Sri Lanka on Tuesday formally launched the “Praja Shakthi — 1,000 Villages, 1,000 Projects” programme, the National People’s Power government’s flagship rural-development drive, with the main ceremony held in Nanpamunuwa Hamuge Yaya, Piliyandala, under the patronage of Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya.
A key opening project to revive abandoned paddy lands in Hamuge Yaya was commenced alongside the launch, with Members of Parliament, government officials and local representatives in attendance.
Development activities are being simultaneously implemented across 1,000 Grama Niladhari divisions covering all 341 Divisional Secretariat divisions in the country, with simultaneous events held in multiple locations on Tuesday. A total of 25,932 projects are scheduled under the programme, with the government allocating Rs. 23 billion for the initiative.
The programme is aimed at alleviating rural poverty while promoting sustainable livelihoods and inclusive development, authorities said, with explicit emphasis on boosting the production economy, expanding income-generating opportunities, and reinforcing national food security.
Authorities clarified at the launch that the initiative will expand into a national movement covering every village in Sri Lanka, not just the 1,000 launched on Tuesday. “Through this programme, at least one development project will be implemented this year in each of the more than 14,000 villages in our country. Therefore, this is not just 1,000 projects in 1,000 villages, but a national movement that will deliver a minimum of 14,000 projects across 14,000 villages,” Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment Dr. Upali Pannilage said in Pinawala, where he opened the rehabilitation of the Ambagaspitiya–Pinnawala irrigation canal in Mahara. He added that more than Rs. 70 billion has been allocated through the Provincial Councils in this year’s budget for the wider rollout.
Tuesday’s launches were spread across Galigamuwa, Kandy and Badulla as well as the Northern and Eastern Provinces, NewsFirst reported. Construction began on a drying facility at Kilinochchi’s Ganeshpuram and a similar initiative was launched in Marapalam village in Batticaloa. Project proposals are first identified by Community Development Councils before being submitted to Divisional Development Committees for selection and implementation.
Tuesday’s launch operationalises the framework laid down on May 11, when the government detailed the Rs. 23 billion budget across 13,977 community development committees under the same programme name. The launch sequence converts the budgeted commitment into deployment — paddy revival in Piliyandala on day one signals the agriculture-and-food-security strand the government has positioned at the centre of its rural framework. Local public administration is the implementing channel.
Source: NewsFirst.
