Basil opens first Divi Neguma Community Bank at Deyata Kirula

Tuesday, 25 February 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa opened the first Community based Bank established by the Divi Neguma Development Bank at Meegahakotuwa, Kuliyapitiya on Monday February 24. Accordingly 322 Samurdhi Associations and 1,074 Samurdhi Banks in 14,023 grama seva divisions of the island’s 25 districts will be turned into Community based Banks in future. The Divi Neguma Development Bank which is serving five million people by helping to raise the living standards of 1,800,000 families was established on January 3.

Minister Rajapaksa said that the Divi Neguma Community based Banks would provide all facilities to empower low-income groups in order to realize the Mahinda Chinthana Vision of making Sri Lanka a country free of poverty by 2016. He expressed confidence that these banks would strengthen the national economy and reduce poverty. they would become the country’s first micro-finance network controlled by the people. It is their duty to invest in the respective areas savings more than those of other banks so that quality of life would improve. Minister Rajapaksa who visited the Deyata Kirula Exhibition on its fourth day (24th) inspected a number of stalls including those of the Economic Development Ministry, the three Armed Forces and the Health and Coconut Industry Ministries. About 1000 stalls of both the public and private sectors are in the 162-acre exhibition grounds. The exhibition will conclude on February 28. Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Ranjit Siyambalapitiya, Petroleum Development Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Local Government Deputy Minister Indika Bandaranayake, Provincial Councilor Athula Wijesinghe, Economic Development Ministry Additional Secretary Priyantha Mayadunne, Samurdhi Director-General Bandula Tilakasiri and Kurunegala Government Agent HA Hitisekera were among the large crowd present.