Divineguma Bill will facilitate poor into micro enterprises

CHAMIKARA Weerasinghe

Moves are underway by the government to transform all units of families into small-scale economic entities by setting up micro enterprises, Senior Presidential Adviser and Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa said. The minister said the government introduced many programmes including the Divineguma national initiative to achieve this objective.

He said steps will be taken to improve poor people’s lives by means of implementing the Divineguma Bill and added that by implementing it, more people will be enabled to obtain loans from banks for micro and medium enterprises without having to go through tough procedures as the Bill would establish a micro finance banking system.

“It will also pave the way to establish an organisational framework that has direct links with community-based people’s organisations,” the minister said.

Minister Rajapaksa said this at the Micro Enterprise District Award Ceremony at Gampaha Samara Hall where he handed over Micro-Enterprise awards among 51 winners, whose performances have been outstanding in the field of micro enterprise development.

The award recipients are from Gampaha, Colombo and Kalutara districts.

The award ceremony was held to recognise the achievement of those who have been directed towards the micro enterprises’ sector through financial support programmes offered by the Youth Affairs and Skills development Ministry’s Small Enterprise Development Division.

The support was offered to micro enterprises relating to agriculture, fisheries, livestock , handicrafts, food, trade and services.

Minister Rajapaksa said according to the Census and Statistics Department, the cost of living in the country for a single person was Rs 3,400 last month. “There are people in the country who find it difficult to earn this amount to support themselves,” he said. “ The government has taken various measures to better their conditions by eliminating poverty traps,” he said.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has preserved a united and free country enabling everyone to engage in their fields of work or businesses freely in any part of the country, he pointed out.

“People can start their enterprises anywhere in the country,” he said. Youth Affairs and Skills Development Minister Dullas Alahapperuma and Petroleum Industries Development Deputy Minister Sarana Gunawardena were present.