Sri Lankan team amazed by local self-governance

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:An eleven-member delegation from Sri Lanka, which is into threadbare studies on the gains achieved by the people’s planning process , decentralisation of power and women’s empowerment in the state, held discussions with Panchayat-Social Welfare Minister Dr M K Muneer here on Thursday. With a mission to restructure and expedite the development process in the once-war-ravaged north and eastern sectors of the island nation, the team is in Kerala for the past few days and  visited KILA in Thrissur as well as select spots in Kozhikode, Alappuzha (Mararikulam) and Kollam districts.  The rapid strides made by local bodies in Kerala in the area of women’s empowerment came in for particular praise by the delegation at their meet with the minister. The delegation comprised  Polgahage Viyani Gunathilaka, project Coordinator, North-East Local Services Improvement Project, Ministry of Economic Development, Adam Bawa Mohamed Ashraff, Deputy Project Coordinator, North-East Local Services Improvement Project, Ministry of Economic Development, Sellathurai Ulaganathan Chandrakumaran, Public Financial Management Specialist, North-East Local Services Improvement Project, Ministry of Economic Development, Alagaratnam Manoranjan, Deputy Chief Secretary- Finance, Provincial Treasury, Northern Province, Mariyathasan Jegu, Regional Assistant Commissioner of Local Government, Jaffna and Chittradevi Lingeswaran, Engineer (Civil )Dept of Local Govt, Trincomallee, Abdul Jabbar Mohamed Irshad, Regional Assistant Commissioner of Local Government, Ampara, Kalirasa Uthayarajah, R/ Assistance Commissioner of Local Government, Mullaitivu and Senanayake Mudiyanselage Prabhath Bandara Senanayake, Project Officer, North East Local Services Improvement Project, Ministry of Economic Development, Mohamed Mahroof Shilmy Chairman,  urban council/Kinya-Trincomalee and Sarath Wickremaratne, World Bank consultant, NELSIP.State local self-government principal secretary James Varghese, Prof M A Oommen and World Bank representative Anand Mathew were also present. The team will end its week-long tour in the state on Friday.