Fri Jan 24 07:09:45 UTC 2025: ## Sri Lankan Delegation Studies Dharmasthala’s Microfinance Model

**Mangalore, January 24, 2025** – A 38-member delegation from the Lanka Microfinance Practitioners’ Association visited Dharmasthala on January 23rd to study the successful Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRDP) model. The delegation, led by President Vasantha Gunavardhana, expressed a keen interest in replicating the model in Sri Lanka.

D. Veerendra Heggade, chairman of SKDRDP and Dharmasthala Pattadhikari, addressed the delegation, highlighting the project’s focus on rural development and its commitment to transparency. He emphasized the project’s success as a result of community participation and the implementation of microfinance through self-help groups under a Business Correspondent (BC) model. Heggade also noted the improved living standards and increased access to higher education for children in the region.

Heggade expressed his willingness to assist the Sri Lankan association in implementing the SKDRDP model, offering all necessary information, experience, and expertise. The visit included Hemavathi V. Heggade, SKDRDP Executive Director S. S. Anil Kumar, and Regional Director Anand Suvarna. The SKDRDP, established in 1982, serves as a model for rural development and microfinance initiatives.

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