Under the leadership of Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, the rice distribution programme for the beneficiary families that belong to the Colombo Divisional Secretariat division was held at Sri Wickramaramaya, Mattakkuliya, symbolising the national programme of providing rice to low income-earning families on Monday (22).
The Prime Minister said: “The necessary environment is being created to build a future where the people and children of Colombo can live confidently. As the first step, we have started programmes to ensure their food safety.”
Colombo District Secretary K. A. Wijesiri stated: “Under this programme, implemented nationwide at the Grama Niladhari division level, Aswesuma beneficiaries, kidney aid recipients, recipients of allowance for disabilities, Samurdhi beneficiaries, elderly allowance recipients and other beneficiaries for various illnesses are qualified for this. The Government is spending Rs.126.1 billion to distribute rice to 3.9 million families. One hundred and eighty three thousand selected families in Colombo district alone are entitled to this benefit.”
Colombo Development Committee Chairman, MP Yadamini Gunawardena said: “When we started this programme last year, there were various obstacles and problems. When we came forward hurdling those obstacles, we have identified an important piece of information. More than ten thousand families in Colombo City, who have benefitted by all the financial systems of our country, do not have any bank accounts.
In the main commercial city of Sri Lanka, the main city where Sri Lanka deals with the world, the city with a history going back thousands of years, the fact revealed that more than ten thousand families in that city do not engage with any bank, is an achievement of this programme.
“Every time the Prime Minister was elected to Parliament, he came to this area from time to time and worked to provide relief and benefit to the public for various works.
When he was the Urban Development and Water Supply Minister, he provided housing, housing construction concessions, and water. In this way he did a great service to the people of Colombo. When the Public Administration Ministry was taken over, the Food Security Programme was started. It is with the hope of ending the era of huge queues in our country.
At that time, we went to every district of Sri Lanka to ensure the nutrition of everyone from small children to adults in our country. Another step in the programme, starting to secure food for the people who lived from house to house during the epidemic, and it is being implemented today in Samitpura area, North of Colombo. Samitpura was formed by resettlement during the non-aligned summit. That was fifty years ago. Today, fifty years later, we are working to bring these areas back to a winning goal.”
Chief Incumbent of Sri Wickramaramaya and Anunayaka of the Ramanna Nikaya Ven. Matale Kusaladhamma Thera, Colombo Divisional Secretary Sandaruwan Anuruddha, Government officials, beneficiaries and residents participated.
