SL has failed despite having enough land, plenty of water for irrigation
Despite being a country with most arable land and plenty of water for irrigation, after 70 years of independence where millions of people are suffering from food security, Sri Lanka has never put in place a system to overcome these shortcomings other than to depend on outside help, said Dr. Anila Dias Bandaranaike, former Assistant Governor, Central Bank of Sri Lanka at a webinar in Colombo on the topic “Vulnerability and Deprivation in Sri Lanka today-Rethinking Social Safety Nets”.
She said Sri Lanka today is at a destitute level after independence with no money neither with dollars nor rupees with most people without an income amidst sky rocketing inflation and unbearable cost of living. All social network programmes should be revamped to overcome the current crisis affecting the country.
Seventy years ago the post-world war development programmes emphasised on consumption development programmes to build Europe after the second world war but that focus is now different with overall wellbeing of people with access to education, health, jobs and human rights, gender equality at work place, climate change etc being the priority.
Sustainable development includes safeguarding the environment and its resources for the future. Referring to Sri Lanka, she said the public sector is the largest employment sector. The formal private sector includes those who contribute EPF and ETF while the informal sector consists of 60 per cent of those who have no social security and includes paddy farmers, vegetable farmers and fishermen and construction workers employed as carpenters and masons and plumbers hired by contractors.
Others include three- wheeler drivers and those who provide transport to office workers and lorries that transport vegetables. Also add to this segment migrant workers who remit money to the country that is equal to exports.
The informal sector is the backbone of the country. The social safety net is handled by the Samurdhi -Divinaguma programme for million people. Meanwhile 23,000 Samurdhi workers are in 14,000 Grama Niladhari divisions to look after 1.8 million families who were provided with Rs. 65 billion by the state. These families were provided with Rs. 4500 for a month where as they needed Rs. 12.000 to look after themselves.
Samurdhi workers are a real burden on coffers whereas the Grama Niladharis can handle their work. The number of Samurdhi workers should be reduced to save money for the government.
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