Sri Lanka has officially embarked on a transformative journey to combat rural poverty with the launch of the ‘Praja Shakthi’ National Programme.
Spearheaded by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and commencing on 4 July at Temple Trees, this ambitious initiative aims to fundamentally reshape the welfare landscape, moving beyond mere subsistence to foster genuine economic, social, cultural, and educational upliftment across the island.
The programme’s scope and integrated approach mark a significant departure from previous welfare models, signalling a determined effort to address the multi-dimensional poverty that currently afflicts one in every six Sri Lankans, predominantly concentrated in rural and estate areas.
A new vision for poverty alleviation
The core objective of ‘Praja Shakthi’ is not merely to alleviate the symptoms of poverty but to eradicate it from its roots as well, ensuring that the benefits of economic growth are equitably distributed across all strata of society.
University of Peradeniya Department of Economics and Statistics Professor Ariyarathna Herath shared his initial impressions, describing ‘Praja Shakthi’ as one of the more commendable policy shifts in recent times.
“Until now, much of the Government’s efforts have been geared towards meeting the conditionalities of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). However, this project signals a departure, at least in spirit, towards addressing rural development and uplifting low-income families across the country,” he said.
Deputy Minister of Rural Development, Social Security, and Community Empowerment Wasantha Piyathissa articulated the programme’s vision, stating: “‘Praja Shakthi’ is a transformative development programme designed to lift people out of poverty at both village and regional levels. Given that the majority of our rural population comprises low-income individuals, this programme is arguably the most extensive and impactful welfare initiative yet, specifically tailored to uplift these vulnerable communities.”
Government research indicates that while 1.7 million individuals currently benefit from the ‘Aswesuma’ programme, an estimated 2.4 million Sri Lankans are living in poverty.
Promises and ambiguities
At the heart of ‘Praja Shakthi’ lies a family-centric economic development plan. This approach aims for holistic improvement, encompassing economic stability, social integration, cultural preservation, and educational advancement for each household.
Piyathissa explained that it adopted a comprehensive, integrated, and multi-sector approach that combined social security with targeted development interventions. Meanwhile, Prof. Herath observed that the programme appeared to be replacing prior initiatives such as ‘Samurdhi’ and ‘Aswesuma.’
A critical innovation of ‘Praja Shakthi’ is the formal inclusion of education and health components. Unlike previous poverty alleviation initiatives that often overlooked education, ‘Praja Shakthi’ explicitly recognises its pivotal role, integrating it alongside health, transportation, food security, and marketing as core pillars of its strategy.
The programme’s design seeks to establish a new structural framework to facilitate the identification of development needs, policy formulation, effective implementation, and robust monitoring at all levels. This integrated approach is intended to overcome the fragmentation that often plagued past welfare efforts.
However, Prof. Herath also raised key concerns regarding the programme’s current clarity, noting: “In its first phase, ‘Praja Shakthi’ will be piloted in 1,408 Grama Niladhari Divisions (GNDs), with approximately 50 families selected from each division. However, it is still unclear how these families will be selected. The selection criteria, methodology, and the exact components of the programme remain largely undefined at this point, which raises some concern.”
Implementation across GNDs
The implementation strategy for ‘Praja Shakthi’ is meticulously planned to reach every corner of the island.
Deputy Minister Piyathissa elaborated on the ground-level approach, noting: “Our strategy involves working through the 14,008 grama niladhari offices across Sri Lanka. We will identify the most impoverished families, considering their challenges from educational, vocational, financial, and economic standpoints, as well as their inability to create savings.
“Our aim is to enhance their employability and capacity to engage in businesses. We will then engage directly with these families to create tailored family planning and growth plans, utilising the expertise of Samurdhi Development Officers, Economic Development Officers, and other ground-level personnel.”
In the initial phase, the programme aims to select approximately 50 families per GND to formulate these development plans. While the precise selection criteria are still awaiting clear, public documentation, the Government emphasises its commitment to identifying the most vulnerable and eligible households.
A robust funding model
The ‘Praja Shakthi’ programme benefits from a significant initial allocation, with Piyathissa confirming a commitment of Rs. 3 billion for the current year. He said: “This funding comprises Rs. 1 billion from the Government budget, another Rs. 1 billion from the World Bank, and an additional Rs. 1 billion from the Asian Development Bank.”
Beyond these direct allocations, the Deputy Minister emphasised the collaborative nature of the programme, highlighting the involvement of other ministries. He stressed: “Their various development projects must be strategically aligned with the core objective of uplifting the people, since without such integration and continuous monitoring of results, the impact of these diverse programmes could be diminished.
“Therefore, this is a truly collaborative effort, and we anticipate the actual total funding to exceed Rs. 3 billion with support from other ministries too.”
However, Prof. Herath cautioned: “While [the Rs. 3 billion expenditure] may bring short-term political gains – such as increased public approval or votes – the long-term implications are more complex. A perpetual increase in welfare expenditure, without a strategy to reduce the number of dependents over time, could strain the economy.”
Need for measurable targets
A critical aspect of ‘Praja Shakthi’ is its commitment to continuous monitoring and evaluation.
Piyathissa outlined a multi-tiered reporting system, stating: “We maintain robust reporting mechanisms, conducting weekly, monthly, quarterly, and tri-annual reporting on the socio-economic situation and developmental trends at both village and regional levels. These ongoing studies are crucial for understanding progress and adapting strategies.”
Prof. Herath, while conceptually endorsing the programme, emphasised the need for clear targets for success, noting: “The question arises about what happens after the initial phase. For instance, if 25 out of the 50 families in a GND demonstrate improvement after the first year, will they be phased out of the programme? Will new families be added? Or will beneficiaries continue receiving support regardless of progress? These practical considerations are critical for measuring success and ensuring sustainability.”
He added: “I strongly recommend that the programme adopt clear targets. For example, in the first year, the Government should aim to empower and phase out at least 200,000-300,000 beneficiaries. If the number of beneficiaries only continues to increase, it would signal failure rather than success. Each year should be accompanied by measurable goals to reduce dependency and enhance economic self-reliance among participants.”
Piyathissa responded to this by outlining the Government’s commitment to sustained support. He said: “Even after the initial year, we will not be giving up on the families, but we will constantly monitor them and continue to support them. Our officers will be evaluating them on the financial progress and study if the programmes have worked and identify the results.”
Ambitious projections
The selection of beneficiaries for ‘Praja Shakthi’ will be inclusive, drawing from three main categories: existing ‘Aswesuma’ beneficiaries, individuals previously eligible for ‘Samurdhi,’ and those who meet specific new poverty criteria but were ineligible for prior programmes.
Piyathissa noted: “The 50 chosen at GND level will be chosen from multiple categories. We have prepared the gazette notification for this purpose as well, and the preliminary work towards identifying the beneficiaries has also begun.
“Although we have decided to choose 50 beneficiaries, we will actually be selecting 80 suitable families initially. Some of them may opt out owing to their dislike of the programme, and some may change their financial position and later be exempt from the programme.
“Gradually this number may diminish to 50 families, according to our estimates for the first year. In the second year, we will be choosing another 50 families in a similar manner. This project will be implemented over five years, and we believe that we will be able to uplift 1.5 million persons from poverty.”
Beyond economic upliftment, the programme intends to integrate skills development. Deputy Minister Piyatissa said: “The Vocational Education Ministry will be looking into that aspect of it. It is an important component and is included as a part of the family development plan. It will focus on identifying the strengths of the mother, father, and child, assessing their capacity and resources as well as educational aspirations, and then make decisions on such matters.”