Divi Neguma will be renamed Samurdhi soon. The Draft Bill for the change of name has been submitted to Parliament for approval after passing through the Legal Draftsman and the Attorney General's approval, Social Empowerment and Welfare Minister S. B. Dissanayake said.
He was speaking at a discussion with Divi Neguma officials held at the Trincomalee Kachcheri auditorium recently.
He was speaking at a discussion with Divi Neguma officials held at the Trincomalee Kachcheri auditorium recently.
The discussion was held to create awareness on the strategies to be adopted in providing legal status to Divi Neguma community based banks and unions recently.
Minister Dissanayake said once the draft Bill is passed in Parliament, Divi Neguma will become Samurdhi and Divi Neguma Banks will become Samurdhi Banks.
The name of Divi Neguma Development Department would also be changed as Samurdhi Development Department.
He said poverty could never be eradicated by doling out subsidies. Subsidies could only temporarily control poverty. He said large damage has been done to Divi Neguma banks in the past by officials who knew nothing about micro finance loans culture.
Recalling the times when the Samurdhi movement was in operation, the minister said it was the Samurdhi movement which took the death donation to people having a family bereavement before the death donation society approved them. But when a long drawn out process of submitting birth, death and other certificates and documents for the death donation was introduced the Samurdhi movement got distanced from the public.
