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Electricity for whole of Jaffna this year - Minister Karu Jayasuriya

Rashomi Silva reporting from Jaffna

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the government are determined to provide electricity to the entire Jaffna district during this year, Power and Energy Minister Karu Jayasuriya announced yesterday.

Minister Jayasuriya was speaking in Kuppilan after inaugurating one of the 15 Rural Electrification Schemes (RES) planned for Jaffna.

"It is the endeavour of the government to provide electricity to the whole of Jaffna peninsula this year. We will then concentrate on Wanni and Mullaitivu districts," he said.

The Asian Development Bank assisted the rural electrification projects which cost around 100 million rupees, Jayasuriya said.

"We are mainly focusing on cleared areas. However, it is the responsibility of a government to provide electricity to the entire country," he added.

The Minister said that during the past 14 months the government provided electricity to nearly 55,000 families in the North. The Kuppilan scheme provides electricity to 6,000 more families.

Most parts of the peninsula did not have an uninterrupted power supply at least for the past 10 years due to the war, the Minister said.

It is the vision of his Ministry and the government to provide electricity to all citizens during the government's tenure. "We no longer consider electricity as a luxury but as a basic human need. At present nearly 70 per cent of the Jaffna population enjoy this basis need."

"This year is very important for us. We will take all steps to usher in peace and uplift the lives of people. We will develop the road network and improve the infrastructure of both rural and urban areas," he said.

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