WB fillip for Samurdhi

by Uditha Kumarasinghe

The World Bank has reiterated its long-term commitment to support the Samurdhi programme which aims to alleviate poverty around the island.

A group of World Bank officials headed by World Bank Country Director Peter Harrold gave this assurance to Samurdhi and Poverty Alleviation Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi at a recent discussion at the Samurdhi Ministry.

The World Bank Country Director has stressed that they have identified the Samurdhi programme as the most successful poverty alleviation mechanism among all such schemes in South Asian countries, Minister Wanniarachchi told the Daily News yesterday.

Harrold outlined that the World Bank is fully satisfied with the new vision and direction of the Samurdhi movement under the Government. The Bank has already granted Rs. 5000 million for the first phase of the Samurdhi Ministry?s Gemi Diriya project which aims to alleviate poverty among low income groups through the Samurdhi movement and uplift infrastructure facilities in rural areas.

The World Bank officials told the Minister that they have laid emphasis on the new set of proposals she presented at the Kandy Donor Conference to eradicate poverty in Sri Lanka. The Minister and World Bank representatives widely discussed the formulation of a series of awareness programmes to change the attitudes of Samurdhi beneficiaries which will assist them to stand on their own feet.

The World Bank delegates also agreed to conduct several awareness workshops in collaboration with the Samurdhi Ministry and the Sri Lanka Samurdhi Authority next week.

The Minister told representatives that to successfully implement the Samurdhi programme to achieve its expected targets, it is important to show the true experiences of Samurdhi beneficiaries who have already improved their living conditions, to other Samurdhi beneficiaries who are still harbouring a ?subsidy mentality?.