Invest in Northern Province - Minister Bogollagama

Hiran H. Senewiratne

Foreign Affairs Minister Rohitha Bogollagama urged the Tamil diaspora to invest in the Northern Province, with the dawn of peace in the country. Therefore, they are now in the process of setting up a consulate office in the Jaffna library.

"Entire Northern areas will be open to the outside world with the setting up of a consulate office in Jaffna. This will in return help the Tamil diaspora to enhance connectivity with the Northern province and its people without any hindrance," Minister Bogollagama made these remarks when he visited Jaffna and Kayts last week.

This tour was organized by the the Foreign Affairs Ministry. He said the Government has identified several areas including tourism, fisheries,agriculture to develop and improve the living standards of people in the region and Jaffna district.

Further Jaffna will become the focal point for technology transfer vital for connectivity within and out side world.

He said that infrastructure facilities in the Northern districts will be improved to attract investment not only from Tamil diaspora but also from other countries.

The Minister said that the future development agenda will cover almost all the Divisional Secretariats in the Northern Province.

At present more than 600,000 people live in the Jaffna peninsula and most of them were involved in various occupations. Therefore to improve their living standards we should improve connectivity with the outside world.

This itself is an opportunity to give a boost to the national economy, Minister Bogollagama said. He said due to three decades of war, Jaffna and most of districts in the North did not develop and with the dawn of peace these areas have to be developed by placing infrastructure facilities in place. Therefore, the Tamil diaspora could support to develop those areas and they are willing to be part of development activities in the areas, he said.

Jaffna GA, K. Ganeah said they have already resettled 25,000 more internally displaced persons in the Jaffna district and many development projects are under way with donor assistance from the World Bank and JAICA. ADB-funded projects are progressing in the areas.