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by Uditha Kumarasinghe

Thousands of Samurdhi beneficiary families have lost their Samurdhi subsidy due to the issuing of informal circulars calling for a reduction in the Samurdhi subsidy by 25 per cent, Agriculture, Livestock and Samurdhi Minister S. B. Dissanayake said.

The Minister addressing a seminar at the Jayewardene Cultural Centre, Colombo, to discuss problems relating to the distribution of Samurdhi subsidies, said the Samurdhi Ministry's intention is not to implement a 25 per cent cut in subsidies in each district.

"We only want to reduce the Rs.700 and Rs.400 Samurdhi subsidy to Rs.140 to ensure a 25 per cent reduction in the subsidy", he said. Assistant Samurdhi commissioners attended the workshop.

The Minister said if the Rs.700 and Rs.400 subsidy is reduced to Rs.140, beneficiary families will also continue to be in the Samurdhi movement.

Apart from this, the reduction of Rs.700 and Rs.400 subsidy to Rs.140 will enable them to grant new Samurdhi benefits to another five percent of the population in the low income category.

Steps will be taken to remove those who have obtained Samurdhi benefits in a fraudulent manner, he said. Dissanayake instructed officials to keep families of Armed Forces and Police personnel in the Rs.140 subsidy category and get them actively involved in the Samurdhi Movement through the formation of Samurdhi Small Groups.

The Minister said the Social Welfare Bill presented to Parliament is designed to punish those engaged in malpractices in the distribution of Samurdhi cards. Those found guilty will be liable for one year imprisonment or a Rs.5000 fine, Dissanayke said.

Samurdhi Minister R. A. D. Sirisena said the country's 20 per cent of the population consisted of the poorest of the poor.

Of them, 40 per cent have not been granted Samurdhi relief. Various malpractices involved in the selection of Samurdhi beneficiaries led to this.

Therefore, the methodology followed to select beneficiary families should be rectified to ensure that the most deserving are granted relief, he said.

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