2016 will be year of building country’s economy – President

Saturday, 30 January 2016 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The year 2016 will be the year of building the country’s economy, and programs will be implemented this year to bring about prosperity to all Sri Lankans, President Maithripala Sirisena said earlier this week.

The President made these remarks at a ceremony held at the BMCH to offer 10,000 scholarships to students of Samurdhi Beneficiary families.

“No government has ever allocated the amount of funds – the largest ever by any government –than what the new government has allocated for free education and free health service this year”, he said. “We have also allocated funds necessary for the development of infrastructure facilities in rural and urban areas, and these development projects have started already,” he added.

“While some people are questioning what the Government is doing, the Government has begun a program to bring about prosperity to the people by doing much needed political reform and saving the people from poverty,” the President stated.

Minister of Social Empowerment and Welfare S. B. Dissanayake, Minister of Education Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, Deputy Ministers Ranjan Ramanayake, Karunarathna Paranawithana, Secretary to the Ministry of Social Empowerment and Welfare Mahinda Senevirathne also took part in this event.

The annual ceremony for awarding of certificates of the Mass Media Studies and Journalism course of the Sri Lanka Press Council was also held under the patronage of President Sirisena yesterday at the BMICH.

Minister of Mass Media Gayantha Karunathilaka, Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa, Deputy Minister Karunarathne Paranawithana and Prof. Sunanda Mahendra also participated.