Subsequent to participating in the North Central Province Action Committee of the Grama Shakthi People’s Movement, the President joined in visiting the Asirigama Grama Shakthi village on December 20.The villagers submitted a list of their needs to the President and among those needs there were requirements for new houses, proper water supply method for the agricultural industrial purposes and buildings for pre- schools. At the request of the villagers the President swiftly allocated Rs.25 million in this regard. 

Accordingly, several development projects, including laying foundation stones to construct two new buildings for pre – schools were commenced yesterday. The people in the area expressed their gratitude to the President for fulfilling their wishes in a short time period of less than one week. Under this concept of the President, the Grama Shakthi Peoples’ Movement has been implementing Island wide programmes as a Poverty Eradication Project of the Presidential Secretariat. 

It is significant that the Grama Shakthi project provides guidance and support to the people to be free from dependence mentality and built self empowerment. In addition, the project is targeting divisional secretariat divisions with the contribution of the private sector in areas where the poor people live.Through the Grama Shakthi People’s Movement, about 1,000 villages have already been actively involved. Of these, 700 are privileged villages, with 300 being productive and service oriented villages. President Maithripala Sirisena has advised to increase the number of these villages to 4000 by the year 2020.