Around 27,000 job opportunities with pension rights and other perks:

Divi Neguma takes wing to serve rural masses

As a country we need to bring the backward regions to the forefront and make them significant contributors to the national economy to stand up as a developed country. The Government has to give a boost to the most needy areas as funds are limited in countries such as ours.

Eliminating poverty is the biggest challenge any government would face amidst the heavily fluctuating prices in the world consumer market. In such a backdrop rather than on a mass scale it is more effective to strengthen the smallest unit of society, the family.

The stronger the family unit, the stronger the society would be. It is with the objective of strengthening the rural masses to support the national economy from the family level that the Divi Neguma program was initiated.

Despite the different rural development approaches taken over the past 60 years of the post-independent era, no significant progress has been achieved to bring about a change in the lifestyle of the rural masses.

Thus the regional development, through the Economic Development Ministry focuses on three different angles, i.e. - household, regional and national levels.

The Divi Neguma national development drive is a timely initiative to face the challenges of the modern world. Strengthening the people to face the high cost of living and gain food security, the Divi Neguma is expanding its wings as a Department to serve more people who have less resources.

The countrywide five-day program to brief community leaders and government officers from the top to the rural level on the government’s national policy to eradicate poverty started last week, covering 324 Divisional Secretariats. Grama Niladharis, Samurdhi Officers, Assistant Agricultural Research Officers, family health workers, trainee graduates, religious leaders, people’s representatives and rural community leaders in all the 14,008 Grama Niladhari (GN) divisions will be included in the program to educate the public on the Divi Neguma.

The Economic Development Ministry said special attention would be paid to the agricultural, fisheries and livestock sectors.

Under this program around 30,000 small scale entrepreneurs of the Industrial sector will be trained and provided with the necessary capital through state banks.

This will cover food products, soft drinks, leather goods, kitul and palmyrah products and garments among 16 sectors.

Dairy production, animal food production, poultry, grasslands and bio gas units will be among the 10 areas that would help to develop livestock resources thereby helping to supplement the family income and boost egg, milk and meat production. Cultivating marine plants and home gardening are among the 13 areas in which entrepreneurs will be provided with opportunities at domestic level.

With the establishment of the Divi Neguma Department 1.8 million people will benefit.

In addition, 27,000 employees will be absorbed into the new department from the Samurdhi Authority, the Southern and Upcountry Development Authorities with pension rights, and other perks and privileges enjoyed by public servants.

“With the Samurdhi benefits the Government managed to lower the poverty level of the country to 8.9% in 2010. And we expect it would have decreased further last year,” said Bandula Thilakasiri Director General of the Samurdhi Authority of Sri Lanka. He said further to eradicate poverty the country needed a more focused approach and decided to establish a new Department for Divi Neguma combined with Rural Development. “This step is to accelerate the Government’s development work avoiding duplication in steps taken by these institutes,” said the Director General.

“All these institutes work towards eliminating poverty from the country. It is the view of the Government under the Mahinda Chinthana vision for tomorrow to focus on low income families and implement relief programs enabling them to achieve a sustainable standard of living jointly with nutritional assistance programs. This is to create a country with minimal poverty,” he said.

The Government hopes to set up Divi Neguma Community Based Banks and Banking Communities under this. The Divi Neguma Community based banks will be set up covering the area of authority of one or more Divi Neguma community based organisations. By setting up these banks the Ministry plans to promote micro-financial services for Divi Neguma beneficiaries.

It would help encourage the savings habit among beneficiaries, and develop the investment potential which in turn would provide credit facilities to the beneficiaries. Divi Neguma Community Based Organisations in villages will be set up to provide a coordinating network at district and national level. The proposed Department for Divi Neguma development will be the authority to supervise, monitor, control and manage Divi Neguma community based organisations.

The strength and stability of a family depicts that of the community, be it a village or a city. Good health and a steady flow of income are the key factors for a strong and happy family anywhere in the world. Continuous illnesses and fluctuating income add frustration to a family which will depict in the immediate society.

The village community still dominates the Sri Lankan culture and 80 percent of the population live in rural areas. The rural economy plays a major role in strengthening the national economy.

Thus Divi Neguma began in the village initially with a plan to establish more than 62,000 Cottage Industrial Economic Units at village level. According to the Economic Development Ministry nearly 2.1 million families joined the Divi Neguma program in 2011 and the government hopes to increase it to 2.5 million domestic units this year.

Our village, while retaining its strengths and impressive features, can be developed as a micro centre of growth - with the vision that the village has to be a decent and comfortable place for people to live, work and engage in their cultural and communal activities.

DY