North-East progress impresses US delegation
The visiting US delegation said they are impressed by the
infrastructure development and economic progress in the Northern and
Eastern Provinces.
The delegation said so at a meeting with Economic Development
Minister Basil Rajapaksa at his ministry on January 30.
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Minister Basil Rajapaksa with the delegation |
The delegation comprised US Senior Assistant Secretary for South and
Central Asian Relations James Moore and Deputy Assistant Secretary for
State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Jane Zimmerman.
The US government has provided Sri Lanka with development aid worth
over US $ 2 billion through the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) since 1956.
Minister Basil Rajapaksa told the delegation that health, education,
sanitary services, access roads and power supply among other public
requirements have improved through infrastructure development in the
North and East and steps are being taken to raise the living conditions
of the people of the Jaffna district by developing it as an industrial
area.
The visitors stressed the need for increasing employment and
educational opportunities for the people and boost development in the
North by encouraging the private sector to invest in these projects.
Minister Rajapaksa added that a large number of internally displaced
people have gone back to their homes and permanently settled there with
government assistance.
Accordingly, they have now found better opportunities for employment
and their children's education. He told the delegation that tourism
development would generate more direct and indirect employment. Also
people in the Kilinochchi, Mannar, Vavuniya, Mullaitivu and Jaffna
districts have found greater benefits by way of employment and welfare
facilities through development and investment promotion programmes the
government has launched.
De-mining in war ravaged areas has been expedited and a large extent
of land is now free of land mines and anti-personnel mines, according to
the minister.
He said casualties have been minimized by educating schoolchildren
and the community on the dangers these mines have posed.
The minister pointed out that the country was able to achieve 22
percent economic development in the North alone during 2012. This had
made a major contribution to the island's economic progress. |