By Saman Indrajith

JVP/NPP Economic Council Member Prof. Seetha Bandara of the Kelaniya University says the Government is trying to fool the people by distributing Rs 7,500 and Rs 15,000 under the Aswesuma project to get their votes.

Addressing a press conference held at the JVP headquarters in Pelawatte last week, Prof Bandara said that the amount of Rs 15,000 is given to a family of four. “A single person needs at least Rs 16,524 to meet his or her basic food needs in a month. As such Rs 15,000 would not meet the expenses of a family of four a week. The Aswesuma is nothing but an eyewash,” she said.

Prof. Bandara said 78.3 percent of total population live in rural areas and 80.9 percent of them are poor, as per latest figures of the Multidimensional Poverty Index. “According to UNICEF data every one of two children has no food. According to their figures 2.3 million children live in hunger. This is a serious situation and the government is hell bent on finding means to woo people’s votes. It’s they who created this crisis. The makers of the crisis fare well, while people are left to suffer the consequences,” she said.

The government should come up with a comprehensive plan to expand the economy instead of distributing handouts to people, Prof Bandara said.

“This government has no plan to improve the economy. It goes on distributing 10 kilos of rice among people thinking that they would vote for this government. People know that these handouts are nothing but bribes to get their votes.”

Poverty cannot be eradicated without social empowerment which needs to be done through improving people’s skills to enable them to earn more, she said.

 “We see nothing of the sort in government plans. Projects such as Aswesuma are not the answer to eradicate poverty. Distributing bags of rice won’t solve the crisis in the economy,” she said.JVP/NPP Economic Council member Prof Anil Jayantha Fernando and former MP Sunil Handunnetti also addressed the press.