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Prajashakthi will take economic growth to the rural people: President
View(s):President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Friday launched the “Prajashakthi” National Programme, a key government initiative aimed at empowering communities and ensuring the fair distribution of economic benefits across all levels of society.
Speaking at the launch, the President said that however good the economic growth indicators looked statistically, if the advantages of this growth did not extend to the rural communities, then such growth held no significance.
The President speaking at the launch
He said that while it was important to achieve national economic growth, it was equally essential to expand the economy in a way that created opportunities for rural communities and made them active participants in the economic process.
He said the priority of the government was to eradicate rural poverty as a key step towards national progress.
“We have managed to bring the economy to a relatively stable state. We have maintained the dollar’s value close to Rs. 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,: the President said.
He added that a number of stalled projects had been renegotiated and resumed, while a substantial number of proposals for new investment projects too had come to the country.
However, he said that if the economic benefits did 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,“ the President said.
He added that poverty had gone beyond being an economic issue and become a deep-rooted social problem, with poor communities having become isolated from society. “Therefore, eliminating rural poverty is one of the government’s primary responsibilities. 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,” he added.
He said the government’s policy was 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.”
The official “Prajashakthi” website was also launched by President Dissanayake at the event.
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