Sri Lanka’s youth should forget the recent past while the old generation should forget the olden past and everybody should get together and look for the future with optimism, said Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Janashakthi Group, Chandra Schaffter, who was honoured as one of the Top 10 Diversity Champions of 2023 by Women in Management – Sri Lanka, commemorating International Men’s Day.
He said that Sri Lanka faced several issues which were all politically motivated to to attract the voter base.
He recalled that way back in the 1940s the Citizenship Act was introduced where specially the Tamil people were barred from working in any other sector other than in the plantation sector.
“They were not even allowed to start their own business and not even allowed to build a house of their own. They were even not allowed to work as domestic helpers.”
He said that this followed the Sinhala only policy which definitely took the country 20 years back from what it is today.
“All these were initiated just to gain political mileage. The older generation should forget these dark patches of history and think about what they can do for the present generation and the country.”
He also said that the idea of an Aragalaya to change the corrupt political culture can be welcomed, however, the way it was implemented with violence cannot be accepted.
He also said that he started an insurance company with the world’s first features when he was 68 and age is not a barrier to start something new.
Schaffter spearheaded the pioneering insurance scheme, ‘Janasevaya Social Security Plan’, offering basic coverage for only Rs. 30 a month.
This initiative was aimed to support the working population unable to afford conventional policies, with a particular focus on the marginalised, including the plantation sector.
The gender-sensitive protection plan, ‘Shanthi’, provided life cover, critical illness benefits, double accident coverage, and hospitalisation benefits.
It ensured lifelong coverage for the insured and their spouse, even after policy maturity, without additional premiums.
