ALOR SETAR, Jan 3 — The Kedah state government has approved January 25 as an occasional holiday in conjunction with the Thaipusam celebration.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said the endorsement was given during the state executive council meeting today.

"Last year, we granted the holiday, and this year, we’ve done the same, announcing it well in advance... Hindus in this state can enjoy their holiday, and others can also take a break,” he said after chairing the meeting at Wisma Darul Aman today.

Meanwhile, he said the meeting today also agreed on the establishment of The Greater Kedah Committee as an entity responsible for providing annual or quarterly reports on the state government’s achievements.

"The Greater Kedah Committee will manage and consolidate data of all government and subsidiaries’ activities to communicate the state’s achievements across all sectors to the public.

"Before, data was scattered in different sectors like industry, sports, and education. Now, we’ll analyse all collected data and focus on specific sectors to achieve The Greater Kedah,” he said.

According to Muhammad Sanusi, State Industry and Investment, Higher Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation Committee chairman, Dr Haim Hilman Abdullah will chair the committee which will include experts from different fields. — Bernama