US allocates Rs 6b for regional infrastructure

BY JAYASIRI Munasinghe

THE US Government has allocated Rs. 6 billion to develop regional infrastructure facilities in Sri Lanka. In addition it would also promote employment-generating opportunities in the country.

Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said, it is proposed to receive this as a grant from the Millennium Development Fund.

It is proposed to set up three industrial zones in Hambantota, Kegalle, and Ampara next year. The fund will allocate Rs. 2 billion for each industrial zone to construct over 40 large-scale factories.

The setting up of industrial zones would help to reduce the worker migration to the city for employment. This was officially mentioned by the US Ambassador Jeffrey Lunstead at a meeting at the Ministry of Finance, recently.

The US Ambassador said that the USA government has been impressed about the present government's policies and finance management and decided to support President Mahinda Rajapaksa.