| Author | Abeydeera, W. P. P. |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.HS-85-03 |
| Subject(s) | Rural development--Sri Lanka--Hambantota District
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| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, School of Engineering and Technology |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Katuwana local Level Planning Project (KLLPP) which attempts to achieve development through participation of rural poor is the first experimental project of this nature introduced in Sri Lanka. KLLPP provides a background to understanding the on-going activities in a participatory development project, where different local level development projects have been carried out to help improve the living conditions of the rural poor. The empirical data and information collected from Katuwana AGA division helped to identify the existing bottlenecks and drawbacks related to local level participatory development. identification of the rural poor, though not without shortcomings, has been satisfactory. The unawareness of procedures, practices and benefits, the lack of clear-cut policy and the poor dialogue between the officials and the poorer section of the community who really need such development are some of the existing problems in the KLLPP. These and the lack of opportunity to participate of the absence of a favorable atmosphere for participation has led to partial and ineffective participation in many stages of the planning process. Lack of effective participation in project identification and formulation and poor monitoring of project implementation has led to the poor performance of some projects. The study highlights the difficulties the poor experienced in participation even for their own benefit and the weakness of the lower level organisational framework made up of village level institutions at field level officials to promote participation. To achieve a higher degree of success the people in the target group should be closely identified and understood in terms of individual interest, readiness and ability to carry out a project successfully. Further KLLPP should be limited to more simple projects which can provide short-term benefits. More training and discussion to understand the objectives and procedures of KLLPP is necessary both for the intended beneficiaries and the project implementations at all levels. Activating VOs through encouraging some competition among them to implement this project may be possible and should be investigated further. A cadre of trained Mobilizers chosen from among DOS and SSos to play a role motivate the people and activate the GMs and Vos. KLLPP's experiment in participatory development has much promises but must overcome the problems identified to be more successful. |
| Year | 1985 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Engineering and Technology (SET) |
| Department | Other Field of Studies (No Department) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Human Settlement (HS) |
| Chairperson(s) | Dias, Hiran D. |
| Examination Committee(s) | Setty, E. Desingu ;Demaine, Harvey |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1985 |