Sri Lankans im hotting up about an ambitious anti-poverty scheme to be launched in June. Us Samurdhi, about 100,000 families earning below US a month will get a direct income transfer of a little 4 US $20 a month from the government. The remais 1. 1 million families earning less than US $20 a month get US $10 monthly.

. Critics fear that the scheme may make beneficia dependent on government largesse. However, iats minister G L Peris maintains that scheme's aim is "to promott reliance on the basis of nurturuss savings habit and the developubm income generating self-employment".