Govt. to issue interest free loans upto Rs 1.5 m under Enterprise Sri Lanka : Finance Minister

The government has decided to offer interest free loans upto Rs 1.5 million under the Enterprise Sri Lanka scheme without the need for guarantors, Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera said yesterday (Sept 8).

Addressing a meeting in Jaffna, Minister Samaraweera had pointed out that war soldiers and widows would be able to obtain these loans without producing two surety guarantees as a result of this initiative.

"Let bygones be bygone. We are here to lift your livelihood facilities by giving you interest subsidized loans," the Finance Minister was quoted as saying in a press release issued by his ministry.

The Minister had also pointed out that the government would issue a monthly allowance of Rs 6000 for the families of missing persons, starting from November 01.

Accordingly, he requested such families to obtain the Certificate of Absence from the Office on Missing Persons in order to qualify themselves to receive the monthly grant.

The Finance Ministry said that Mr. Samaraweera had met with war widows and the Small and Medium Entreprenuers Association in the North.

Meanwhile, a two-day workshop will take place on Friday and Saturday to assist entreprenuers in preparing their business proposals and to submit them to state banks in order to obtain the required financial assistance.