The newly formed Indian Engagement and Development Initiative (INEI) will focus on three main objectives, including better support for the vulnerable and disadvantaged within the Indian community, strengthening the Singaporean identity, and developing a pipeline of young Indian leaders, said Senior Minister of State for Law and Transport Murali Pillai.
Speaking at INEI’s inaugural forum on April 25, he noted that INEI will address current structural challenges, including fragmentation across organisations, limited pathways for youth engagement, and the absence of an ecosystem-level platform to connect stakeholders, align priorities, and coordinate efforts at scale.
INEI will have a coordinating committee comprising primarily young Indian leaders, with a few seniors, noted Mr Murali, who is also the co-chair of INEI.
“The decision to involve young Indian leaders is strategic. It is to groom and provide them with leadership opportunities,” he noted.
SMS Murali also said that the coordinating committee will be supported by resource panels consisting of senior leaders in the Indian community.
The inaugural INEI forum, with more than 600 stakeholders representing more than 330 organisations from the Indian community in attendance, was held following the announcement of INEI’s launch during the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY)’s 2026 Committee of Supply debate on March 5.
Minister of State (MOS) for Culture, Community and Youth and Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam, Senior Minister of State for Education and Sustainability and the Environment Janil Puthucheary, and Ang Mo Kio GRC Member of Parliament Darryl David were also in attendance.
INEI will have four engines - Religious; Socio-economic; Culture, Youth and Sports; and Language, Heritage and Arts, which will comprise Indian organisations and will each be led by a coordinating committee member.
“My personal work in INEI is focused on the religious and socio-economic pillars. We met representatives from 48 Indian religious organisations representing the major faiths in Singapore. We forged an agreement to see how we can focus on further reducing the recidivism of Indian inmates through religion,” SMS Murali noted.
Mr Murali, who also holds an advisory position at INEI, noted that, at the socio-economic level, Narpani Pearavai conducted a survey of its 100 Indian Activity Executive Committees (IAECs), geographically distributed across Singapore.
The survey received overwhelming support for every IAEC to be on the lookout for Indian families in distress and to make referrals to the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) Family Service Centre or their grassroots adviser.
“With MCCY’s support in INEI’s work, Minister of State Dinesh Vasu Dash will therefore chair it and oversee the efforts under the four pillars of action. I will advise INEI’s workgroups dealing with the initiatives that I started,” Mr Murali noted.
During the forum, MCCY’s Senior Deputy Director for Community, Strategies and Insights, Logapreyan Renganathan, shared findings from the earlier community focus group discussions.
Some notable findings include participants highlighting the need to bring support closer to where people live, strengthen outreach, improve connections between volunteers and community needs, and make participation more accessible and meaningful.
Participants also noted the importance of stronger succession planning, more structured pathways for youth development and participation, and programmes that better reflect the interests and preferences of younger Singapore Indians.
They also highlighted the potential of initiatives that blend cultural traditions with modern appeal, create more accessible pathways for youth leadership, and strengthen young people’s connection to culture and community.
Following this, a question-and-answer segment with MOS Dinesh and Minister Shanmugam was organised.
In his opening remarks, Mr Dinesh stated that the Indian community continues to do well in areas such as the economy, housing, and education, but many aspects still need further strengthening.
He also emphasised that INEI forums should be held at least once a year to maintain direct contact between the community, the government, and the public sector.
“Beyond its population numbers, the Indian community is doing exceptionally well. The key question is what else needs to be done to sustain this progress and ensure continued success. We need to function even more effectively,” he said.
MOS Dinesh also pointed out that demographics are constantly changing, with new arrivals in Singapore alongside those who already consider Singapore their home.
“We must not forget that we are all children of immigrants. We must also consider what we need to do to support new arrivals and integrate with them,” he added.
