Divineguma Bill aims to alleviate poverty - Senior Minister

Katugastota Group Corr

The primary objective of the government in getting the Divineguma Bill approved is to transform Sri Lanka into a country which has alleviated poverty, said International Monetary Cooperation Senior Minister and Finance and Planning Deputy Minister Sarath Amunugama.

He was addressing a Jana Hamuwa held at the Galagedara Cultural hall on January 19 to educate people in the Divineguma programme.

He said the international yardstick for poverty was a per capita daily income below one and a half US dollars or monthly income below Rs 7,000.

Dr Amunugama said nearly 20 percent of the country's population was below the poverty line when President Mahinda Rajapaksa first assumed duties in his post. Now this has been reduced to 10 percent.

The Divineguma programme was aimed to totally eradicate poverty from the country.

Dr Amunugama said "recently we offered government jobs to a new batch of 50,000 graduates. Most of these graduates hailed from rural areas. This was one way the government was trying to help rural families to overcome poverty," he said. Today the rural economy is developing at a rapid pace. The total number of public servants which was 70,000 had now increased to 1.3 million, he added. Around 150,000 youths who joined the security forces during the wartime were still receiving their normal salaries, the senior minister said.

"Unlike the UNP regime which perpetuated poverty by offering relief packages to the poor, the present government is armed to dispel poverty by strengthening the rural economy and the livelihoods of the people," he stressed.

Galagedara Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Lal Girihagama and Divisional Secretaries Keerthi Siribaddana and S Semanayake were also present.