Public allowance increased:

CMC extends a helping hand to needy

By Ranil WIJAYAPALA

A beneficiary

The low-income earning people in under-served settlement, in the city, are those who shoulder a major part of the burden to keep the Colombo city a place for people to move around.

They used to earn their living by sweeping the streets, cleaning drains, pushing the huge luggage in carts to make other people's lives free and easy.

When it comes to development they are the ones who engaged in building roads, laying pavements and also beautifying the city with flowers and plants. It is their hands that makes the city more beautiful. But who cares to look at their miserable lives when they lose their jobs and are not taken care by their families as they reach old age.

That is the destiny of over 250,000 people living in more than 1500 settlements in the Colombo city.

When the elite and the able people reap the benefits of development those who really shouldered responsibility to implement economic activities are miserably disregarded by the very people who obtained the services of these people.

Though it was the common practice in the society, a rare occasion was witnessed recently in the Colombo city where those who really shouldered the workload of the city and now spending their old age in a hapless manner benefited from a program launched by the Council.

Welfare measures

When many organisations are all out to cut welfare measures the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) came out with handy program to increase public assistance paid for the needy in the city. It was after ten years the Council increased the public assistance paid to the needy from Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 1,300.

The Special Commissioner of the CMC, Omar Kamil made this happen at the 2011 Budget. It was also an implementation of a proposal made by former MMC Ariyaratne Wedage in 2006. Though the proposal was made in the year 2006, none of the mayors who chaired the CMC took interest to implement it.

"The CMC while providing amenities and service to people has not forgotten the under-served settlements of the city. There are 1,500 settlements in Colombo and around 250,000 people live in abject poverty. But they are part of the national economy," Kamil said.

According to him most of the people in these settlements are in the construction industry, private and public sector institutions, Railway Department and the Colombo Municipal Council and other Local authorities and they are the labour sector which contributed to the national economy.

The CMC over a period of time has been granting public assistance to the people living in the low income settlements of the city and it has been practised to uplift the living condition of the low income people in the city.

"Amongst them there are people who are unable to earn a living and to that section of the society particularly those over 50 years of age the CMC provides public assistance for their upkeep. We have over 13,500 families who receive this monthly allowance from the CMC," he added.

Increase

According to Kamil it was President Mahinda Rajapaksa who has directed that all such persons be given an increased allowance taking their needs into consideration. "In that context the CMC at its Budget 2011 increased the allowance paid for these people by 30 percent," Kamil added.

This increase was given after ten years and depending on the numbers of members in the family and the living condition of the individuals. According to the revised payment of the public assistance individuals who were paid Rs. 400 received to Rs. 600. The Rs. 500 paid to those who had one child was increased to Rs.650. A family with four members were paid Rs. 1,000 and it was increased to Rs. 1,300.

"This increase was given on the directive of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to ensure that low income earning people are not denied of opportunities the council offers," Kamil added.

The program is being handled by the Public Assistance Department under the Acting Charity Commissioner Chmapika Nirosh Dharmapala and Secretary to the Public Assistance Department, S.L.S. Ananda.

The Charity Commissioner's office which was set up under the Poor Relief Ordinance of 1930 implemented this program for the past few decades.

"I am happy that around 500 people from the low income settlements in the city a minimum of 10 people from 37 wards received this allowance from March," he added.

"In many fields we are developing and providing facilities so that the lower strata of the society is benefited from our program. Through this program we ensure that people who are unable to work due to age and those below 50 years with physical ailments and deformities are benefited, Kamil added.

Those below 50 years and unable to work, will be entitled to the allowance provided they obtain a medical certificate from the Chief Dispensary Medical Office Division.

The relief officers of the Public Assistance Department examine and identify people who need this assistance on a recommendation by a member of the Council and the Special Commissioner.

"Payments are made to the National Savings Bank account so the beneficiaries can obtain money from their savings bank accounts without wasting their time at queues," he added.

"The CMC is spending more than Rs.16 million on allowance for the needy but it is for a worthy cause", Kamil said.