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| Monday, 2 February 2004 |
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Politics | |
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| Duty of Govt. to maintain economic development - PM by Ariyaratne Ganegoda Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday that it was the responsibility and also the duty of the Government to maintain the economic development which was achieved during the last two years with added commitment for the benefit of the people of this country. Addressing a public meeting at Hali Ela, in Badulla the Prime Minister said that there is a fear among the public that the economy will collapse again owing to the present political situation. They fear that they will be deprived of the economic benefits of the commitments made during the last two years, the premier added. He recalled that the Government had made a request to the people not to make too many demands, but to wait with patience as the government was not in a position to give them all they want. He said the UNF government had to spend the last two years to build an economy which was devastated in the years 2000 and 2001. "People complied with our request to build the devastated economy", he added. He said since then the Government was able to stop the war through the signing of the Ceasefire Agreement with the LTTE and thereby promote businesses in the North and the South and encourage a lot of investors who feared to invest in the country due to the war situation. The Premier said that following the November 4 takeover of three Ministries by the President, the economy and the peace process faced a major threat. The premier said that the Government has taken precise steps to protect the economy without any further collapse. He said the Government has to face a lot of problems owing to the ongoing drought and the increased fuel prices in the international market. He said the Government took action to control the prices of essential goods such as rice, flour, fuel, fertilizer etc so that Government people can save money for the coming months. The Premier said the Government expects to launch a ten year plan to improve infrastructure facilities. The programme will be decided with the approval of all segments of society. |
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