Samurdhi officers have a crucial part to play in the eradication of poverty at every village and in every district. It is time for them to regain the people’s trust and respect which has eroded during the last five years, Samurdhi, Household Economy, Micro Finance, Self-Employment and Business Development State Minister of Shehan Semasinghe said yesterday.
The Minister made these statements while participating in an awareness programme for Samurdhi officers in the Anurdhapura district. Referring to the implementation of livelihood development projects the Minister said that the Samurdhi officers are the first officials that ordinary citizens approach for assistance for the uplift of their livelihoods adding that neither their role nor their efforts can be discounted or ignored.
"We have ended an era in which officials involved in the Samurdhi movement had been sidelined. We hope that under the guidance of the President and the Prime Minister, we will be able to restore the society's demand, trust and respect which was lost during the past five years. ”
The minister also took part in discussions over the ‘Electricity for All’ programme adding that “the aim of the government is to provide electricity to every household and that the government is ready to seek the assistance of Samurdhi officers in this matter.”