Samurdhi Movement on a new path
 

BY UDITHA Kumarasinghe

THE Samurdhi Movement, a key State mechanism to alleviate poverty, will be streamlined under a new program formulated by the Samurdhi and Poverty Alleviation Ministry.

This will revitalise the Samurdhi Movement neglected during the UNP regime.

This new program prepared by the Ministry on President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga's directive will infuse a community based development drive to uplift the Samurdhi Movement, seeking the strength of the rural community to overcome poverty, Samurdhi and Poverty Alleviation Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi told a media briefing yesterday.

The Minister said a recent study revealed that the Samurdhi program through its banking network, Samurdhi federations and Samurdhi Small Groups have not been able to make a satisfactory impact to overcome poverty among low income groups during the past few years. Poverty remains a severe problem in rural areas.

A new decision has been taken to infuse participatory development to the Samurdhi Movement to overcome this situation. The Ministry has studied the participatory development program implemented by the Rural Development Training and Research Institute to utilise its successful measures to the Samurdhi Movement.

"The Ministry through this attempt intends to develop the role of the Samurdhi Development Officer as a mediator to identify the resources and skills of the people in villages to effectively utilise their contribution towards the development process."

According to the Minister, nearly 50 per cent of the country's population is connected to the Samurdhi Movement. Over 1.8 million low income families have become active members of the Samurdhi program.

In addition, the Samurdhi Movement possesses an effective network of 1,035 Samurdhi Bank societies, 250,000 Samurdhi Small Groups and 50,000 Samurdhi village societies.

"The Government annually allocates Rs. 12 billion for the Samurdhi program. This is a large allocation. Only seven per cent of the entire money is allocated for all 225 Parliamentarians. In addition, the Samurdhi banks have savings amounting to Rs. 12 billion at present," the Minister said.

She said during the past one year, the Ministry has identified many shortcomings which have become obstacles for the Samurdhi Movement's development.

Samurdhi and Poverty Alleviation Deputy Minister Rohana Dissanayake said after the Government change in 2001, the path of the Samurdhi Movement changed as the Samurdhi program was neglected by former UNF Government. The Samurdhi Movement could not fulfil the requirements of the poor.

Therefore, the people have placed their firm confidence on the United People's Freedom Alliance Government knowing that the Government will properly guide the movement to eradicate poverty.

Therefore the Government's responsibility is to fulfil this people's wish. Many poverty alleviation programs that commenced after independence were not successful.

However, the Samurdhi Movement introduced by the former People's Alliance Government has played a leading role to alleviate poverty among low income groups, he said.