President hands over three-wheelers to war heroes

Sandasen Marasinghe

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday handed over 100 three-wheelers to 100 disabled war heroes at the Army Grounds in appreciation of their valuable service to safeguard the unity of the country and free it from terrorism even sacrificing their limbs.

The three-wheelers were distributed among the war heroes by the Ranaviru Seva Authority which has already distributed 500 three-wheelers among the war heroes on five occasions. This number is now 600.

Eighty six disabled war heroes of the Army, four from the Navy, four from the Air Force and six from the Police received three-wheelers at a simple ceremony attended by Chief of Defence Staff, Air Force Commander Air Chief Marshal Roshan Gunetilleke, Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, Navy Commander Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe, Inspector General of Police Mahinda Balasuriya, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga and Ranaviru Seva Authority Chairperson Padma Wettewa.

Wettewa told the media that the project to distribute three-wheelers among the disabled war heroes was initiated on the instructions of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa to make the war heroes’ day-to-day lives comfortable by uplifting their economic, social and mental condition.

She said another the welfare of 100 three-wheelers would be distributed among the disabled war heroes soon. The three-wheelers were provided on their applications forwarded to the Ranaviru Seva Authority.

Commenting on the services rendered by the war heroes, the Chairperson of the Ranaviru Seva Authority said nobody could forget the services rendered by the war heroes who sacrificed the lives and those who sacrificed their limbs for the unity and sovereignty. There are nine other projects in progress under the Ranaviru Seva Authority to uplift the living conditions of the war heroes and their families.