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| Sunday, 03 August 2003 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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NDB to help poor women in South, North-West The Ministry of Finance recently signed a management contract with the National Development Bank (NDB), whereby NDB will monitor the utilisation of a Japanese government grant of one million US dollars channelled through the World Bank to the Government of Sri Lanka to empower poor women in the South and the North-East. Rs. 50 million of this grant will be made available to the Women's Development Federation of Hambantota to be channelled through its Janashakthi Bank (JB) network. The balance Rs. 50 million will be made available to the recipients in the North and East through Seva Lanka Foundation. The grant for the Southern Province is to be used for the renovation of tanks, provision of rain harvest storage tanks, cultivation and micro loans, training of JB officers and borrowers, provision of computers and the expansion of the JB network in Walasmulla. The credit component of the grant to be utilised for rainwater harvesting tanks, cultivation and micro projects is Rs. 10 million. The grant component to be channelled to the North and East will basically cover social mobilisation activities, promotion of village banking activities entrepreneur development training and granting assistance to set up income generating micro projects. The projects to be implemented in the Hambantota district and the North-East Province are expected to benefit a large number of poor women in these areas, which will ultimately help uplift living standards of families supported by them. This will also encourage a higher percentage of them to participate in economic activities in these areas. The NDB will ensure that the overall objectives of this Japanese grant, channelled through the World Bank, is met in terms of women's participation in economic activities, enhancement of their capabilities and living standards and improvement of social cohesion between the North and South. |
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