President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed officials to accelerate projects being implemented by Provincial Councils using Rs. 102 billion allocated from the Government’s Rs. 500 billion provision for the Ditwah disaster situation.
The directive was issued during a meeting at the Presidential Secretariat on Friday to review the progress of development projects being implemented by Provincial Councils under 2026 Budget allocations and preparations for the 2027 Budget, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.
According to the PMD, 30,923 development projects are currently being implemented at provincial level, covering sectors including education, health, agriculture, livestock and irrigation. The meeting reviewed their progress and implementation issues.
President Dissanayake called for the Central Government and Provincial Councils to implement projects within a unified policy framework while adhering to their respective responsibilities. He also called for improved sharing of data and coordination across State institutions to prevent project duplication and expenditure on unnecessary projects.
The President also instructed officials to ensure that projects financed through foreign loans and assistance are completed on schedule and deliver their intended benefits.
With preparations for the 2027 Budget underway, President Dissanayake stressed the need to maintain financial discipline and operate within prescribed expenditure limits. He instructed officials to complete planning for all projects by November so that implementation could begin on schedule next year.
The meeting also focused on irrigation rehabilitation, with the President calling for programs undertaken by the Department of Agrarian Development, Irrigation Department and Provincial Councils to be brought under an integrated national plan. Tank rehabilitation being undertaken through different externally funded projects should also be brought under a single centralised program, he said.
President Dissanayake instructed officials to increase the capacity of small and medium-sized tanks and accelerate rehabilitation during the limited period between the end of the Yala season and the start of the Maha season, taking into account anticipated developments in the El Nino situation. Officials were directed to prioritise the work using already allocated funds.
The meeting also reviewed plans to reorganise the school system. The President instructed officials to assess schools with fewer than 50 students individually, including their physical condition and relevant data, before deciding on consolidation. The Government would provide transport facilities or an allowance where necessary, according to the PMD.
A shortage of technical officers across Provincial Councils was also discussed, with officials instructed to prepare an expedited program to recruit and train technical assistants.
Labour Minister and Deputy Finance and Planning Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Treasury Secretary Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, provincial Chief Secretaries and officials from the Finance Commission, Finance Ministry and Presidential Secretariat attended the meeting.