496 Sabaragamuwa youth identified for Enterprise Sri Lanka loans

As many as 496 young entrepreneurs who are qualified to receive Thurunu Diriya loans were identified from the Sabaragamuwa Province, the Prime Minister’s Office said yesterday.

This was revealed at the progress review meeting for the Sabaragamuwa Province, which was held on 17 August (Friday) at the Ratnapura District Secretariat. 

It was also revealed that 12 loans had been disbursed for young entrepreneurs in this province while business plans for 105 entrepreneurs were prepared by the Small Enterprises Development Division of the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Project Management and Southern Development and forwarded to Bank of Ceylon.  

The Thurunu Diriya loan scheme was launched by Bank of Ceylon with the assistance of the Policy Development Office of the Prime Minister’s Office and the Central Programme Management Unit (CPMU) of the Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs, to empower young entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka. 

The nominated officials representing the Ratnapura and Kegalle District Secretariats, Bank of Ceylon, the Central Programme Management Unit (CPMU) of the Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs, the Policy Development Office of the Prime Minister’s Office, Small Enterprises Development Division of the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Project Management and Southern Development and 27 out of 28 Divisional Secretariats of the Sabaragamuwa Province participated in this progress review meeting.

BOC’s Thurunu Diriya loan scheme grants loans without a guarantor and collateral or with lenient guarantor conditions, for small-scale young entrepreneurs under 40 years who have been in the business for a minimum of three years and possess a degree or a recognised vocational certificate.  Further details on this loan scheme can be obtained from the nearest Bank of Ceylon branch or Divisional Secretariat.