PETALING JAYA, Oct 31 — The Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) has allocated RM30,000 in aid to bring festive cheer to 100 low-income B40 Indian families in the district for Deepavali this year.
Petaling Jaya Mayor Dato’ Mohd Yazid Sairi said each family received RM300 in cash to ease their financial burden and cover festival preparations.
Recipients were identified through the eKasih database to ensure that assistance was channelled directly to those most in need.
“We understand the cost-of-living challenges faced by some families. Therefore, we hope the contributions to 100 recipients identified through the eKasih database in Petaling Jaya will ease their financial burden and help them prepare for Deepavali,” he said.
Yazid was speaking during the 2026 Deepavali Festive Aid Presentation Ceremony at the Arena PJ Sports Complex today.
He added that MBPJ’s approach to tackling urban poverty goes beyond providing assistance for immediate needs and also focuses on improving people’s living standards.
“We want to move away from an approach that only provides help during times of hardship towards one that also empowers people to become self-reliant,” Yazid said.
The initiative aligns with the values of compassion and well-being under Malaysia MADANI, Selangor’s development agenda, and Sustainable Development Goal 1 (SDG 1: No Poverty).
“For MBPJ, a city’s success is measured not only by its physical development, but also by its ability to improve people’s well-being and ensure that those in need are not left behind,” he said.
Also present at the ceremony were MBPJ Deputy Management Secretary Mohd Fauzi Maarop and Deputy Development Secretary Zain Azly Abdul Rahman.
