Basil tables Bill in P’ment to establish Department of Divineguma Development

Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa last week presented the Divineguma bill to Parliament in order to establish the Department of Divineguma Development.

This will be by amalgamating the Samurdhi Authority of Sri Lanka Southern Development

Authority of Sri Lanka and the Udarata Development Authority of Sri Lanka to establish Divineguma community based organisations at rural level and to provide for a co-coordinating network at the district level and national level; to establish Divineguma community based banks and Divineguma community based banking societies.

The move is in furtherance of the economic development process and in giving effect to the

national policy of alleviating poverty and ensuring social equity. Minister said it has become necessary to improve the individual, family and group centred livelihood development activities, Divineguma intends to mobilise people into ‘a national development process at community level establishing Divineguma community based organisations thus building up regional, district and   ational level co-coordinating network and developing and promoting a micro- finance banking system. The object of the Department shall be to carry out such development activities as may be required to alleviate poverty and to bring about a society guaranteeing social equity; to promote the individual family and group centred livelihood economic development activities; to ensure food security for each individual and family; to mobilise and empower people to speed up the national development; to provide micro-financial facilities for the purpose of promoting the livelihood development of people; to develop physical and social infrastructure facilities as may be required for the development of the livelihood of people; to carry out such studies and research as may be required relating to the economic and social upliftment of people; to develop the human capital in order to uplift living standards of people; and to create a social security network for those who are in need of social security.  Under Proposel Divineguma Act Divineguma community based organisations will be established and with the voluntary participation of Divinegurna beneficiaries.

Divineguma regional organisations will be established for the purpose of supervising, monitoring and evaluating the functions of such organisations at regional level.

Divineguma district committees will be established representing all Divineguma regional organisations functional within a district.  There shall be established for the purposes of this Act, Divineguma community based banking societies comprising of all Divineguma community based banks within the area of authority of each Divineguma regional organisation, in order to establish a viable micro-financial banking network at regional level.

All the officers and servants in the said authorities including more than 27000 Samurdhi officers will be absorbed in to the new Department and they are eligible for pension.