INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake emphasized that no matter the extent of economic growth reflected in statistics, if the advantages of
important to achieve national economic growth, it is equally essential to expand the economy in a way that creates opportunities for rural
communities and makes them active participants in the economic process
He stated that this is a responsibility of the government.The President made these remarks today (04) attending the launch of the
Programme has been launched as a key initiative of the current government, aiming to empower communities and ensure the fair distribution of
economic benefits across society, according to the PMD.The Secretary to the Ministry of Rural Development, Social Security and Community
Sampath Manthrinayake, welcomed participants to the programme
The Secretary to the President, Dr
Committee and Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment, Dr
While there were various contributing factors to this collapse, we must not forget that ordinary people in rural areas, who played no part
educational opportunities and the development of rural infrastructure
Therefore, the present government has both a responsibility and a challenge to uplift rural lives
This is a duty that cannot be abandoned.One of the top priorities of our government is to eradicate rural poverty as a key step towards
national progress.Today, we have managed to bring the economy to a relatively stable state
300, steadily raised foreign reserves, directed treasury revenue to meet our goals and reduced interest rates to single digits
These are notable indicators of economic stability
We have also been able to gradually restore investor confidence in the country.Numerous stalled projects have been successfully renegotiated
In addition, we have received a substantial number of proposals for new investment projects, many of which were approved at the recent
Therefore, our focus is now on new investments and development projects
Through these effective and results-driven investments, we can simultaneously achieve economic stability and economic growth.However, if
these economic benefits do not flow to the rural population, then even achieving growth in statistical terms is insufficient
This is why we must pursue economic growth on one hand and economic expansion on the other
If rural people are not given economic opportunities and included as stakeholders in the economy, they will become marginalised
Our core approach must therefore be to expand the economy and integrate rural communities into it.This is possible only if the current rural
economic activities are transformed into more productive, efficient and profitable ventures
These sectors should be developed to become thriving businesses
Widening their access to economic opportunities is also vital
Hence, we are prioritising the creation of new economic avenues for the rural population, making them active players in the economy.Poverty
has gone beyond being an economic issue and become a deep-rooted social problem
Poor communities have become isolated from society
Education plays a key role in this
There is a direct correlation between poverty and lack of education
Thus, we must expand educational opportunities further
Despite all efforts, every society has a segment of people who will face difficulties
Even in so-called developed nations, such communities exist
A welfare system is required to support these groups.Welfare is not inherently a bad tool
However, welfare has often been misused, turning into a political tool
to provide targeted welfare
Assistance must be given to the right people for the right reasons
I believe the government holds this responsibility and society must also understand its importance
In our society, there is a belief that anything given by the state must be received by all
That is a mistaken belief
Our state is not built on such a culture of entitlement
Our culture is to protect those who need protection
do.We must therefore foster a new culture
People must be self-aware enough to recognise whether they truly deserve government support
It is essential to cultivate a sense of responsibility to assist others
This is the reason we strive to create a strong data system, ensuring that support is provided solely to those who truly require it.However,
we all know that a society cannot rely forever on welfare programmes
There will always be a need for welfare systems, but they must not serve the same individuals or communities indefinitely
Others too must be enabled to become contributors to the economy.Significant government funds have been expended for this purpose
Large sums of money have also been spent on other aid programmes
However, have these funds reached the targeted communities? Have the intended benefits been realised from these funds? The answer is
Looking at these, more than 50% of the expenditure goes towards establishing the mechanism for delivering the aid
An official waits to see how they can personally benefit from a project once it is received
They have their job, but the project is not within their purview
They then claim that an allowance is required to implement the project
Consequently, a substantial portion of these aid funds is spent on the aid delivery mechanism rather than reaching the intended
Furthermore, a significant amount has been spent on training within this mechanism
These practices must cease
As a government and as state officials, you have a responsibility to ensure that aid reaches the targeted communities.We assure you that we
will absolutely not allow any misuse of these funds
An operation must be launched to ensure that aid reaches those who are deserving.Similarly, there is a tendency for every Ministry to
believe they must provide something
However, based on a very accurate data system, it should be determined what should be provided and for what purpose
But what is happening now is not in that manner
Every institution and department is inclined to provide aid
Yet, all aid flowing to rural communities and programmes aimed at empowering their economies must be integrated
A large portion of our aid has been provided merely for subsistence
It has not succeeded in improving the living standards of these people
That is why an integrated operation is necessary
It is a targeted operation
The programme must be structured down to the Divisional Secretariat level.Currently, a significant administrative structure has been built
I do not believe a child will be born without a birth certificate anymore
When they reach the appropriate age, they obtain an identity card
In the next two years, we will move towards a digitisation mechanism
So, what is the responsibility of the lowest administrative unit in this mechanism? The responsibility of the lower administrative unit is
to understand the nature of its unit and to create a plan to advance that unit based on its characteristics
We must advance the Divisional Secretariat from this point onwards
A programme should be prepared for that
If you consider all the vehicles owned by state officials, they are all more than 15 years old
More than 50% of the buses on the road are vehicles unfit for road use
The computers in offices are significantly outdated
The systems in our institutions have not been updated
Buildings are deteriorating
From every angle, we have a dilapidated state mechanism
We come to the office like ordinary villagers
In the last budget, salaries were increased and necessary support was provided to human resources.Therefore, in the upcoming budget, we will
work to build the physical resources of the state mechanism
Relative to building physical resources, we will introduce new software systems and modernise the state mechanism
However, this is for the benefit of the citizens
If, within that modernised state, the same old person is sitting in the old chair, there is no benefit
Therefore, within this modernised state mechanism, we need a new public servant.This is the only way we can overcome this challenge
Otherwise, if we scatter, thinking this is a political task, a job for the political authority, or for the Grama Niladhari , the Development
Officer, or the Divisional Secretary, it cannot be achieved
To do this, an unyielding, integrated operation involving both the political authority and the state mechanism is required
Without this, nothing can be accomplished
Our aim is not merely to maintain the existing state; if that were the case, the current situation would suffice.To rebuild a fallen state,
the political authority, the state mechanism and the citizens must be brought together into an integrated operation
Therefore, there is a community that has lost economic opportunities in this fallen state
An integrated operation is needed to create economic opportunities for that community
Not only in Sri Lanka, but internationally, especially when looking at Asia, Africa and Latin American regions, we cannot discuss poverty by
That is why the United Nations declared July 6th as World Rural Development Day.Although rural poverty in our country has been a subject of
discussion for decades, various attempts have been made to change it
However, for example, looking at the statistics for the year 2000, 1.1 million people in our country were dependent on aid
By 2010, this number had increased to 1.5 million
By the end of 2024, the number of people dependent on aid had reached close to 1.8 million.These statistics confirm that despite numerous
programmes implemented to eradicate poverty, the impoverished community in our country is growing steadily
theme.Before launching this programme, we thoroughly studied the weaknesses of the poverty eradication programmes implemented in our country
We designed this programme by addressing those weaknesses and providing answers to the question: How can we truly eradicate poverty in our
country? Primarily, we expect to achieve several objectives through this programme."Prime Minister Dr
Harini Amarasuriya; Sunil Handunnetti, Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development; Wasantha Samarasinghe, Minister of Trade,
Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development; Professor Chandana Abeyratne, Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils
and Local Government; Samantha Viddyarathna, Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure; Saroja Paulraj, Minister of Women and
Child Affairs; Mahinda Jayasinghe, Deputy Minister of Labour; along with other Ministers and MPs; Dr
Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of the Central Bank; Provincial Governors; Ministry Secretaries; state officials; and representatives from
international organisations were among those who attended the occasion.--PMD
