Flood Hit Small Industries May Get Special Grants

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Ismail Sabri Yaakob chairing the Economic Action Council meeting in Putrajaya today. (Bernama pic)KUALA LUMPUR: The Economic Action Council (EAC) has agreed to consider aid in the form of special grants to ease the burden of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and informal entrepreneurs affected by the recent floods.
The aid will be in addition to financial assistance provided by government agencies, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said today.
The finance ministry will hold further discussions with the ministry of entrepreneur development and cooperatives and relevant agencies as well as chambers of commerce to refine the proposals that have been tabled for the government’s consideration, he said.
“Follow-up visits to the identified locations will be held to ensure that the MSME flood relief programme reaches the target group.
“I will announce this initiative after it is refined and finalised.
“The government is always committed to ensuring the well-being of Keluarga Malaysia,” the prime minister said after chairing an EAC meeting in Putrajaya today.
This follows a detailed discussion on the impact of the floods on MSMEs, including informal traders.
The statistics department, the Malay Chamber of Commerce Malaysia, the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia, the Malaysian Associated Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the entrepreneur development ministry had shared feedback on the impact of the floods.
Ismail said they also suggested several proposals to enable MSMEs to recover.
The meeting also heard complaints from two MSME entrepreneurs from Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam, and Taman Sri Nanding, Hulu Langat, who were badly affected to get a true picture of the losses, effects and problems they faced.
Previously, to alleviate the burden of the people affected by the floods, the government introduced the Bantuan Banjir Keluarga Malaysia package, amounting to RM1.4 billion, which included cash assistance and repairs to homes and public facilities. - FMT

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