Uva PC endorses Divi Neguma Bill

Athapattu Bandara

The Divi Neguma Draft Bill presented to the Uva Provincial Council was passed with a majority of 17 votes yesterday. Twenty three voted for the Bill while six opposed it.

The Bill was introduced to make the Samurdhi Authority a department for effective implementation of the poverty alleviation programme.

The Bill, on Supreme Court advise, has to be debated and passed in all Provincial Councils before it should be law in the country. Earlier, the Western and North Western Provincial Councils passed the Bill with a majority of 40 and 37 votes while the Bill will be presented before other Provincial Councils for approval.

The Central Provincial Council will debate the Bill on October 2 while the Southern and North Central Provincial Councils will present the Bill on October 3.

The date for the Bill to be presented to the Eastern Provincial Council has not been decided. The Northern Provincial Governor expressed his approval for the Bill, Samurdhi Authority Director General Bandula Thilaksiri said. The government expects over 27,000 Samurdhi beneficiaries will be rewarded through the Bill. They will be eligible to a pension, housing schemes and special transport facilities.

Meanwhile, Samurdhi officials and recipients demonstrated expressing support to the Bill and calling to defeat conspiracies against the implementation of the Bill opposite the Uva Provincial Council yesterday.