There was a positive response from public officials and members of the action committee when the findings of the Citizen’s Report Card (CRC) survey conducted by TISL at Mawathagama in the Kurunegala district were presented recently. The perception of the people with regard to the services provided by the Divisional Secretariat was discussed at the meeting. The services subjected to the survey were related to land, timber permits, identity cards, passports, birth certificates, income certificates, business registration, social welfare, and sand and quarry permits.
After the presentation, the participants expressed their views openly and without reservation. The research team was able to gather vital information about the restrictions and hardships faced by the public officials in providing an efficient service to the people. This opened the space for TISL to discuss an advocacy campaign with the action committee which will focus on building a better relationship between the Divisional Secretariat staff and the public.
A working group consisting of 10 members of the action committee was set up for the purpose of coordinating the awareness programs.
Prior to this meeting, TISL Deputy Executive Director Rukshana Nanayakkara and the lead researcher Dhammika Herath met Divisional Secretary Mahinda Ekanayake and discussed the positive as well as the negative feedback from the people reflected by the survey findings. It is essential to communicate the CRC findings to the relevant stakeholders and obtain their views and suggestions before finalizing the survey report.