Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2016-08-30

Declaration of the Year 2017 as the Year of Poverty Alleviation

- As per the pledge made through the Election Manifesto for the Presidential Election-2015, to create “a nation that is suitable to live in” (Pathirupa Desa) and according to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals, the special focus of the Government is drawn towards poverty alleviation. It is important that the economic development agenda of the Government does not solely target economic growth but also to focuses attention on areas such as social security, reducing the disparity in income distribution, people being socially marginalized due to various reasons and the prevailing development disparities at provincial and district levels. Therefore, it is essential to give priority to rescuing people from poverty and fields related to that within the economic and social policy followed by the Government. Accordingly, identifying the necessity of having a macro arrangement for the purpose and giving priority to working with a collective approach, the proposal made by H.E. the President Maithripala Sirisena, to declare the forthcoming Year 2017 as the 'Year of Alleviation of Poverty' and to monitor this programme through a Committee headed by H.E. the President and the Hon. Prime Minister and comprised of the relevant Ministers and other stakeholders, was approved by the Cabinet.