MITRA endorses 45 applications for PPSMI grant worth RM40 mln
PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Indian Community Transformation Unit (MITRA) committee has endorsed 45 applications under the first phase of the 2025 Socioeconomic Development Grant for the Malaysian Indian Community (PPSMI).
The applications are currently being processed for approval at the Prime Minister's Office.
MITRA Special Task Force Committee chairman P. Prabakaran said all 45 applications, totalling RM40 million, aim to implement activities that directly contribute to enhancing the socioeconomic status of the Indian community.
'MITRA received over 1,332 applications for PPSMI between Dec 2, 2024, and Jan 5. Out of this number, 1,073 applications were rejected for failing to meet the mandatory criteria, while the remaining applications are still under evaluation for subsequent approval phases,' he said in today's press conference on the status of PPSMI 2025 held here.
Prabakaran said that reasons for rejection included incomplete application forms, applicants submitting multiple applications under different organisations, individuals declared bankrupt, and organisations lacking the capacity or experience to carry out the proposed programmes.
'MITRA appreciates the patience and cooperation of all applicants, as this process involves three stages of evaluation conducted transparently and with full integrity,' he said, adding that the outcome of the PPSMI applications will be announced by June 30 at the latest.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
7 hours ago
- New Straits Times
India's watchdog warns Air India for breaching pilots' flight duty timings
NEW DELHI: India's aviation watchdog has issued a warning to Air India for "repeated and serious violations" related to pilot duty scheduling and oversight, according to government directives reviewed by Reuters on Saturday. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) directed Air India to remove three company executives from crew scheduling roles – a divisional vice-president, a chief manager of crew scheduling and one planning executive – for lapses linked to flights from Bengaluru to London on May 16 and May 17 that exceeded the stipulated pilot flight time limit of 10 hours. The 20 June order cited "systemic failures in scheduling protocol and oversights" and criticised the lack of strict disciplinary measures against responsible officials. The latest action by the aviation authority against the airline is unrelated to this month's crash of an Air India Boeing 787-8 plane that killed all but one of the 242 people onboard but signals heightened scrutiny of the airline. On Thursday, Reuters reported the authorities had also warned Air India for breaching safety rules after three of its Airbus planes flew despite being overdue for checks on emergency equipment of escape slides. The latest order by Assistant Director of Operations at the DGCA, Himanshu Srivastava, said: "Of particular concern is the absence of strict disciplinary measures against key officials directly responsible." In a statement to Reuters, Air India said it has implemented the DGCA order and, in the interim, the company's Chief Operations Officer will provide direct oversight to the Integrated Operations Control Centre. "Air India is committed to ensuring that there is total adherence to safety protocols and standard practices," it added. The DGCA stated in its order that Air India had voluntarily disclosed the violations. Air India was taken over by the Tata Group in 2022 and faces many challenges in its attempts to rebuild its image, after years of criticism from travellers for poor service. The Indian regulator, like many abroad, often fines airlines for compliance lapses. India's government in February told parliament that authorities had warned or fined airlines in 23 instances for safety violations last year. Around half of them – 12 – involved Air India and Air India Express. The biggest fine was US$127,000 on Air India for "insufficient oxygen on board" during some international flights.
The Star
7 hours ago
- The Star
India's watchdog warns Air India for breaching pilots' flight duty timings
FILE PHOTO: An Air India Airbus A320-200 aircraft takes off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India, July 7, 2017. Picture taken July 7, 2017/REUTERS/Amit Dave/File Photo NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India's aviation watchdog has issued a warning to Air India for "repeated and serious violations" related to pilot duty scheduling and oversight, according to government directives reviewed by Reuters on Saturday. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) directed Air India to remove three company executives from crew scheduling roles - a divisional vice president, a chief manager of crew scheduling and one planning executive - for lapses linked to flights from Bengaluru to London on May 16 and May 17 that exceeded the stipulated pilot flight time limit of 10 hours. The June 20 order cited "systemic failures in scheduling protocol and oversights" and criticised the lack of strict disciplinary measures against responsible officials. The latest action by the aviation authority against the airline is unrelated to this month's crash of an Air India Boeing 787-8 plane that killed all but one of the 242 people onboard but signal heightened scrutiny of the airline. On Thursday, Reuters reported the authorities had also warned Air India for breaching safety rules after three of its Airbus planes flew despite being overdue for checks on emergency equipment of escape slides. The latest order by assistant director of operations at the DGCA, Himanshu Srivastava, said: "Of particular concern is the absence of strict disciplinary measures against key officials directly responsible." In a statement to Reuters, Air India said it has implemented the DGCA order and in the interim, the company's