The ‘Praja Shakthi’ National Programme, initiated by the current government with the aim of empowering communities and ensuring the equitable distribution of economic benefits, is scheduled to be launched on July 4 at the Temple Trees under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Disanayake.
The initial discussion of the Praja Shakthi National Operations Committee was held on Tuesday (24) afternoon at the Presidential Secretariat. The meeting was chaired by the Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment, Upali Pannilage, along with Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.
The Praja Shakthi Operations Committee comprises nine Ministry Secretaries and Chief Secretaries of Provincial Councils. The Secretary and Convener of the Committee is the Senior Additional Secretary (Development Administration) to the President.
This programme is designed as a multi-dimensional approach to community empowerment, aligning with the government’s official policy framework. Among the three national-level programmes being implemented by the government, Praja Shakthi specifically seeks to ensure fair distribution of economic development outcomes and to promote targeted, inclusive development across rural areas.
Accordingly, the programme aims to reorient existing community empowerment initiatives already in operation toward a more integrated and policy-driven approach. Through this initiative, a new structural framework will be introduced to support the identification of development needs at all levels, policy formulation, implementation and monitoring.
The discussion also covered areas such as the role of provincial and local government institutions, capacity-building programmes and the establishment of “Praja Shakthi Councils.”
Currently, one in every six individuals in Sri Lanka suffers from multidimensional poverty, with 95.3% of this population residing in rural and estate areas. The continued existence of this condition negatively impacts the country’s economic and productive potential. This initiative seeks to address the situation by strengthening social protection and strategically targeting vulnerable groups through a structured and inclusive national social welfare system.
Senior Additional Secretary to the President Kapila Janaka Bandara, Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration S. Aloka Bandara, along with other Ministry Secretaries, District Secretaries and senior government officials also attended the meeting.
[PMD]
