The Government will establish Jana Sabhas countrywide to function as grassroots level organisations to carry out development activity.
These bodies, modelled on the lines of the Panchayat system in India, will replace the existing Pradeshiya Sabhas, the Sunday Times learns.
National Freedom Front (NFF) leader and Minister Wimal Weerawansa told the Sunday Times that as a preliminary step towards establishing Jana Sabhas, a position would be created as Jana Sabha Secretaries.
“The system will have similarities with the Panchayat system in India, but will be adopted in a manner that it suits the needs of Sri Lanka,” he said.
The minister said members to the Jana Sabha would be elected on the basis of 70 percent according to the old first-past-the-post and 30 percent under the Proportional Representation system.
Mr. Weerawansa said intellectuals and religious leaders also would be on these sabhas.
“The new Jana Sabhas will decide on development activities in the area and obtain funds from the local government and the provincial council ministry,” he said.
Under this process, there would be a more efficient system and development according to the needs of the villages, the minister said.
Jana Sabha representatives will serve in the proposed Senate, the second chamber, which the Government intends to set up soon. Constitutional amendments for the setting up of the Senate will be the last in three different sets of constitutional changes proposed by the Government.
Last Wednesday, the Cabinet approved a recommendation by Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne, calling upon the Legal Draftsman’s Department to formulate the first set of draft amendments. They include changes to the 17th Amendment to the Constitution, a deletion of the Constitutional provision restricting a president to only two terms and provisions to enable the President to be present in Parliament every three months. |
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