Allow Northern...

Allow Northern people to commemorate Mahaveers: TNA

TNA MP Shanthi Skandarajah yesterday requested the government to allow the Northern people to commemorate the ‘Maharveers’ or their war heroes by visiting the cemeteries in which they were buried.

She said this during the committee stage debate in Parliament yesterday and stressed the need to restore the cemeteries where ‘Northern war heroes’ were buried. Ms. Skandarajah said proper programmes should be launched to help war widows to start up selfemployment schemes so that they would not have to work for others.

She said Parliament’s Women MPS Guild had failed to provide any assistance to the women in the North as promised. “I was asked to bring 50 of these women who needed help and though I did so sometime ago nothing was done for them,” Ms. Skandarajah said and added that the Budget proposal to reduce taxes on beer was not acceptable because the consumption of liquor had resulted in social ills in the North after the war.

State Minister of Finance, Eran Wickramaratne in his response said the government was ready to increase the prices of both soft and hard liquor at any time. Parliament’s Women MPS Guild has failed to assist the women in the North. I was asked to bring 50 of these women who needed assistance and though I did so sometime ago nothing was done for them