Rs 9 million a day for IDP upkeep

Lakshmi DE SILVA

There are about 250,000 IDPs in welfare villages and centres. Those people were herded by the LTTE but we rescued them from the ruthless LTTE after 30 years of terrorism and now provide them with shelter, food, water and sanitation, education, health and other facilities spending nine million rupees a day but we did not invite them, Mass Media and Information and Investment Promotion Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa told the Cabinet press briefing yesterday.

“As a responsible Government we cannot send them back to their villages like gypsies. The LTTE had laid landmines in all areas they controlled and we had to clear them and get mine clearance certificates from the UN before we send IDPs back to their villages. We have sent some of the IDPs after clearing some areas and the government had bought 10 mine clearing machines to speed up the process,” he said.

The Government’s resettlement and rehabilitation program provided the IDPs who were resettled with livelihood assistance like seeds, fertilizer, fishing gear or agricultural tools to re start their occupations. Yet the opposition was suppressing the truth and wanted to drag the situation in a different direction by giving false information,” he said. When the displaced people were under the jackboot of the LTTE these Opposition members did not raise their voices to ask questions regarding the welfare of the civilians of North or raise any issue about their food, shelter or sanitation.

But the Government today provides nutrition to pregnant mothers and children. The entire North and East is being rehabilitated with all infrastructure and all public facilities, he said.