President to launch national program to provide essential food items to low-income families

The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal for implementation of a national program to eliminate poverty from the country.

This decision was taken during the Cabinet meeting held yesterday (14).

The proposal, tabled by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, seeks the implementation of several programs on priority basis:

• Implementation of programs to ensure food security by providing essential food items to low income people
• Program of providing 100,000 employment opportunities for 100,000 poor families
• Prompt implementation of housing program for poor families under one house, one village program
• Implementation of 100,000 km Rural Road Development Program
• Provide with quality roads to at least one million households and providing easy access to loans giving priority to the development of small enterprises, self-employment, household needs and household livelihood programs.

The President’s Media Division (PMD) said that the program for ensuring food security will provide essential food items to low-income families through an Electronic Card (E-Card).

Under the National Policy framework “Vistas of Prosperity and Splendor”, the Government has identified the elimination of poverty in the country as a high priority for an appropriate large scale development in the country.

The development goals identified by the National Policy Framework ‘vistas of prosperity and splendor’ are compatible to the 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations. Accordingly, with the intention of eliminating poverty in the country, the Cabinet of Ministers has given its nod for the proposal presented by the President.