During last three years :

Over 70 percent of foreign funded projects implemented in EP

Chaminda Perera in Batticloa

The Government focused special emphasis on the Eastern Province by implementing over 70 percent of foreign funded projects during the last three years, said Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa. Minister Rajapaksa said the all other provinces in the country implemented 30 percent of all foreign funded projects.

Speaking at the Batticloa District Development Committee meeting at the Batticloa District Secretariat, Minister Rajapaksa said that the local government authorities should ensure that these projects are properly maintained after they are vested in the people.

He said the whole country is making their contribution to repay the loan given by foreign countries, though the 70 percent of foreign funded projects were channelled to the Eastern Province.

The Minister opined that the people in the Eastern Province can make a wider contribution to the country’s economy by increasing the production capacity.

“The Eastern province has made an unprecedented growth in the agriculture, livestock and fishing sectors which directly help upgrade the living standard of the people with the end of the conflict”, he said.

The Minister extensively reviewed the progress of the development projects in progress in the district and instruct the officials to expedite them.

He reviewed the development projects in sector wise and removed the bottlenecks that impedes the smooth flow of the projects.

It was revealed at this meeting that the milk production in the province exceedes 50,000 litres a day and two processing units have been set up in the district.

It was also mentioned that there are some private companies which are involved in the purchasing of milk from the milk farmers. The Minister gave specific orders to the SLCTB officials in the district that the buses deployed to the areas where the people were resettled should not be changed.The bus service which was deployed for the benefit of these people should be continued.

The Minister made this order after the people’s representatives in the district complained that the buses meant for newly resettled people have been deployed to profitable routes.

Deputy Resettlement Minister Vinayagamurthi Muralitharan, Eastern Province Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, Deputy Minister A.L.M. Hisbullah, Livestock Development Minister Arumugam Thondaman, and Social Services Minister Felix Perera were also present.