Thursday Dec 19, 2024
Thursday Dec 19, 2024
Saturday, 9 February 2019 00:10 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Every entrepreneur dreams to be the most successful business person and to reach the peak in their own business. ‘Thurunu Diriya’ loan scheme offered by Bank of Ceylon (BOC) has given immense opportunities for young and enthusiastic entrepreneurs and it has led to strengthen both their personal lives as well as the national economy. This is a story of such a young female entrepreneur who received the ‘Thurunu Diriya’ loan.
Nisansala Kumudu, is a great example for rising self-employed young females in Sri Lanka. She is a 27-year-old young entrepreneur who inaugurated ‘Ohara Bookshop’ as a small-scale business in 2015.
She completed her primary and secondary education from Tholabugolla Maha Vidayalaya, Awariyapathaha but unfortunately, she was not qualified to enter a university. Therefore, she started following an external degree at University of Kelaniya but she had to discontinue it due to financial difficulties. She was granted a scholarship by Informact Computer Institute, Galewela to follow a computer course and has completed up to NVQ level 3. After completing the course, she was offered to work as a trainee advisor at the same institute.
Nisansala is someone who dreams big and wanted to start a business of her own. At the time of need, she had been informed about the Thurunu Diriya Loan Scheme by Youth Council officer, Pallepola (Abeyrathna).
During the last four years she had been operating her business under minimum infrastructure facilities due to financial difficulties. According to her, “I was in need of financial assistance and wanted to develop my business and I got to know that the interest rate for Thurunu Diriya loan scheme is comparatively low. So I applied for the loan and successfully commenced the business from December 2018.”
It was not difficult for her to get through the loan through the procedure of loan application since, she has completed all the requirements to receive the loan.Finally, she received Rs. 500,000 worth of loan on October, 2018. She has utilised the loan successfully to purchase a few printing machines and stationary. In the near future she expects to expand the business into a printing press.
The Thurunu Diriya loan scheme was launched by Bank of Ceylon in collaboration with the Policy Development Office (PDO) of the Prime Minister’s Office, the Central Programme Management Unit (CPMU) and the Small Enterprises Development Division (SEDD) as a part of the Government’s Enterprise Sri Lanka program, specifically targeted at qualified young professional entrepreneurs. The Bank of Ceylon Thurunu Diriya loan scheme provides loans without a guarantor and collateral or with lenient guarantor conditions for young entrepreneurs under 40 years, who possess a degree or a recognised vocational certificate and were being in the business for not less than three years. Further details of this loan scheme can be obtained from the Bank of Ceylon branches or the Divisional Secretariats island-wide.
