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| Tuesday, 19 October 2004 |
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Politics | |
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| Samurdhi Ministry to launch 'Suwahas Jana Pubuduwa' by Uditha Kumarasinghe The Samurdhi Ministry will launch a key development drive titled "Suwahas Jana Pubuduwa" to uplift the socio-economic conditions of country's low income groups as an integral part of the "Sanwardhana Sangramaya" initiated by President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. This programme will be ceremonially launched by the President at Anuradhapura on October 22. In connection with this national ceremony, the Sri Lanka Samurdhi Authority (SLSA) will implement the programme throughout the country on the same day including the North-East areas as an ambitious bid to uplift the lives of the people, Samurdhi and Poverty Alleviation Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi told a media briefing at the Sugathadasa Sports Hotel yesterday. The Minister said Suwahas Jana Pubuduwa will be a two pronged project, namely "Jana Pubuduwa" earmarking 30,000 low income families who will be offered an opportunity to augment their income level through self-employment and " Gam Pubuduwa" where the infrastructure development of 13,223 identified Grama Niladari divisions will be carried out. Under the Jana Pubuduwa, 30,000 Samurdhi beneficiary families will be given the opportunity and assistance to become gainfully self-employed in the areas of agriculture, industries, animal husbandry, fisheries, sales or any support service. The Samurdhi banks will provide financial assistance for these projects. The Minister said the Gam Pubuduwa project is to develop the infrastructure in 13,223 villages with the assistance of the services and skills of the village people. The community of each village chosen for this development can decide on the particular project to be developed in their village. The SLSA will invest Rs.264 million for this effort, spending approximately Rs.20,000 per each project. Therefore, both aspects of the project will be launched simultaneously on this day. This is the first phase of this mammoth programme. The Ministry will use more such efforts to alleviate poverty and uplift the living conditions of the poor following the successful implementation of this project, she said. As its prime objective, the Ministry has decided to implement this national project to change the misconceptions created among public particularly among Samurdhi beneficiary families that the Samurdhi movement is merely a programme to dole out subsidies to the poor. This dependant mentality has become one of the main constraints for the development of both Samurdhi families and the Samurdhi movement. "Through Suwahas Jana Pubuduwa, the Ministry intends to create an awareness among low income families that the Samurdhi movement is the key poverty alleviation catalyst implemented by the Government to improve their socio-economic levels. She said there is an essential need for a national level programme which assists in the genuinely overcoming poverty among poor. There should also be state intervention which help the low income groups to refrain from their poverty. Having considered this urgent requirement, the President has also vested the poverty alleviation subject to the Samurdhi Ministry. Therefore, the Ministry has already formulated a national level plan to alleviate poverty. |
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