PM: RM1 mil boost for media practitioners’ welfare fund

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By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, June 20: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has announced an allocation of RM1 million for the Tabung Kasih @ Hawana, a welfare fund established to assist active and former media practitioners in need, including those requiring health-related support.

According to Free Malaysia Today, the fund, which is managed by Bernama, has so far disbursed RM2.26 million in aid to 773 media practitioners nationwide since it was established in April 2023.

At the same time, Anwar said that the federal government has agreed to continue the Media Innovation Fund to support local media organisations in implementing innovation initiatives and strengthening digital transformation in the industry.

The finance minister said 72 media companies have received RM24.57 million in funding from the initiative, which was allocated RM30 million last year.

“The allocation is ready to be used. We increased it so that there will not be any disruptions to the fund.

“So, this is the good news. Keep up the good work,” said Anwar at the launching of the National Journalists’ Day (Hawana) celebration at the PICCA@Arena Butterworth Convention Centre in Penang today.

Earlier, it was announced that Telekom Malaysia (TM) has agreed to contribute RM500,000 to the fund as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative.

Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil hoped that more government-linked companies (GLCs) and private firms would follow in TM’s footsteps to support local media organisations through strategic collaborations, including corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes, sponsorships, and industry development initiatives.

He said this was particularly important as media companies continue to face significant decreases in advertising revenue, with spending on advertising placements and media buys declining from RM4.5 billion annually to about RM2 billion in recent years. — DayakDaily

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