310,000 jobs next year - Mangala
 

BY PRADEEP Kumara Dharmaratne

A programme to create 310,000 job opportunities including 30,000 new recruitment to the public service during the course of next year is under way.

There will be 2.5 million job opportunities by the year 2011, said SLFP Presidential Election Campaign Spokesman Ports and Civil Aviation Minister Mangala Samaraweera.

Addressing a media briefing at the Sri Lanka Tea Board auditorium in Kollupitiya, yesterday he said: "Ours is a country full of youth based resources capable of sharing in the development process successfully."

"In our Presidential Election Manifesto, a long drawn plan on the initiative of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse has been incorporated to find job opportunities to 2.5 million young men and women from 2005 to 2011," Samaraweera said.

"Next year we expect to give employment to 310,000 unemployed youth. There are 12,000 graduates yet unemployed. Of them, 4,000 are engaged in self-employment ventures. We will provide employment to the balance 8,000 of this year," he added.

Minister Samaraweera said the Government gave priority to provide employment opportunities to unemployed graduates which was an election pledge of the PA Government.

Out of the 41,000 graduates newly recruited the Government, 3,010 appointees have been confirmed. There are another 27,630 graduates waiting to be called for interviews, he said.

On the contrary, the UNP during their regime deceived the youth by giving them false promises and instead of finding employment to graduates shed their blood both at Matara and at Temple Trees in Colombo, Minister Samaraweera said.

He said that the Government has appointed a special board of intellectuals to solve the problems of the youth consisting mainly of G.C.E. O/L and A/L qualified students of whom some are qualified to gain university entrance.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse is keen to usher in an oceanic economy. For this purpose Oceanic University Diplomas will be awarded.

The Chinese Government has granted aid to the tune of US$ 800 million which is the largest ever received to begin large scale projects in the island. All the expressways that are planned will be completed under accelerated programmes, said Minister Samaraweera.