Development dividends should reach all communities _ President

Chaminda Perera in Jaffna

The development should reach the rural villages and the people of these villages should benefit by the government’s development drive, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said on Tuesday in Jaffna.

Speaking at the Jaffna District special development committee meeting the President said city centric development would bring no fruits to the average people in remote villages.

The President directed the government officials to take early steps for the development of such areas.

President Rajapaksa said he would take into account serious lapse in the development process in future and told the officials to be more concerned on the development needs of rural villages.

He said local government representatives have a responsibility in bringing development to the rural areas and they should take maximum efforts to fulfill the aspirations of rural masses. The President added that he has been reported where many instances funds allocated for pradeshiya sabhas have been returned without making use of them for development activities.

He was of the view that the people face injustice by this type of irresponsible action on the part of Pradeshiya Sabha members. “These funds were meant for the welfare of rural masses and they have done injustice to these rural masses by non utilizing them for development activities”, he added.

The development programme launched by the government is unprecedented.

Not a single government in the past was able to launch massive development projects covering all parts of the country throughout the

history, he said. He stressed that it was his wish to see that the dividends of development reach people of all communities in all parts of the country.