Kegalle to be developed under Gama Neguma 2012

Monday, 13 February 2012 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa has decided to allocate Rs. 573 million for developing 573 Grama Niladhari Divisions in the Kegalle District, with Rs. 1 million for each village. It will benefit 818,000 members of 211,000 families in 1,677 villages in the district comprising 11 secretarial divisions belonging to Dedigama, Galigamuwa, Aranayaka, Kegalle, Rabukkana, Ruwanwella, Deraniyagala, Mavanella and Yatiyantota nine electorates.

The total amount the Government allocated in 2011 for the Kegalle District was Rs. 8,201 million. Of this amount Rs. 1,564 is from the Economic Development Ministry funds. Hitherto the poverty level percentage per household in the district was 16.6 per cent, which came down to 10.8 per cent last year. Currently 75,554 families there receive Samurdhi benefits.

The above facts were revealed at a meeting held at the Divisional Secretariat, Kegalle on 12 February in connection with the ‘One-Task-for-One-Village’ program, presided over by Minister Rajapaksa. Sabaragamuwa Chief Minister Maheepala Herath, Kegalle District Secretary Thusitha Wanigasinghe, Parliamentarians representing all electorates in the Kegalle District, Members of Provincial Councils and local Government bodies and senior Government officials representing various State sectors also attended the event.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has allocated the funds to the Economic Development Ministry under the 2012 budget to be spent on the ‘One-Task-for-One-Village’ program of Gama Neguma in accordance with the Mahinda Chinthana vision.

Projects for this purpose will be selected as proposed by the rural political leadership and people’s organisations. The projects will cover minor irrigation channels, drinking water supply, village roads, extension of rural electricity, development of school facilities including provision of toilets, pre-schools, development of dhamma schools, health clinics, maternal clinics, development of children’s play grounds and other playgrounds, buildings for stalls, small shops and weekly fairs, developing service centres for small industries and traditional industries, co-operative development, modernising paddy and fertiliser storage facilities, environmental protection and forest conservation and developing public cemeteries (not crematoriums).

The above development schemes will also result in the improvement of places of tourist interest in the district such as the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, Kithuglala and waterfalls including Esupini falls and archaeological sites like the Dedimunda Devale. This development will increase tourism’s contribution to the district’s gross domestic production by seven per cent. Consequently it will also improve the living conditions of nearly thousand families engaged in the area’s small industries – kitul treacle production and clay industry.

Senior Ministers Athauda Seneviratne, Prof Tissa Vitarana, Ministers Ranjith Siyabalapitiya, Dr. Jagath Balasuriya, Deputy Ministers Lalith Disanayaka, HR Mithapala, Parliament MPs kanaka Herath, YG Patmasiri and many others participated in the meeting.