The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry will spend RM145 million this year on women's development programmes, its deputy minister G Palanivel announced today.

He said the money would be spent on training, guidance and counselling programmes to instil greater confidence in women and single mothers, according to a Bernama report.

The ministry's programmes were aimed at empowering women so that they would avail themselves of the economic and other opportunities created by the government and the private sector, he said.

30 per cent

The government policy was to ensure 30 per cent women participation at the decision-making level, he said at the opening of the "Women Renaissance towards 2010 Programme", organised by the Malaysian Hindu Sangam in Kuala Lumpur.

Palanivel also called on Indian organisations to develop themselves into well-built non-governmental organisations (NGOs).