President at Deyata Sevana tree planting programme:

Nature, development go hand-in-hand

*Stresses the need for using indigenous methods

*1.1 m saplings planted islandwide

Rasika SOMARATHNA

‘This government is never prepared to subjugate nature in the name of development and it fully realizes that both should go hand in hand.

‘The nations which had not adhered to this reality were facing dire consequences due to their imprudent actions, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said launching the national tree planting programme -Deyata Sevana 2011 yesterday. The President said his government as a matter of policy has always granted the highest state patronage to protect and preserve nature. The main programme of Deyata Sevana was held under the President’s patronage at a land close to the Parliament complex, which was declared an Urban Green Park recently.

President Rajapaksa launching the programme planted a Na sapling at the auspicious time of 9.01 am, followed by ministers, politicians, officials and schoolchildren who planted saplings in the park. Similar ceremonies were held simultaneously throughout the island to plant 1.1 million saplings. The programme is held to mark the President’s swearing in for the second term in office and his birthday.

Addressing the gathering, the President said that unlike the present government certain previous regimes had thought that preserving nature was the responsibility of schoolchildren and a few organizations. “From the time we introduced Mahinda Chinthana we always said that we would give highest priority to preserve nature. We also introduced policies to supplement such endeavours. We made protecting nature a part of our development plan,” he said.

Emphasizing on Sri Lanka’s success in this regard, President Rajapaksa said that the use of endemic methods to preserve and protect nature had paid rich dividends. “When facing challenges we need to use our own indigenous methods. Whatever the challenge be it environment, terrorism or any other, it is important to use our own endemic methods to overcome it,” he said. The President pointed out that due to multiple efforts, Sri Lanka today could stand tall in the global sphere as a country which has achieved significant progress in preserving nature.

President Rajapaksa observed that the preservation of nature since ancient times, has been part of Sri Lanka’s tradition and culture. He said that enriched by strong religious values, ancestors lived intimately with nature. “The trees planted by them gives us both shelter and life today,” he said. Environment Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said that last year under the programme, 2.9 million saplings had been planted islandwide within three minutes. He noted that the ‘saplings’ had not only been planted but the authorities also had taken steps to take care of them. As a result, 2.1 million out of 2.9 has successfully grown today, he pointed out.