By Skandha Gunasekara
The Government is prepared to shut down Samurdhi banks if they continue to fail to carry out their duties.
Minister of Primary Industries and Social Empowerment Daya Gamage told The Sunday Morning that some Samurdhi banks had refused to carry out transactions with Samurdhi beneficiaries before and during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year period.
“If this continues, I will be compelled to shut down all Samurdhi banks and open accounts for Samurdhi beneficiaries at the Bank of Ceylon and the People’s Bank instead,” he said.
He said this refusal by Samurdhi Banks to provide its services was a grave injustice.
Furthermore, Minister Gamage said that he cancelled a controversial circular issued by the Ministry Secretariat regarding the Samurdhi beneficiaries.
“The circular was issued without my knowledge and it slighted some Samurdhi beneficiaries in an unfair manner,”he said, adding that he had taken steps to cancel the circular on Friday (19).
He said that he also instructed that no more circulars were to be issued in the future without his authorization.
Meanwhile, General Secretary of the All island Samurdhi Development and Agricultural Research Union and Western Provincial Councilor, A D Jagath Kumara told The Sunday Morning that they had not been informed of the circular being cancelled.
"We have not officially been informed of the circular being cancelled, therefore the trade union action by the Samurdhi Banks will continue,"
He said that the Union had decided to carry trade union action from 16 to 29 April so as to pressure the Government to cancel the circular.
Some 1000 Samurdhi banks and 22,000 odd Samurdhi Development officers are taking part in trade union action.
When questioned as to the Unions response to the Minister warning to close all Samurdhi Banks, Kumara challenged the Minister to try and close the Banks.
"The Minister has no power to close the Samurdhi Banks. He has been appointed to oversee samudhi development as a caretaker. I challenge him to close the Samurdhi Banks down if he can. He will only be hurting the poor people of this country,"
Kumara then said that if the Minister had really cancelled the circular then all he had to do was hold talks with the unions on the matter.
"If the Minister has cancelled the circular then all he has to do is hold talks with and discuss the matter and then we will stop our trade union action.