5. Powers of the Department

The Department shall, in the discharge of its functions have the power:-

to supervise and monitor the establishment, control and management of divineguma community based organizations, divineguma regional organizations and divineguma district committees;

to create a network of organizations linking divineguma beneficiaries at zonal, district, regional, village, Grama Niladari division and community level and attend to matters connected therewith or incidental thereto;

to establish centres for storage, marketing and processing of the products of divineguma beneficiaries and to make available physical and financial resources for the said purpose;

to maintain the Divineguma Development Fund and the Divineguma Revolving Fund established under sections 36 and 37 of this Act;

to utilize the moneys of the Divineguma

to supervise, manage, monitor and audit divineguma community based organizations, divineguma regional organisations, divineguma district committees, divineguma community based banks and divineguma community based banking societies;

to arrange for the conduct of lotteries with the assistance of the National Lotteries Board to raise funds for the Divineguma Development Fund;

to collect information as may be required, to plan, supervise, monitor and implement the divineguma development programmes;

to secure the co-operation of government departments, state institutions, local authorities, public corporations, provincial authorities and other private or public bodies, natural or legal persons;

to assist in implementing divineguma development programmes, by divineguma community based organizations and divineguma regional organizations;

to implement and operate programmes which will economically and socially uplift living standards of people and to develop infrastructure facilities;

to utilize the resources of the Department for the purposes of training and awareness programmes that may be conducted by the Department;

to take such measures as may be necessary to purchase raw-materials, equipment, technology and products of divineguma beneficiaries for the purpose of promoting the activities of divineguma beneficiaries and to store them and make them available to producers as and when the need arises;

to provide marketing facilities including the setting up of marketing centers enabling divineguma beneficiaries to introduce and sell their products at national and international markets and to maintain, monitor and supervise such centers;

to liaise with governmental and non-governmental organizations;

to assign the responsibility of implementing divineguma development projects to divineguma community based organizations and divineguma regional organizations;

to possess and hold, any property movable or immovable, which may become vested in it by virtue of any purchase, grant, gift, testamentary disposition or otherwise; and

to attend to all matters connected with or incidental to such objects and functions as are specified in this Act.