The Ministry Assisting Vanni Rehabilitation held its first half-yearly Progress Review Meeting for the year 2003 at the Ministry office in Colombo last week. Minister of Vanni Rehabilitation Noordeen Mashoor who chaired the meeting said the meeting of this nature was essential to review the progress of various projects and programmes, undertaken by his Ministry from the Capital allocation.

He thanked the Implementing Agencies and the Government Agencies for last year's successful implementation of various projects in the Districts of Mannar, Mullaitivu and Vavuniya in addition to 3 other Districts of Puttalam, Anuradhapura and Gampaha for the benefit of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) living in those areas. Last year's total commitment of the Ministry's Programme amounted to about 155 Million Rupees.

The Minister called upon the related authorities to extend their fullest cooperation this year as well to carry out the anticipated resettlement programmes and the welfare facility programmes extended to the IDPs successfully.

He said he was happy to understand that rapid progress has been made so far. He disclosed that the Government has made the same allocation this year as well to continue some of on-going programmes such as resettlement programmes and several new projects for rehabilitation and reconstruction activities.

Vanni Rehabilitation Ministry's Secretary R. Tharmakulasingam in his welcome address detailed the 2003 programme that he said has been categorized in three areas. First category is based on allocations released to various related Government Agents by the Ministry to execute approved projects amounting to 73 Million Rupees. The Second category is based on projects approval granted to Implementing Agencies to carry out projects amounting to 7.5 Million Rupees, for which payment will be made by the Ministry while the third category is attributed to action pending on project approval for which allocation is around 69.5 Million Rupees.

Tharmakulasingam said that the projects such as Vocational Training Centers, Income Generating Projects under the Revolving Credit Fund, Information Communication Technology, Resettlement and Reconstruction Programmes by Improving Infrastructure facilities, Irrigation, Sanitation, Electricity Supplies, School buildings Etc. are being implemented without any duplication of work. Under the Ministry's rehabilitation programme for this year, 116 projects for resettlement, 58 projects for economic infrastructure, 28 projects for social infrastructure and 40 projects for institutional development are being carried out to facilitate displaced families living in the Vanni Electoral district covering Mannar, Mullaitivu and Vavuniya districts as well as three other districts of Puttalam, Anuradhapura and Gampaha. It has been decided to hold meetings of this nature once in two months.