New social empowerment drive through Samurdhi

Uditha KUMARASINGHE

COLOMBO: The Government through the Samurdhi Ministry will launch a new social empowerment project to reawaken the country's backward villages.

The new concept titled "Gam Pubuduwana Sahabagithwa medihathveema" a new participatory approach to develop villages has earmarked to develop 21 Divisional Secretariat divisions in 21 districts during this year, a Samurdhi Ministry spokesman told the Daily News.

The objective of this programme is to formulate a community based development plan in collaboration with the villagers to upgrade the infrastructure facilities of villages by sharing their experiences, he said.

The ministry implemented this programme in 12 selected Divisional Secretariat divisions in 12 districts last year. During this year, the Ministry intends to transform this programme into a process which is entirely managed and conducted by the village community, the spokesman said.

In order to educate the officials on the first phase of this programme, a special workshop was held at Sri Lanka Foundation Institute, Colombo recently.

Divisional Secretaries, Assistant Samurdhi Commissioners, Samurdhi Managers and Samurdhi Development Officers attended this workshop chaired by Samurdhi and Poverty Alleviation Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi.

The Minister told the officials that there were about 1.9 million Samurdhi beneficiary families in the country by the end 2005. The Government has established 1,038 Samurdhi banks countrywide including the North-East areas.

In addition, the Samurdhi movement is equipped with an effective network of 198 Samurdhi federations and 337,190 Small Groups.

Minister requested the officials to be honestly dedicated as frontliners to turn the Samurdhi movement as the country's key poverty alleviation mechanism giving an example to the entire world.