Village as the development unit
The Eastern Province is reportedly coming to its own
as the Rice Bowl of Sri Lanka. Along with the Northern Province
which is fast coming under the plough once again, the East is
expected to yield a very bountiful paddy harvest this Maha
season, which would help keep our granaries well stocked.
Apparently, some 1.5 million metric tons of paddy are expected
this season and the Paddy Marketing Board is already getting
into the business of purchasing paddy directly from the farmer
at competitive prices.
The challenge confronting the state is to ensure that this
abundant produce is channeled towards alleviating the day-to-day
hardships of the people. More specifically, the cost of living
issue should be reduced in magnitude. While continuing single
digit inflation is welcome news, one cannot be too sure whether
this would defuse in a big way the cost of living worry of many
people. The state is obliged to ensure that we would have
equitable growth, while expanding the wealth-creating
opportunities for the people. In the final analysis, these are
the means to overcoming the pressing needs of the people.
The bumper paddy harvests, particularly from the North-East,
are the proof that the elimination of terror is bringing
unprecedented benefits to the country. These are 'peace
dividends' of note that loudly proclaim the advisability of
decisively resolving law and order issues that could hinder a
country's progress. Thus far, LTTE terror got in the way of the
people's well being. Taking on such law and order problems head
on is one of the surest means of laying the foundation for
national progress. This is a lesson we should all learn although
resolving the conflict by political means is quite another
matter.
There is considerable wisdom in the state remaining engaged
with the rural community. Given the substantial role agriculture
plays in the national economy, this could not be otherwise and
the current emphasis on taking state services to rural Sri Lanka
would need to remain if the material burdens of the ordinary
people are to be steadily alleviated. Hopefully, institutions,
such as, the Agriculture Ministry's extension services, the
Paddy Marketing Board and Sathosa, to name just a few, would
prove infinitely useful in the days ahead.
Besides, the Divi Neguma programme must not only be persisted
with, but made to yield the targeted benefits. There is
considerable wisdom in seeing the village as the unit of
development once again. While the cost of living issue must be
constantly focused on by the state, it is plain to see that it
is primarily increased all-round productivity that could help
greatly in alleviating the living costs burden.
It is the constant production of our essentials on the basis
of our natural and human resources that constitutes the
comprehensive, long term answer to our development needs.
Therefore, the state's Divi Neguma programme has much to
recommend it and we hope the necessary popular support for the
programme would be steadily galvanized and consolidated. The
third phase of this project has just begun and we urge that the
programme be taken to its logical conclusion.
While forging ahead with its programme, the state would need
to ensure that it brings about the desired development with the
least bureaucratic procedures and bottlenecks. The taxpayer, in
particular, should not be further burdened as a result of this
development thrust. Rural level officials carrying out the
scheme, for instance, should be reduced to a minimum and the
people encouraged to help themselves to the extent possible with
the least outside assistance.
The prime emphasis should be on the people growing their own
food and other requirements in the most independent of ways. In
this endeavour it would be advisable to draw on the capabilities
of our rural youths, with the aim of putting to maximum use the
rural-based educated unemployed in particular.
While major infrastructure development projects are in order,
such efforts would prove pointless if the people are not
steadily empowered in the process. Such personal and collective
empowerment is one of the soundest measures of development.
While speeding-up the development process, such parameters need
to be borne in mind. |