The government’s Enterprise Sri Lanka programme aims to resolve long-standing problems of the people, especially unemployment among rural youths, said Highways and Road Development Minister Kabir Hashim.
A special meeting was held at the auditorium of the Deraniyagala Pradeshiya Sabha under the patronage of Minister Hashim to introduce the Enterprise Sri Lanka project.
The present government is the unfortunate inheritor of the unsolved problems of the previous regime, which include a national debt of over Rs. 7 billion, he said.
This government is therefore not the author of these problems. The present Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has taken measures to systematically relieve the country of the burdens and problems created by the Mahinda Rajapaksa government. Now his focus is on the issues at grassroots level – that is, the problems faced by the masses and the unemployment of youth in the country, the Minister said.
Enterprise Sri Lanka which targets the creation of 100,000 entrepreneurs is designed mainly to assist educated, unemployed prospective young entrepreneurs. Under this scheme, as many as 16 loan schemes based on ‘no interest’ and ‘low interest’ re-payment facilities have been introduced to aid prospective entrepreneurs.
The Minister said that ordinarily obtaining a loan from a bank is not easy. The borrower has to furnish guarantors and collaterals. But under the Enterprise Sri Lanka project, the entire process is streamlined to expedite the granting of loans. Special officers have been assigned by banks to help the loan applicants. In case the borrowers experience difficulties, they can inform the designated officers who will assist them, Minister Hashim said.
He hoped that 100,000 prospective entrepreneurs would make use of the opportunity for their own benefit and that of the country, the Minister said.
He said that he hopes that over 1,000 entrepreneurs in his area would come forward to make use of the benefits offered by Enterprise Sri Lanka.