Tekun channels RM6.4 mln in financing to 214 Indian entrepreneurs as of May 2020

The National Entrepreneur Group Economic Fund (TEKUN Nasional) has channelled financial assistance to 214 Indian entrepreneurs with financing worth RM6.4 million as of May 2020, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

According to the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives, the financial assistance to the Indian entrepreneurs were given through a special programme, namely the Indian Community Entrepreneur Development Scheme (SPUMI).

The financial assistance offered via SPUMI is from RM1,000 up to RM100,000, while the repayment period is from six months to 10 years, with a profit rate of four per cent.

Since the scheme was introduced in 2008, SPUMI had benefitted 21,887 Indian entrepreneurs as of December 2019, with total financing of RM306 million.

"In 2019, TEKUN Nasional had assisted 885 Indian entrepreneurs with total financing worth RM19.2 million," it said in the Dewan Rakyat today.

The ministry was replying to a question from Sivakumar Varatharaju Naidu (DAP-Batu Gajah) who asked on the distribution of financing through TEKUN according to race in 2019 and as of June 2020, as well as the involvement of Indians in the special allocations provided by TEKUN to produce more successful entrepreneurs.

Based on the outcome of a study conducted on SPUMI entrepreneurs who received financing in 2018, it was found that 76 per cent of the entrepreneurs recorded monthly sales growth of more than 20 per cent, while 79 per cent of the entrepreneurs succeeded in increasing their business net profit.

-- BERNAMA