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| Friday, 15 October 2004 |
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| More women for local Government Bodies by Manjula Fernando and Nadira Gunatilleke Cabinet approval has been granted to a proposal by Women's Empowerment and Social Welfare Minister Sumedha G. Jayasena calling for an increase in women's representation in local Government institutions. According to this proposal, one third of each nomination list will be allocated for women candidates. The President and the Cabinet agreed to this proposal as a policy and appointed a Cabinet sub committee to find out how this could be worked out. The committee will consist Constitutional Affairs Minister D.E.W. Gunasekara, Provincial Councils Minister Janaka Tennakoon, Justice and Law Reforms Minister John Seneviratne and Women's Empowerment and Social Welfare Minister Sumedha G. Jayasena. It will submit a report to the Cabinet within one month. At present women's representation at local Government level is less than two per cent. This is very low because 51 per cent of the total population of Sri Lanka comprise women. It is therefore very important to have women's representation at decision making level especially since the operations in local Government institutions are very close to women. It is very convenient for women to join politics at local Government level. Women's representation at local Government level is 33 per cent in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is 20 per cent in Nepal. Cabinet approval has also been given to a proposal by Small and Rural Industries Minister K.D. Lal Kantha to launch a program to develop 1000 small and rural industrial villages. The program will be launched next week from the Hambantota district by developing 200 villages. There are several small and rural industrial villages in Sri Lanka which produce handicrafts. But modern technology should be introduced to develop these villages to compete internationally. These villages will be encouraged to produce high quality handicrafts and secure a local and foreign market. These villages had been destroyed due to the negligence of the previous Government. Cabinet also sanctioned the cultivation of 150,000 fallow paddy lands. This follows a Cabinet paper presented by Agriculture, Lands and Livestock Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The program will be launched from Kesbewa by cultivating 500 acres of abandoned paddy fields on October 16 to coincide with the World Food Day. The paddy fields were abandoned due to lack of proper irrigation systems, social stigma and other reasons. Cabinet spokesman and Minister Mangala Samaraweera said that a program of providing employment for 30,000 youths will commence shortly. The Development Drive will commence from Anuradhapura district on October 22 and will be completed within one year. Under this program roads, telephone facilities, schools, electricity and several other facilities will be developed. Schoolchildren will be given uniform material and school textbooks before the commencement of the December school vacation. The Minister also said that during last six months the United People's Freedom alliance fulfilled several election promises including providing jobs for 27,000 graduates. This is a historic event. The Government commenced the `Dahasak Maha Wev' project and also stopped privatising State banks. |
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