Approximately 23,000 projects have been implemented under the government’s “Prajashakthi” programme using Rs. 23 billion of the Rs. 25 billion allocated in the 2026 Budget, with all projects expected to be completed by the end of this year, the President’s Media Division said in a statement.

A review meeting on the progress of the programme in 2026 and plans for 2027 was held at the Presidential Secretariat under the leadership of Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment Dr. Upali Pannilage and the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.

The programme is aimed at eradicating poverty, empowering communities and ensuring economic justice.

A further Rs. 2 billion has been allocated for model projects and enterprise development programmes, with projects identified through these initiatives expected to be implemented under the Prajashakthi Programme in the future.

The meeting also reviewed the appointment of Community Empowerment Officers to Community Development Councils and discussed their role in supporting the Department of Census and Statistics in collecting rural-level data, the PMD noted.

Officials were instructed to ensure that Community Development Council officers and Divisional Secretariat officials promptly enter relevant information into the newly completed Prajashakthi National Data and Information System.

It was further decided that, from next year, Village Development Plans (VDPs) will be prepared entirely through the new data system.

The meeting also discussed the planned Micro-Enterprise Development and Promotion Programme, the evaluation and promotion of Community Development Councils, capacity-building training programmes, the printing and distribution of the Prajashakthi Guidelines Manual and Community Data Compilation Handbook, and the preparation of a three-year Prajashakthi Strategic Plan.

Senior Additional Secretary to the President Kapila Janaka Bandara said the first programme under the new initiative is scheduled to commence in the Puttalam District on September 2 and 3.

Minister Pannilage stressed that the Prajashakthi Programme must ensure coordination among all institutions responsible for community empowerment and social protection, guiding their work towards national development objectives, according to the PMD.

Officials of the Prajashakthi Secretariat and the Ministry of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment attended the meeting, which reviewed the programme’s work during the current year and its plans for 2027.