Sufficient funds for Uthuru Vasanthaya

Lakshmi DE SILVA

A meeting to discuss the 180 day Uthuru Vasanthaya resettlement and rehabilitation program was held at the Vavuniya District Secretary's office on Tuesday.

Senior Presedential Advisor and Parliamentarian Basil Rajapaksa, Rehabilitation and Disaster Relief Services Minister Rishard Bathiutheen and secretaries of number of ministries involved in implementing the program were present. Vavuniya District Secretary P.S. M. Charles told the Daily News that proposals from local officials were taken up for consideration and discussed.

The rehabilitation and resettlement program was implemented on home grown proposal concepts to suit the people of the North, Nation Building Ministry Secretary W.K.K. Kumarasiri said.

The Government has allocated sufficient funds for the Uthuru Vasanthaya program and we have have been asked to prepare estimates and plans for its implementation and we are now discussing with civil authorities the details how to develop infrastructure and other public facilities in the North", Charles said.

Apart from the 265,000 IDPs in the welfare villages there are also 183,000 civilians affected by the war living in districts like Vavuniya. Our plan will include such villages too", she said.

Providing electricity to the North was a priority and within the 180 days, the CEB would complete its target 100 percent in Vavuniya, Ministry Secretary Kumarasiri noted.