chief operations officer will provide direct oversight to the Integrated Operations Control Centre. "Air India is committed to ensuring that there is total adherence to safety protocols and standard practices," it added. The DGCA stated in its order that Air India had voluntarily disclosed the violations. Air India was taken over by the Tata Group in 2022 and faces many challenges in its attempts to rebuild its image, after years of criticism from travelers for poor service. The Indian regulator, like many abroad, often fines airlines for compliance lapses. India's government in February told parliament that authorities had warned or fined airlines in 23 instances for safety violations last year. Around half of them - 12 - involved Air India and Air India Express. The biggest fine was $127,000 on Air India for "insufficient oxygen on board" during some international flights. (Reporting by Aditya Kalra; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
New Straits Times
a day ago
- New Straits Times
Fairer, progressive rates
KUALA LUMPUR: More than 23.6 million domestic users in Peninsular Malaysia will benefit from fairer and progressive rates with the implementation of the new electricity tariff schedule approved by the government. This tariff schedule will take effect from July 1, 2025, to Dec 31, 2027, under the incentive-based regulation (IBR) framework, in line with provisions under Section 26 of the Electricity Supply Act 1990. The electricity tariff revision for the fourth regulatory period (RP4) involves restructuring three components, which are average base tariff rates, the new tariff schedule and fuel cost adjustment mechanisms. Average Base Tariff The average base tariff is adjusted based on the estimated cost of electricity supply for RP4 and set at 45.40 sen/kWh, lower than the 45.62 sen/kWh approved in December last year. With this adjustment, the overall average electricity tariff cost will be reduced by 19 per cent compared with the third regulatory period (RP3). Tariff Structure Changes The introduction of the new tariff schedule includes a revision of customer categories, now divided into domestic and non-domestic groups based on low, medium or high-voltage supply. It also involves the setting of charges for the energy, capacity, network and retail components, each determined according to their respective costs. The Energy Efficiency Incentive will be introduced to encourage 23.6 million domestic users to adopt prudent electricity consumption practices. Through this incentive, domestic users with electricity consumption of 1,000kWh and below are not expected to be affected by the new tariff schedule. In addition, non-domestic low-voltage users with consumption of 200kWh and below will also benefit from this incentive. Meanwhile, the time-of-use (ToU) scheme has been streamlined and expanded to offer longer off-peak periods, including Saturdays and Sundays, as well as from 10pm to 2pm on weekdays. This is to encourage more efficient consumption management based on demand, in line with efforts towards a more efficient and sustainable energy system. By shifting their usage to off-peak periods, consumers can reduce their electricity bills compared with peak periods. To ensure that social and welfare needs continue to be looked after, the government has agreed to apply specific tariffs for the agriculture, water and sewerage services, as well as rail operators or traction. A 10 per cent rebate will be provided for registered higher-learning institutions, schools, charity homes and houses of worship. The government will also continue the RM40 electricity bill rebate programme, which provides a monthly subsidy of up to RM40 for heads of households categorised as hardcore poor and registered with the e-Kasih system under the Prime Minister's Department. Eligible users can check their eligibility status via or by visiting their nearest utility branch. Overall, this approach is intended to encourage energy efficiency initiatives and the use of renewable energy, delivering shared benefits through a sustainable system. To support this, all users will receive their electricity bills in a new, detailed format (itemised billing). Despite the implementation of this new tariff schedule, the majority of users are expected to remain unaffected. In fact, users who practise efficient energy consumption will enjoy greater savings through the Energy Efficiency Incentive. Refinement of Cost Adjustment Mechanism For the energy charges component, the current imbalance cost pass-through (ICPT) mechanism will be replaced by a new and more dynamic fuel-cost adjustment system known as automatic fuel adjustment (AFA) mechanism. This enables automatic adjustments to generation costs based on current market fuel prices and foreign exchange rates. These details will be reported monthly on the Energy Commission's website. Implementation and User Support Services The new tariff schedule will take effect from July 1. Details of the rates and new categories (where applicable) can be checked through the following channels. THE new tariff schedule will be published in at noon on June 21; and AN estimate of future monthly electricity bills can be calculated using the electricity tariff calculator, which will be accessible at earliest on June 23. For further enquiries, users are encouraged to contact TNB CareLine at 1-300-88-5454, email tnbcareline@ or reach out through other official TNB platforms. Energy Commission's Commitment As the energy regulatory body in Peninsular Malaysia, the Energy Commission is committed to ensuring that the implementation of tariffs is guided by the principles of fairness, transparency and sustainability to meet the country's needs and balance the interests of all energy consumers. This comprehensive restructuring and harmonisation is an important step towards realising and strengthening a fair and inclusive national energy transition agenda.
