One million home economic units:

National program to achieve self sufficiency

Hemanthi Guruge

The Government will launch one million domestic economic units on March 12 as a national program with the peoples participation sans political affiliations, said Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa.

He was addressing a workshop in connection with media awareness campaign about the proposed one million domestic economic units program at the BMICH, yesterday.

The Minister also said that the program would be conducted in collaboration with 17 Ministries including Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Health and others. The Government will establish one million home economic units throughout the country aiming to achieve self sufficiency. This program will mainly concentrate on raising the nutritional standards of backward families.

"Similar programs were conducted by various Governments but they did not bring the desired results. Therefore, it is important to educate people about the Divinaguma program. The President has already issued directives in this regard," he said.

"However, the success of this program will be decided on the peoples support it gets. Seasonal crops and multiple crops will be cultivated under the first and second stage of the program," Minister Rajapaksa said.

"The child malnutrition rate in Sri Lanka is very high. Therefore a child born tomorrow should be made a healthy child able to access the country's resources, Agriculture Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said.

The Divinaguma program will be continued for the next 25 years," the Minister said.

Around 100 domestic economic units will be set up in each Grama Niladhari Division throughout the country and all raw materials will be provided for each domestic economic unit to a maximum of Rs 10,000.

Minor Export Crop Development Minister Reginald Cooray also addressed the workshop.