President launches “Prajashakthi” national program

• Initiative aims to empower communities and distribute economic benefits fairly
• President stresses economic growth is meaningless without helping rural communities
• Says eliminating rural poverty is a Govt. responsibility
• Notes welfare must target the right people, not be misused for politics
• Focuses on investments that create economic opportunities for rural areas
• Highlights issues with current aid programs, where funds don’t reach intended people
• Pledges strict measures to ensure aid goes to deserving communities
• Says Budget 2026 will focus on modernising State systems and resources
• Calls for a new type of public servant to match modern systems

President Anura Kumara Disanayake yesterday emphasised that no matter the extent of economic growth reflected in statistics, if the advantages of this development do not extend to the rural communities, then such growth holds no significance. 

The President made these remarks at the launch of the “Prajashakthi” National Programme held at Temple Trees. The “Prajashakthi” National Programme has been launched as a key initiative of the Government, aiming to empower communities and ensure the fair distribution of economic benefits across society.

The official “Prajashakthi” website was also launched by President Disanayake during the event.

“The objective of the ‘Prajashakthi’ program is to bring together the State mechanism, State officials and citizens into an integrated framework. Without this, nothing can be accomplished. Our aim is not merely to maintain the existing State; if that were the case, the current situation would suffice. To rebuild a fallen State, the political authority, the State mechanism and the citizens must be brought together into an integrated operation,” he pointed out. 

Noting that there is a community that has lost economic opportunities in this fallen State, Disanayake said an integrated operation is needed to create economic opportunities for that community. “I urge all of us to work together to make this ‘Prajashakthi’ project,” he said.

He stated that while it is important to achieve national economic growth, it is equally essential to expand the economy in a way that creates opportunities for rural communities and makes them active participants in the economic process. “Poverty has gone beyond being an economic issue and become a deep-rooted social problem. Poor communities have become isolated from society. Therefore, eliminating rural poverty is one of the Government’s primary responsibilities,” he added.

He stated that this is a responsibility of the Government. He opined that welfare is not inherently a bad tool, noting that if a population is vulnerable at a given time, it is the Government’s responsibility to protect them. 

However, Disanayake said welfare has often been misused, turning into a political tool and this has led to growing criticism of such programs due to their politicisation.

“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. In our society, there is a belief that anything given by the State must be received by all. That is a mistaken belief. Our State is not built on such a culture of entitlement. Our culture is to protect those who need protection. Because of distortions in past practices, those who don’t need aid often compete to obtain it, making it harder to support those who truly do,” he added.

The President said the focus is now on new investments and development projects. “Through these effective and results-driven investments, we can simultaneously achieve economic stability and economic growth.

However, if these economic benefits do 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,” he explained.

He stressed that if rural people are not given economic opportunities and included as stakeholders in the economy, they will become marginalised. Thus, the core approach must therefore be to expand the economy and integrate rural communities into it. “This is possible only if the current rural economic activities are transformed into more productive, efficient and profitable ventures. These sectors should be developed to become thriving businesses. Widening their access to economic opportunities is also vital. Hence, we are prioritising the creation of new economic avenues for the rural population, making them active players in the economy,” he noted.

Acknowledging that around Rs. 230 billion has been allocated for the Aswesuma program alone, with additional spending on other aid efforts, he pointed that much of this funding has failed to reach intended beneficiaries, with over half consumed by delivery systems and allowances for officials, as well as excessive training costs. 

Thus, the President stressed that these practices must stop and pledged strict measures to ensure aid genuinely reaches targeted communities.

“As the Government and as State officials, you have a responsibility to ensure that aid reaches the targeted communities. We will absolutely not allow any misuse of these funds,” he said adding that an operation must be launched to ensure that aid reaches those who are deserving.

President Disanayake said the Government is exploring ways to build the physical resources of the State mechanism, through the Budget 2026.

“Relative to building physical resources, we will introduce new software systems and modernise the State mechanism. Therefore, within this modernised State mechanism, we need a new public servant,” he added.