SDB bank together with the State Ministry of Defence Introduces a Green Initiative to Empower Ex-Servicemen
The State Ministry of Defence together with SDB bank recently launched a unique green initiative, the ‘Neelaharitha Project’, which aims to contribute to the government vision through the empowerment of retired military personnel from the Tri-forces, the Civil Security and the Police Force.
As a country that is on a new journey towards economic growth, Sri Lanka pays a lot of attention to agro economic progress. The State Ministry of Defence realizes that we are yet to make maximum use of one of the biggest assets for this purpose - retired personnel from the TriForces, the Civil Defence and the Police Force.
Many soldiers who once fought for our country’s freedom have now retired to their quiet villages. They have the physical strength for this task and those that come from areas such as Anuradhapura, Kurunegala and Polonnaruwa are equipped with a background in agriculture.
The Green Initiative looks to fuel these human resources through guidance, training and empowerment, and to direct them towards uplifting our agricultural economy. While SDB bank has committed towards this initiative through capital; training and guidance is provided by institutes such as the Ministry of Agriculture and the Coconut Development Board.
The Green Initiative will unroll in several steps. At the initial stage the program will involve 1,000 families as beneficiaries and thereafter extend it up to 5,000 families.