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| Saturday, 11 May 2002 |
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Twenty new Samurdhi bank societies set up by Uditha Kumarasinghe Twenty new Samurdhi Bank Societies have been set up by the Government in Ampara, Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Vavuniya districts to provide financial support to Samurdhi families in the North and East and boost their economic activities. The Government target was to set up 23 new Samurdhi Bank Societies in the North and East within 100 days and increase the existing network of 47 Samurdhi banks in the North-East to 70. The remaining banks will also be set up shortly, Samurdhi Minister R.A.D. Sirisena told the Daily News yesterday. He said another 9 new Samurdhi banks are envisaged in the North and East including seven banks in Batticaloa and one bank each in the Trincomalee and Ampara districts. The staff required for these banks are now being trained by the Ministry. The Minister said at present there are 206,153 Samurdhi beneficiary families in the North and East. This means that nearly 60 per cent of the low income families in the above four districts have become active members of the Samurdhi movement. These families have already recorded a total balance of Rs. 139.8 million in their voluntary savings accounts. The breakdown in savings is Ampara (Rs.31.6 million), Batticaloa (Rs.80.1 million), Trincomalee (Rs.24 million) and Vavuniya (Rs.4.1 million). Minister Sirisena said at the conclusion of the Government's 100 Days Program, the Ministry had granted loans to the tune of Rs. 1,949,600 to 405 Samurdhi beneficiary families in Ampara, Batticaloa and Vavuniya districts. "The opening of these Samurdhi banks has inculcated the savings habit among the Samurdhi recipients and improved the socio-economic conditions of a large number of low income families in the North and East. This shows that the Samurdhi program is successfully operating in the North and East", the Minister added.
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