North East progress impresses US delegation

The visiting US delegation is impressed by the infrastructure development and economic progress in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

They said this at a meeting with Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa at his ministry on 30 January. The delegation comprises US Senior Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Relations James Moore and Deputy Assistant Secretary for State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour 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 others public requirements have been improved through infrastructure development in the North and East and steps were being taken to raise the living conditions of the people of the Jaffna district by developing it as a industrial area.

The American visitors stressed on the need for increasing employment and educational opportunities for the people and to boost development in the North by encouraging the private sector to invest in these projects.

Minister Basil Rajapaksa added that a large number of internally displaced people have gone back to the 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. 

People in the Kilinochchi, Mannar, Vavuniya, Mullaitivu and Jaffna districts have also found greater benefits by way of employment and welfare facilities through development and investment promotion programs 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 minimised by educating school children and the community on the dangers these mines have posed.

The Economic Development Minister pointed out that the country has been able to achieve 22 per cent economic development in the North alone during 2012. This had made a major contribution to the island’s economic progress. A number of programs targeting women in the North have been launched and consequently a large number of them, including widows, are now self-employed, supplying products and services under ‘Diva Legume’ on a small scale.

Among the envoys present at the meeting was US Ambassador in Sri Lanka Michele J. Sison.