PUTRAJAYA, Jan 13 — Putrajaya has allocated a total of RM78 million for three Bumiputera economic empowerment initiatives, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced today.

The bulk of the allocations, RM50 million, will go to Yayasan Waqaf Malaysia to launch economic development and charity programmes from 2015 till 2019.

Another RM15 million was allocated by the Bumiputera Agenda Steering Unit (Teraju) for the Sabah Bumiputera Economic Council’s special committee for capacity development and entrepreneurship sponsorships for 2015.

Najib also announced RM13 million in grants to 26 winners from the third and fourth series of the New Bumiputera Entrepreneurship Scheme (Superb) last year.

“The Superb programme, which was launched hardly a year ago, is aimed at helping start-up companies and young Bumiputera entrepreneurs to carry forward their creative and innovative business ideas to develop into a much higher level.

“RM100 million has been allocated for this Superb programme that will produce as much as 200 to 300 new Bumiputera entrepreneurs in three years,” Najib said in his speech at his office here.

He said that the plight of traders affected by the floods were also discussed in the meeting earlier, adding that the government will decide on mechanisms to help the affected business owners after a “comprehensive picture” is obtained.