'Samurdhi programme serving the nation fully'

Dharma Sri Abeyratne

The Samurdhi programme is in full swing serving the nation though a few politically motivated trade unions are making various baseless allegations over the Samurdhi programme, Chief Secretary of All Island Samurdhi-Development and Agricultural Research Production Assistants Officer's Society Jagath Kumara said.

Addressing the media last Friday at the Economic Development Ministry in Colombo, he said that certain trade unions are engaged in making a wrong impression about the Samurdhi programme with narrow political gains.

"The government has taken every possible step to strengthen the Samurdhi programme on President Mahinda Rajapaksa's advice.

The Samurdhi Authority will become a department in the near future and Cabinet approval has been granted in this regard.

Samurdhi and Agricultural Research Officials will also be entitled to a pension scheme. The Treasury has allocated funds to pay a distress loan or a 10 month loan for Samurdhi and Agricultural officers," Kumara said.

Disregarding this situation, some trade unions with a few membership are threatening a trade union action saying that the future of the Samudhi programme is in danger.

However, despite these allegations and threats of trade unions, not a single Samurdhi or Agricultural Research officer is ready for trade union action.