PM committed not to leave any Lankan hungry

Saturday, 18 June 2022 00:28 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday said that it is his policy not to leave anyone hungry in the face of the food crisis.

Speaking at a meeting of the Committee on Food Security at the Prime Minister’s Office the Prime Minister said that although the food crisis could directly affect 4 million to 5 million Sri Lankans in the future, steps would be taken to control it.

The Prime Minister instructed the officials to pay more attention to the children and the elderly in particular.

The Prime Minister also directed the appointment of a committee headed by Parliamentarian Nimal Lansa to look into the mitigation efforts of the food crisis. He emphasised that he wanted the plan prepared by this committee within two weeks.

Wickremesinghe further said that 225 divisions should be handed over to the Members of Parliament and the rest to the top officials including the Secretaries to the Ministries and the Private Sector to provide leadership to develop and reach the targets of 336 Divisional Secretariats in the country under the Food Security Program. It was proposed to recruit graduates from the Divisional Secretariats for this purpose.

The Prime Minister instructed the officials to give priority to providing food, gas and fuel to the fishing community.

Special emphasis was placed on food security, especially for children’s homes, nursing homes and homes for persons with disabilities.

The Prime Minister also stressed the need for a medium- and long-term plan for a modern agricultural system that would create a regionally competitive market and called for it to be formulated urgently.

Former Ministers Sagala Ratnayake, Tissa Attanayake, Patali Champika, Mano Ganeshan, Digambaran, Rishard Bathiudeen, Navin Dissanayake and former Parliamentarian Saman Ratnapriya were present at the discussion along with Ministers Mahinda Amaraweera, Nalin Fernando, Ramesh Pathirana and Prasanna Ranatunga. Former Provincial Council Member Sendil Thondaman was also present.