Ramanan Treats Media Practitioners To Festive Deepavali Event

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 (Bernama) -- The festive spirit of Deepavali came early today as Deputy Minister of Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Datuk Seri R. Ramanan treated nearly 100 media practitioners to a warm gathering.

The event, held in conjunction with the Festival of Lights celebrations on the upcoming Monday, was also attended by Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) chief executive officer Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin, along with representatives from mainstream media, news portals, and social media.

Ramanan said the event was organised as a gesture of his appreciation for the media, particularly Tamil media practitioners for their ongoing role in disseminating government policies and his ministry’s initiatives to the public.

“I feel especially fortunate this Deepavali, as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday approved several initiatives for the Indian community.

“I would also like to express my deepest appreciation to Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida and Bernama for their role in highlighting news about the Indian community, Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM), and Bank Rakyat,” he said at the event, where media practitioners enjoyed a spread of traditional Deepavali treats.

Earlier, at a press conference held after a separate event, Ramanan, who is also the Indian Community Initiatives Implementation Committee chairman, announced initiatives worth RM42.25 million for the Indian community.

These include the ‘Kalvi MADANI’ free tuition programme, the provision of laptops through the Peranti Siswa initiative, and the maintenance and repair of Tamil schools.

--BERNAMA