Sri Lana's Elected L.Gs a forum to revive rural economy

Sri Lanka's newly elected Local Government Authorities are expected to meet before April 1as according to the Local Government Election Act, the elected councils must meet within 14 days.The Election Commissioner is to gazette the names of the councilors who were elected based on the preference vote received by each member of the party next week.. Before the inaugural meeting the ruling UPFA will appoint heads to all its Local Bodies.

March 17th LG Results showed that United People's Freedom Alliance swept 205 of the 234 councils the first local election since the island's 37-year-long terrorist war ended in May 2009.

The main opposition United National Party was crushed in Thursday's vote and was reduced to just nine councils. It was pushed down to third place as the Tamil political party the AITAK has won 12 Councils mainly in the Northern Province. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress an ally of the ruling coalition government won four councils in its eastern stronghold while the balance went to small regional groups.

The landslide victory shows that it was an endorsement of the government's focus on rebuilding rural areas after decades of civil war.

The Government had earlier proposed to set up Indian style Janasabha to administer the rural areas by the rural people itself. The government had brought legislation to introduce Janasabhas but later postponed it to hold the LG. elections under the existing law first as the transforming process was cumbersome.

"The people's verdict has proved the fullest confidence they kept in the government," President Mahinda  Rajapakse said in a statement issued soon after the declaration of the results.

Sri Lanka Government has planned to double the country's per capita income to over $4,000 within the next five years as the island recovers from the effects of the separatist war that devastated life and wealth of many.

Thursday's vote was held mainly in rural areas. Polls in urban areas were put off until after the cricket World Cup, which is being co-hosted by Sri Lanka along with Bangladesh and India, ends in April. Results is a clear demonstration of the trust the rural masses have kept in President who has vowed to revive the rural economy through its recently launched livelihood promotional program of divi neguma

The Government is engaged in reviving the economy with infrastructure development across the island,