In Southern Province:

Land ownership for over 65,000 families

RAJA WAIDYASEKERA Tissamaharama special corr.

Every citizen of this country must possess a plot of land of his own. This has been mentioned in the Mahinda Chintana concept, President Mahinda Rajapaksa addressing a gathering at Hungama Vijayaba Maha Vidyalaya via satellite said yesterday.

The occasion was the awarding of 7,500 land ownership permits under the 100,000 national program.

The President said the people who did not own ownership for their plots of land did not think of growing useful crops and also did not put a fence around their plots of land.

He said there are 10 million plots of land in the country and out of this, a large number of plots of land did not have ownership permits.

"After the land ownership program commenced, most of the land in the country was brought under various cultivations with the implementation of the Api Wawamu Rata Nagamu program."

There was an era when the land in the country was grabbed by foreigners at the lowest prices.

The Temple Trees and the homegardens of the Ministers have been brought under various food crop cultivations.

There are 65,000 families who have received ownership for their plots of land in the Southern Province alone.

The President said the inheritors of these plots of land with ownership permits will be the sons and daughters of the recipients.

"A bright future will dawn on the recipients and their dependents with the generation of income from the food crop cultivations," the President said.