Samurdhi essential for poverty reduction: Wimal

Insists Samurdhi officials with permanent jobs would be more dedicated

By Nuwan Senarathna 

The Ministry of Housing and Social Welfare will take necessary measures to improve the job security of Samurdhi officers as such officers would be committed to alleviating poverty in Sri Lanka, MP Wimal Weerawansa said yesterday

Weerawansa, who holds the position of Housing and Social Welfare Minister in the Sirisena-Rajapaksa Cabinet, believes that the officials would work to reduce poverty in Sri Lanka.  

“When the Samurdhi scheme was introduced, 28.8% of the population lived in poverty. But during 2005 to 2015 we were able to reduce that to 6.5%, with the help of Samurdhi officers who were then absorbed into the Divi Naguma Department, which was one of the biggest achievements under the Rajapaksa government,” Weerawansa said at an event held at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium on Friday to grant appointments to 7,000 Samurdhi officers.

He pointed out that the job security of Samurdhi officers would expedite projects initiated by the Samurdhi department to lift the living standards of families that receive a Samurdhi subsidy.

He noted that Samurdhi officers would be entitled to pension, along with other government officers, insisting that would lift the “spirit of the officers to work harder than ever.”He claimed that during the last three years 178 Samurdhi Development Officers who had passed away without any entitlement would also be included in the pension scheme under the regulations of the Public Service Commission. 

“During the last three years, more than nine Director Generals were appointed to the department, which clearly shows the crisis that arose in the Samurdhi department, which eventually affected the job security of officers of the entire Samurdhi program,” he charged.

Meanwhile, referring to two motions passed in the House to curtail the expenses of Mahinda Rajapaksa and ministries, he said that the expenses of the Parliament would also need to be curtailed, charging that the Speaker had been partisan.

He also said funds allocated to Temple Trees, which comes under the expenses of the Prime Minister, should also be stopped under the motions passed by Parliament last week. 

“If they are going to cut funds allocated for the Prime Minister, then they have to cut funds allocated to Temple Tress as well.”