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| Friday, 16 July 2004 |
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by Shirajiv Sirimane The Sri Lankan Government is having a very good relationship with the World Bank. The Bank has never forced their way to implement any proposal adverse to the country, President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga said. The President, chief guest at the 50th anniversary commemoration of World Bank support to Sri Lanka at Ceylon Continental Hotel Colombo last evening, said they have always had a good dialogue with the World Bank. She said the World Bank also made a grant to develop the Sri Lankan health sector. "This is a very substantial grant," the President said. She said like any other institution or a government, the World Bank role in Sri Lanka has come in for criticism. "However I believe that the World Bank has played an essential role towards the development of Sri Lanka," she said. She said the World Bank leads the way especially in the development and rehabilitation projects in the North-East and in the health, education, rural development and poverty elevation. . The World Bank first helped Sri Lanka to fund the Laxapana power plant in 1954 and Sri Lanka was one of the first developing countries to receive aid. "The 50 year association with the World Bank will grow from strength to strength," she said. The President said that Economic Council had been created to carry out the economic policy of the new government, which would be the social development strategy for Sri Lanka. There would be a close dialogue between the public and the private sector and policies would be implemented efficiently without corruption. Vice President for South Asia, World Bank, Praful Patel said the World Bank has offered over Rs. 40 billion to Sri Lanka in the past two years and 40 per cent of that have been grants. He said when the first loan was granted to Sri Lanka in 1954, the World Bank predicted that Sri Lanka, then called Ceylon would be one of the first developed nations from the poor countries. "However internal conflicts halted the country's development," he said. "We hope to work together to see a new dawn for Sri Lanka and its talented people who have waited patiently for so long for peace and prosperity," he said. Minister of Investment Promotion and Tourism Anura Bandaranaike said the World Bank had been funding Sri Lanka regularly but questioned if these funds had been properly utilised. He said most of the wealth is still among the people in Western province and this must change. The Minister said the Government's economic policy would be presented to the donor community on July 21. |
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