Poverty concession recipients declined in Sri Lanka

The Director General of Samurdhi, Sri Lanka's national poverty alleviation programme, Bandula Thilakasiri points out that the number of recipients of poverty alleviation concessions has decreased.

He says that the reason for the trend is the improvement in their income level.
The Samurdhi Director General pointed out that there were 1.9 million Samurdhi concession recipients in 2005. The number has declined to 1.5 million now, he said.

These facts were revealed when the Samurdhi Authority celebrated the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty observed Sunday, October 17.

The United Nations says Sri Lanka has achieved a substantial progress in poverty reduction, an item in the Millennium Development Goals. Sri Lanka's poverty level has been reduced to 15.2 percent, it says.