Eight pc economic growth, drop in inflation:

Major economic victories by govt – President

More extensive development programmes next year:

The government has achieved a major victory by maintaining the country’s economic growth rate at eight percent and bringing down inflation from 11 to 7 percent during the last two years, said President Mahinda Rajapaksa when he met government party Parliamentarians, who hold ministerial or deputy ministerial posts, at Temple Trees, to ascertain their views on preparation of the 2012 budget proposals yesterday.

The President said the government hoped to ensure wider and extensive development programmes next year than implemented this year, under the next budget.

The parliamentarians present commended and thanked the President for spending a large amount of funds for rebuilding and rehabilitation of the road network. They told the President that road maintenance work could be carried out unabated next year if sizeable funds are allocated for the road network from next year’s Budget.

A proposal also came up to utilize abandoned prawn farms for fish and other plant culture for the betterment of the fisheries industry and the President directed MPs of the relevant areas to look into the possibility of pursuing this matter.

A press release by the President’s Media Unit said special attention was paid at this meeting to improve sanitary facilities in the school network and solve the problem relating to the shortage of trained teachers for sports subjects in schools.

Attention was also drawn towards drawing a programme to conserve places of archaeological value and minimise the elephant threat posed to villagers boarding jungle areas by building electrified fences and ditches. Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa, Finance Ministry Secretary Dr P B Jayasundera and other officials attended the meeting.