Rs 33,025 m spent on development

Lakshmi DE SILVA

The Government had spent Rs. 33,025 million on development and rehabilitation projects including those in the North and East up to the middle of the year, Economic Development Ministry Media Director Kapila Ariyawansa told the Daily News.

He said the funds for these projects came from foreign aid including from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Union, UN agencies as well as from the Japanese Government.

More than 3,361 kilometres of dilapidated roads were rehabilitated and 104 new bridges including the Mannar Bridge were built with these funds.

The Japanese government had provided Rs. 2,162 million for the construction of the major bridge at Mannar that was damaged by the terrorists.

On the housing sector, 43,091 houses were built in the North and East spending Rs. 12,151 million to meet the acute shortage of houses and to repair and reconstruct houses in these two provinces, he also said.

Funds were also spent for development of education, health, irrigation and drinking water, sanitation with livelihood development projects in the agriculture and fisheries sectors.

The people who had lost their employment due to terrorist activities were given equipment and implements to start their occupations.