“PEOPLE ANDTECHNOLOGY:TRANSFORMING LIVES” -STIMULATING ALTERNATIVE THINKING

A series of programmes was being organized to stimulate alternative thinking within Sri Lanka and create interest on viable options to face the challenges to national development and contribute to eradicate poverty more effectively.

This was organized by Practical Action Sri Lanka, to mark its founder, Dr. E. F. Shumacher’s 100th birth anniversary. Practical Action has been complementing the Sri Lankan Government’s development programme since it set up office here in 1989 under its former name, Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG)

Practical Action believes that the philosophy of the eminent economist Dr. E. F. Shumacher, based on small, personalized solutions to poverty work effectively in socio-economic development. Practical Action believes that it is timely for us Sri Lankans to review our strategies taken to alleviate poverty as we have now climbed the ladder to become a middle income country. However, as a country we have a long way to go to defeat poverty as it had become more complex with many social, economic and geographical issues.

As such, the centenary commemoration programme envisages focusing on the following:

- Create a platform for discussion on what insights and strategies promoted by Practical Action based on Schumacher philosophy can contribute towards addressing the issues of economic and social disparities within SL

- To create an opinion pool, on how to adopt development strategies that are not dependent on scarce resources and on the environment in SL in the current context and help to reach Sri Lanka’s development goals effectively.

- To generate interest on future livelihood trends that Sri Lanka; as a country which still depends on agriculture for livelihoods of significant portion of its people, can adopt to face current challenges.

- To create public discourse on how SL can move forward to eradicate energy poverty and achieve goals of wellbeing in the current context in which Sri Lanka is facing challenges of climate change.

-To generate discussion on the pros and cons of current strategies adopted and those that will have to be adopted by SL to be a significant country in Asia and South Asia.

A programme in this context was to conduct a study, which will be discussed at a symposium in Colombo on 3rdapril on the theme: “The relevance of Schumacher’s thinking in the future context of contemporary development planning”. Five thematic areas have been identified and research papers on these themes would be presented by eminent experts. The five themes identified

are as follows: • Widening economic and so

cial disparities in Sri Lanka • Adopting green growth

strategies in Sri Lanka • Shift of emphasis from livelihoods development to (small) business development • Energy policies in Sri Lan

ka • What is an appropriate path for Sri Lanka as an emerging economy A cross section of political leaders, public officials, private sec- tor leaders management and workers from civil society organizations, NGOS that deal with development, academics and educationists, university students and youth leaders, media and women in influential positions will be invited to participate in this event and contribute their ideas to take Sri Lanka forward to new heights in development.