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Skills development project for 2003: Samurdhi moots jobs for youth

by Uditha Kumarasinghe

The Government for the first time will launch a massive youth development project through the Samurdhi movement from January to develop creative talents of youth from low income families and guide them towards employment.

Under this project, socio-economic standards of 14,000 Samurdhi beneficiary families will be improved in 2003, Samurdhi Director General Dr. Sunil Jayantha Nawaratne told the Daily News. 

Dr. Nawaratne said this is the first time the Government has taken an initiative to assist youth from low income families to develop their skills through the Samurdhi programme, the country's main poverty alleviation scheme.

A special Youth and Cultural Division has been established under the Sri Lanka Samurdhi Authority (SLSA) to make this a success.

This Division set up on a directive of Agriculture, Livestock and Samurdhi Minister S.B. Dissanayake will identify and develop various talents of youth. The project is aimed at developing youth skills and income generation, he said.

Dr. Nawaratne said the Samurdhi Movement hopes to empower 200,000 Samurdhi recipient families in 2003, including 48,000 families in the agriculture sector and 28,000 families engaged in animal husbandry.

He said: "Of the 1.93 million Samurdhi beneficiary families, 1.5 million are youth. But no special programme has been implemented during the past few years to identify their talents and direct them towards employment."

Dr. Nawaratne said this project will not only benefit Samurdhi recipient youth but also the Samurdhi Development Officers and Samurdhi Managers. The project will also focus attention on unemployed youth in farmer families.

Youth who successfully complete their training will be able to select Charted Accountancy, marketing and other fields. Once higher studies are completed, they will get jobs in the private sector. Scholarships will be provided to youth for studies in the USA, Australia, Canada and India.

The Samurdhi Movement has requested Sri Lankan scholars and donors overseas to contribute to the poverty alleviation movement and to send in their suggestions to further develop Samurdhi.

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