Malaysia’s Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Ministry has allocated RM30 million for BERKAT Deepavali, a seasonal financing scheme administered through TEKUN Nasional. Minister Steven Sim announced it in Bukit Mertajam on 3 October, with applications open from that day until 8 November. The announcement positions the facility as working capital for small traders preparing inventory and operations for Deepavali, which falls the following month. The allocation is a programme ceiling, not evidence that RM30 million has already been lent or that demand will exhaust the available amount.

Eligible applicants are Malaysian citizens from the Indian community aged 18 to 65. Existing TEKUN entrepreneurs can apply as well, provided their total financing does not exceed RM100,000. Individual BERKAT financing is capped at RM30,000, carries a three per cent annual profit rate and has a repayment tenure of up to 12 months. The application window and eligibility rules define who may seek support; approval remains an underwriting decision rather than an automatic entitlement. Applications can be submitted through TEKUN’s online system or at its nationwide branch offices.

KUSKOP said decisions on applications below RM100,000 must be made within seven days. That is a decision-time requirement, not a promise that every applicant will be approved or receive funds within a week. The ministry also said applicants with weak credit records may be assessed using cash flow and alternative credit-assessment methods, while proper audit and governance remain required. This distinction matters for microbusinesses whose records may not resemble those of larger firms: the announcement describes a broader assessment approach, but does not disclose approval criteria, rejection rates, average loan sizes or a separate budget for this group.

The ministry says the financing is intended for traders needing short-term working capital, including hawkers and small businesses in food and beverages, clothing, festival-related equipment and supplies. Such financing can help bridge purchases made before a concentrated sales period, but the release does not report any realised increase in stock, turnover, profits or jobs. It also does not publish a sector allocation or estimate of how many businesses the RM30 million could serve. The maximum loan is not the typical loan size, and the total allocation alone does not determine how many businesses may receive financing.

The announcement cited a previous BARAKAT Ramadan and Aidilfitri scheme, under which TEKUN disbursed RM35 million to 5,590 entrepreneurs from February to March after an initial RM30 million allocation. Those are reported past disbursements and recipients for another financing round; they are not part of BERKAT Deepavali’s new RM30 million allocation. KUSKOP’s wider festive-financing approach uses seasonal demand as a reason to provide working capital, yet this single release supplies no independent evaluation of repayment performance or business outcomes. Results would require later reporting on approved applications, amounts disbursed and repaid, and recipients’ trading activity.

For applicants, the practical issue is whether the programme’s timing, eligibility and repayment terms fit the cash cycle of a seasonal business. A maximum 12-month term extends beyond the Deepavali trading period, while the three per cent annual rate describes financing cost rather than a flat three per cent charge on every loan. The release does not detail fees, collateral, instalment schedules or the calculation method, so applicants need TEKUN’s official documents for those specifics. This report treats the announced allocation and terms as scheme information, not a recommendation to borrow or a claim that credit access will necessarily improve business performance.