Samurdhi upped to Rs 1,000

Lakshmi DE SILVA

The minimum payment of Samurdhi allowance will be increased to Rs. 1,000 by the next budget to be presented after April 22.

The Government will also award pensionable status to 23,700 employees of the Samurdhi Authority, Mass Media and Information Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said yesterday.

These welfare measures were made possible by the funds saved after the end of the humanitarian operations, the Minister said. There are 1.6 million people receiving the Samurdhi poverty alleviation assistance and the Samurdhi Authority supports with soft loans self-employment and small scale enterprises of the beneficiaries.

Therefore those who succeeded in such enterprises go out of the assistance scheme becoming independent income earning individuals, he said.

Increasing the assistance to Samurdhi beneficiaries and directing them towards self-employment and small enterprises such as cottage industries and other benefits given under the Mahinda Chinthana Policy program would be continued until such persons are able to support themselves, he said.

In addition they are also given soft loans to start their own ventures. Technical and management consultancy is also given by the Samurdhi Authority, the Minister said.