Local government bodies should be empowered to develop rural areas, Sri Lanka President says

Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa said today that local government bodies should be empowered to successfully carryout the rural development programme.


The President says the government has focused special attention to rural development under the Mahinda Chinthana Forward Vision.
President Rajapaksa emphasized that the representatives of the local government bodies should be close to the people in rural areas and to be able to identify their problems and provide necessary solutions.


The President made these remarks at a function to present diploma certificates to students of the Management Diploma in Local Government course conducted by the Sri Lanka Institute of Local Governance with the financial assistance of the UNDP Art Gold programme, at Temple Trees Tuesday (11).
Mayor of Galle Methsiri de Silva and Chairman of Beliatta Provincial Council Siril Munasinghe, who passed the diploma with distinctions, presented mementos to President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the occasion.
Local Government and Provincial Councils Minister A. L. M. Athaulla, Deputy Minister Indika Bandaranayke, Chief Minister of Southern Province Shan Vijayalal de Silva and Secretary to the Ministry of Local Government and Provincial Councils Dr Nihal Jayathilaka, were also present.
(Photos by Sudath Silva)