Massive allocation for development work ahead elections

Ruling Party MPs asked to accelerate work

• Projects initiated based on proposals from village development committees 

By Kelum Bandara

Ahead of the presidential election, the government has allocated Rs.100 million for each divisional secretariat area for development projects and instructed the ruling party MPs to accelerate implementation of them, Daily Mirror learns.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe called for a meeting of the ruling party legislators on Thursday to discuss the matter since the execution of development projects takes place at a snail’s pace, according to an MP who was present at the meeting.

The government has disbursed such huge allocations for development projects such as the construction of access roads and irrigation canals, obviously targeting the presidential elections. The MP said projects are implemented based on proposals from the village development committees throughout the country. After that, approved proposals are referred to the divisional and district coordinating committees headed by the ruling side MPs for final endorsement for implementation based on allocations.

He said the money had been allocated under the government’s ambitious rural development project ‘Kandukara Dashakaya 2024–2033’ by the Presidential Secretariat.

Under the initial phase, Rs.10 billion has been allocated. It is a project announced in the 2024 budget.