Samurdhi Minister to brief DSs on program initiatives

Uditha Kumarasinghe

COLOMBO: The Government has decided to brief all District Secretaries and Divisional Secretaries on its initiatives taken to expand the Samurdhi movement this year.

In order to brief the District Secretaries and Divisional Secretaries on the proposed Samurdhi programmes formulated for 2006, a one day seminar will be held at the BMICH, Colombo on February 7 (today) chaired by Samurdhi and Poverty Alleviation Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi, a Ministry spokesman told the Daily News yesterday.

"In today's seminar, Minister Wanniarachchi will have extensive discussions with District Secretaries and Divisional Secretaries on the present progress of the Samurdhi programme in their respective districts and divisional secretariat divisions. The Ministry has already allocated funds to provide Samurdhi subsidies and implement other Samurdhi development programmes throughout the country this year," he said.

He said the 2006 budget has allocated the highest amount of funds amounting to Rs. 3,000 billion to the Samurdhi Ministry giving utmost priority to further develop the Samurdhi movement as pledged in the Mahinda Chintana.

Compared with Rs. 9,600 million allocated for the Samurdhi subsidy and Samurdhi programmes for year 2005, the 2006 budget has allocated Rs. 3,000 billion thus increasing the Samurdhi subsidy provided to Samurdhi beneficiaries by approximately 50 per cent. This clearly indicates the Government's commitment towards the Samurdhi movement, he said.

Arrangements have been made to uplift the socio-economic conditions of 100,000 low income families this year under the Jana Pubuduwa programme implemented by the Samurdhi movement. In addition,under the Gam Pubuduwa programme development of infrastructure facilities of a large number of villages countrywide is envisaged in 2006. Therefore the Samurdhi movement will implement a series of programmes next year which will directly assist poverty alleviation, he said.

The United People's Freedom Alliance Government as pledged to country's low income groups in the Mahinda Chintana has also decided to provide Samurdhi benefits to all deserving poor who have not yet been given Samurdhi relief, he said.

"A survey conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics has revealed that nearly 52 per cent representing the most deserving poor have not yet been given the Samurdhi subsidy. This Ministry has given priority to provide Samurdhi relief to these deserving poor."

He said during the past one and half years, the Samurdhi movement has done considerable work to improve the living conditions of the poor. During the year 2004, Samurdhi banks had granted loans to over 300,000 Samurdhi beneficiary families to commence and develop their various self-employment ventures. A large number of Samurdhi recipient families have been given loans this year too.

Under the Gam Pubuduwa programme, 14,000 projects have already been completed developing the infrastructure facilities of thousands of rural villages scattered throughout the country. In addition, the Gemi Deriya project is also being successfully implemented in a large number of selected villages to alleviate poverty among poor, he said.