian entrepreneur friends and increases the total beneficiaries from AIM’s Ikhtiar Loan Scheme to 10,200 individuals, including 3,100 existing entrepreneur friends.
He added that AIM’s initiative is in line with efforts to realise the aspirations of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to ensure that no citizen is left behind in the country’s development efforts.
“I am confident that with AIM’s capabilities, the PENN programme will produce more micro-entrepreneurs from the Indian community who can contribute to the country’s growth and stimulate the economy.
“This program is also another step forward in advancing, empowering, and enriching Indian women in this country in line with the MADANI Malaysia concept,” he said in his speech at the special fund announcement ceremony at the AIM Headquarters here today.
Also present were AIM Trustee Chairman Datuk Seri Syed Hussain Syed Junid and AIM CEO Mohamed Shamir Abdul Aziz.
Ramanan said entrepreneur can submit PENN programme applications starting this Monday at 124 AIM branch offices nationwide.
Meanwhile, Indian women entrepreneurs describe the announcement as a windfall because the programme will help them strengthen their performance and further develop their businesses.
Retail shop owner and AIM Entrepreneur Friend from Rawang, Selangor, S Subratha Devisubramaniam, 45, said she intends to use the fund to open a new branch of her business.
“I am very grateful for this assistance. It also shows that every layer of society and ethnicity is not left behind in accessing facilities, especially for us small and medium entrepreneurs,” she said.
For a tourism agent from Selayang, A Krisnaveni, 39, with various assistance from AIM and at the government level itself, she said women, especially from the Indian community, should seize the opportunity to engage in entrepreneurship.
She said Indian women should be bold and explore their potential in entrepreneurship, which in turn opens up opportunities to increase their income.
