MCO, state of emergency will not derail MEDAC programmes - Minister

PUTRAJAYA: Plans and programmes to assist entrepreneurs in these trying times will not be derailed amid the imposition of the Movement Control Order (MCO) and nationwide state of emergency.

Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar gave such assurance today, in a statement.

He cited the execution of the second phase of the Entrepreneur and Cooperative Recovery Plan with an approved budget of RM17.1 million, under the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (MEDAC).

Contained in the recovery plan are the E-Commerce Onboarding Coaching Programme (E-Board); i4.0 Accelerator Programme; Technopreneurship For Young Graduates (TpYG); Adoption of Digital Solution (ADS); Recovery Initiatives For Social Enterprise (RISE) and Program PENJANA Komuniti.

“While we do not foresee the pandemic situation worsening, MEDAC, however, has embraced the new norm of doing things in today’s post-COVID era, which is digitalisation. That is why we are able to carry out our programmes despite the current situation,” he said.

Wan Junaidi said training and entrepreneurial development programmes would be carried out virtually by agencies under MEDAC such as the National Entrepreneurship Institute (INSKEN), SME Bank as well as Cooperative Institute of Malaysia or Institut Koperasi Malaysia (IKM).

Meanwhile, financing programmes by agencies such as SME Bank, Bank Rakyat and TEKUN would continue as usual.

"The ministry will also ensure that the financing application process under SME Bank, Bank Rakyat, TEKUN and the Cooperative Commission of Malaysia will not only follow the normal procedures prior to the MCO but will also try to further simplify processes involved," he added.

-- BERNAMA