Help develop North, East and Monaragala District
A future government under Sajith Premadasa will grant maximum devolution to the provinces based on the proposals that have come up during former presidents Ranasinghe Premadasa, Chandrika Kumaratunga and Mahinda Rajapaksa
Sri Lanka had requested the international community to treat North, East and Monaragala District as areas which are underdeveloped and support the government to develop these areas accordingly, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said over the weekend.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe informed a business forum held in Vavuniya on Saturday.
“Sri Lanka is considered as a middle income earning nation by the international community currently. However we have informed them to treat the war affected North and East and Monaragala District as underdeveloped areas and support us to develop these territories accordingly,” the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister said the government had already embarked on a programme to develop infrastructure facilities in the North. “We have already converted Palali into an international airport. We are willing to allow air transportation from Jaffna to Vavuniya if any local aircraft operators are willing to undertake such operations. We are also ready to start up coconut and palmyra plantations in the area, to start up IT education in the North, to open technological colleges and to construct tourism zones in Mannar, Pooneryn and Vadamarachchi,” he added.
“Also we are looking towards constructing new roads such as the Trincomalee - Mannar Road. There will also be industrial zones in this province which will create employment opportunities,” he also said.
Further, the Prime Minister said a future government under Sajith Premadasa will grant maximum devolution to the provinces based on the proposals that have come up during former presidents Ranasinghe Premadasa, Chandrika Kumaratunga and Mahinda Rajapaksa. He said this would be done after conferring with all parties.
Meanwhile addressing a rally in Kilinochchi the Prime Minister told the Northern people to use their vote accordingly if they want the peace and normalcy they enjoyed in the North to continue. “White van Illai if Gota illai,” he uttered in Tamil.