Search of gems in Sabaragamuwa
By Dhaneshi Yatawara
[email protected]
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Learning to dry lime as a household industry |
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Achieving a balanced regional development is the key to success in
countries like Sri Lanka, since we are a nation of villages thriving
with microeconomics. Hence, it plays a greater role in the development
of the whole nation.
In order to address the problems of rural poverty and development in
addition to the reconstruction, rehabilitation and development programs
in the conflict and tsunami affected areas, the President Mahinda
Rajapaksa, along with the reshuffled Cabinet in January 2007 created the
Ministry of Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Development under
his purview.
Identifying the resources, potentials and development constraints,
infrastructure deficiencies in a village and identified. Through
community appraisal, the ‘Gama Neguma’ project carries out a vast range
of development activities and this covers all 25 districts of the
country.
The identification of regionally available resources, potentials and
strengths and development constraints and the socio economic regional
disparities is of utmost importance, when considering village uplift -
Gama Neguma.
‘Gama Neguma’ is the major rural development program of the National
Development plan. Large majority of population live in the rural areas.
If it is to be successful, any development initiative must give priority
to this reality.
The key objective of the Government is to develop all villages in the
country so that they emerge as micro-centres of growth on modern lines.
In order to bring together, rationalize all the development programs and
service delivery mechanisms the institutions of Grama Sabha and Jana
Sabha are introduced. Through this process the local Government will be
further strengthened.
The ‘Gama Neguma’ will ensure that the commitment of Mahinda
Chinthanaya is realised whereby each village is fulfilled with its
necessities.
Electricity, access to drinking water without constraints, access
roads, schools and pre-schools with adequate human and physical
resources, health centers, a factory to generate employment are some of
those basic requirements the village uplift project has identified as
the requirements in the village level.
The Government believes that our village, while retaining its
strengths and impressive features, can be developed as a micro-centre of
growth with the vision that village has to be a decent and comfortable
place for people to live, work and engage in their cultural and communal
activities.
Despite the different rural development approaches taken place over
the past sixty years of post independent era. No significant progress
has been achieved to bring about a change in lifestyle of rural masses
to acceptable levels.
The jewel cave
The ‘Gama Neguma’ project, covering each and every province has paid
a special attention to the Sabaragamuwa province, not just because it is
beautiful studed with the gems of our island nation, but simply because
it is almost totally a province of villages, comprising Ratnapura and
Kegalle districts, Sabaragamuwa is unique in its own way.
In the Ratnapura district 697 projects are in progress within the
‘Gama Neguma’ program. Additional Secretary A. K. Ranawaka said a sum of
rupees 370 million has been released for the ongoing projects.
“We give priority to those projects which have a direct impact on the
growth of the country’s economical development,” Mr. Ranawaka explained
to us the development plan for the Ratnapura District, since he is the
officer-in-charge of the development of Ratnapura district in under the
Ministry of Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Development.
One of the significant features of these projects is the contribution
of the public on the development of their village. “It is their village.
They must have a major role to play in that,” Mr. Ranawaka added. The
community contributes 20% to 33% of the total value of the project -
either by man power or material.
In the wet zone of the Ratnapura district, rice, tea, rubber and
minor export crops such as green pepper, cardamom are the main crops -
particularly in areas like Godakawela, Welingepola and Embilipitiya.
“The agriculture sector plays a very big role in these areas in the
livelihood development programs. And we are emphasising on a home garden
program encouraging the village folk to start growing their daily needed
vegetables and spices in their own land,” Mr. Ranawaka added.
Since Ratnapura district has an estate sector development of those
people is highly important. Under all these development activities,
infrastructure and livelihood development is carried on.
Several development programs are diverted to the relevant departments
and institutes and the Ministry of Nation Building coordinates and
facilitates the projects. As an example the ‘Gemidiriya’ program of the
Ratnapura district, which focuses on strengthening the villagers
economically, is diverted to several institutes responsible for rural
uplift such as the Housing Development Authority and the Samurdhi
Authority.
“In addition we have given the responsibility of the development of
328 villages to local government leaders,” Mr. Ranawaka added.
On the other hand, focusing the unemployed youth of these
communities, the Ministry in association with the Ministry of Vocational
Training, directs the youth to vocational training programs conducted in
regional training centres.
“Since this is more of a agriculture based society we are focusing on
increasing the capacity of producing agri-based value added products.
The existing demands in the present market is well enough for these
projects,” he said.
In the Ratnapura district 500,000 rupees are allocated for the
proposed Jana Sabha development programs for the Education sector and
another one million rupees for the development of the irrigation and
another 217.5 million rupees to develop the road access system of the
district.
Under the development project launched by the Government to develop
10,000 irrigation tanks islandwide the Ratnapura district has received
26 million rupees for 40 projects.
Ratnapura is home to a total population of 1,072,998 where the male
and female numbers are approximately in equal proportions. According to
the 2002 statistics 32.8% of the Ratnapura district total population
receives an income of less than 1,451 rupees.
Out of the total land area which is 327,540.73 ha major area is
covered by home gardens cultivation - i.e. 70,307 ha. Rubber covers
39,705 ha while tea covers 34,102 ha.
Additional Secretary under the Ministry of Nation Building in charge
of the Kegalle district Ranjith Waidyathilake told us that Kegalle is
comprised of 573 Grama Niladhari divisions and is home to 211,368
people. Out of which 86,734 families are benefitted by the Samurdhi
program.
“We have found there are 1,394 families without houses and at the
moment the housing project prioritizes this group,” Waidyathilake added.
In the Kegalle district programs to develop electricity supply, minor
irrigation systems, road development, drinking water facility,
livelihood development as well as programs for the spiritual development
of the people on process.
“Already 100 million rupees are allocated for the development of the
electricity supply of the area and another 400 million rupees is handed
over for village uplift and development programs,” he further explained.
The spiritual development programs focuses on pregnant mothers,
school children and overall character development of the people living
in a village. “As we see this is an important part of the overall
development,” he said.
The vocational training programs are carried out in the Kegalle
district as well in association with the Ministry of Vocational
Training. “We are targeting to finalise the scheduled development
projects within three years and our prime objective is to bring each
village to a self sustained level,” Waidyathilake added.
In the process to improve the agriculture sector, the managers of the
development program is trying to popularize a new paddy cultivation
method ‘ System of Rice Intensification (SRI) - a method which uses only
carbonic fertilizer. “Field research done has given approximately 357
bushels of harvest,” Waidyathilake added.
The livelihood development program focuses on strengthening the
self-employment sector. Under this personal loans are given to the
people from Rural Development Bank and Samurdhi Bank as a revolving fund
credit project.
The mission
The mission is to create a comprehensive development of a village
through a network of community based organisations. These are within the
rural community itself with active participation of the community.
The people of villages are ready to directly participate in the
development programs, what they require is only a formal mechanism for
decision-making and project planning, which is happening under the ‘Jana
Sabha’ concept.
The Gama Neguma focuses to pool all resources utilized in village
development and implement productive, transparent integrated village
development plans for proper coordination at village and divisional
levels. |
