Sunday Nov 24, 2024
Sunday Nov 24, 2024
Thursday, 16 October 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
It is with pleasure I, as 20th Commander of the Army, take this opportunity to issue this message of greetings to all of you in connection with the 65th anniversary and Army Day of the Sri Lanka Army which performed an unmatched role for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our motherland, Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka Army, as the forerunner which restored durable peace to the land, braved varying challenges, numerous setbacks and threats as well as natural disasters since the dawn of independence in the past 65 years. In the performance of such sacred duties, all valiant war heroes, members of the civil staff and their family members who encouraged them, have made the supreme sacrifice, suffered disability and committed to the service dedicatedly, are fondly remembered with respect at this important milestone.
Giving prominence and pride of place, multi-religious commemorative ceremonies were conducted for two weeks, for which I owe a special word of thanks and appreciation to all of you who toiled hard to make them a success.
The peaceful environment that was brought about by the Army after eradicating the three-decade long scourge of terrorism enabled us to commemorate this event in all corners of the island on a grand scale. At this moment, I would like to pay a special tribute to the visionary leadership of His Excellency, President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the able guidance of Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Secretary of Defence and Urban Development who dedicatedly stood by the tri-services for achievement of peace.
Past commanders of the army and all officers who gave leadership to the army, regimental sergeant majors, senior and junior non-commissioned officers at this occasion, deserve a special tribute from me for making us boast such a proud history, spanning 65 years.
It is worth remembering that at a time our country is going through a mega economic revival in the post-war period, we have now shouldered the arduous task of the country’s development too as pioneers in the country’s forward-march while prioritising national security interests.
Development contribution
Accordingly, we have turned out to be direct resource contributors to mammoth development projects, such as urban beautification, construction and reconstruction, infrastructure-building, agriculture and industry with the aim of reviving the livelihood of Sri Lankans. Besides, our multiple community projects in the north and east, meant to promote h
armony and reconciliation, have come in for praise of both local and international communities, a matter that all of us can be proud of.
As at present, His Excellency the President’s policy vision, ‘Mahinda Chinthanaya’, is now successfully in operation across the country to make Sri Lanka the ‘Wonder of Asia’. For the realisation of that goal, we more than anybody else have understood the national security interests as a decisive priority. So, we all must firmly resolve to act accordingly, giving prominence to the national security aspect at all times.
A fully-fledged, cohesive and brief scheme, covering all those security aspects, has been drawn, and is now in effect. The entire Army is to be accordingly restructured, based on the organisational module, training and armoury under three domains.
During the wartime, training of our members was more focused only on skill development, but as of today, they are being supplemented, not only with skill-promotion, but also with knowledge, wisdom and scholarships under a program in effect.
To reach this goal, improvement of the entire infrastructure of all training schools to match with international standards, is underway to suit both our members as well as foreign trainees. Likewise, arrangements are in place to re-design the curricula of our training institutes to be in parallel with international standards and explore simultaneously possibilities of affiliating with universities or other recognised training institutes for the express purpose of further improving the qualitative nature of all training modules.
Keeping national security interests closer to their hearts, our members in the recent past discharged their duties, day and night with meagre facilities, but time has set in for us to elevate their clothing, dining ,accommodation, infrastructure, so on and so forth to high standards. A scheme in this regard, implemented under the aegis of Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, is fully functional and a number of pre-fabricated buildings for accommodation of soldiers as billets have already been established. Similarly, all camps in the island are receiving a facelift and modernisation under a common scheme.
As I promised to you at the time of assumption of office as the commander, a comprehensive welfare project, aimed at your needs, has already been implemented and it is my wish to further broaden its scope in the future.
Soldier welfare schemes
Paying due attention to the basic requirements of the soldier, the Government has also concurrently launched various welfare projects under the aegis of His Excellency the President and the Secretary of Defence and Urban Development, for which we are indeed grateful. Under that patronage, a 10-storeyed new hospital complex with most modern medical equipment and facilities was vested in the soldiers as a gift and a tribute to the dedication of all war heroes who brought peace. In the same vein, the ‘Api Wenuwen Api’ mega housing scheme, operational effectively across the country under the direct supervision of the Secretary Defence, provides houses for homeless war heroes.
The chairperson of the Ministry of Defence ‘Seva Vanitha’ unit and all staff members committed to this special mammoth project in the Defence Ministry are also recalled with sincere gratitude.
Our close observations and scrutiny affirmed that more than 50,000 of our members after drawing loan facilities from various banks at very high interest rates for resolution of their financial constraints are faced with hardships for repayment etc.
As an alternative solution, ‘Suwa Sahana Loan Scheme’ with very less concessionary interest rates, was introduced in order to empower them financially and the dividends of this scheme are already visible, and more measures, are in progress to further improve the scheme by embracing Army members who have retired on medical grounds and all other retirees.
In the same manner, our observations confirmed that although soldiers in the past have acquired varying insurance policies from various agencies, those agents have failed in paying due dividends to the insurer in a productive manner. Providing a tangible solution, the ‘Suwa Sahana Insurance Scheme’ was thus introduced last year to streamline this lapse.
Following fruitful discussions that were held with the Secretary to the Treasury, a speedy program for further enhancement of welfare benefits was quickly implemented to release disaster and property loans to our members which remained stagnant due to lack of funds for the last three years. As a result of it, I am happy to note that over 1000 members have already benefitted as at present through this scheme after such funds had been credited to their bank accounts. Applications for the remainder are also being finalised for payment without any delay.
Initiation of the Suwa Sahana bus service, construction of resting places in many regions, introduction of schemes for supply of essential items on concessionary basis, launch of new housing schemes etc. are among other large welfare projects now in progress in the organisation. I should also extend a word of thanks to the President of the Army Seva Vanitha unit and her staff for their dedication to the welfare of our members.
In order to cut down capital expenditure, annually incurred on the purchase and service of furniture and metal accessories to the Army, three new industries under the Engineer Service Regiment, Sri Lanka Army Ordinance Corps and Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers were separately begun. These industries would produce quality accessories and requirements to match with the needs of the soldiers and the Army.
Other achievements
By increasing the numbers participating in UN Peace Keeping Missions abroad, soldiers have received added economic gains in the past year. Similarly, by establishing a Level 2 military hospital in South Sudan, despite various challenges and obstacles, we have been able to fetch home a considerable amount of foreign exchange which can also be regarded as another noteworthy achievement.
Since the inception of the Army, we are happy to state that the Army has been clinching distinguished victories in the field of sports and athletics. While supplying all the facilities and requirements for sports at present, arrangements are underway to erect a new sports complex of international standards at Panagoda at a cost of Rs. three billion.
In addition, all security forces headquarters are now having their own well-equipped sports stadiums. I firmly believe by providing all those facilities for sports, our members would be able to shine in the international arena with a renewed vigour.
No other army in the world has succeeded in mobilising so many numbers of its members for participation in sports and athletics within a period of two years under minimum facilities. Therefore we are faced with the formidable challenge of transforming the Army to be a full-pledged organisation, replete with all facilities, for which I seek the assistance, dedication, determination and efforts of everyone, if we were to overcome those challenges.
In conclusion, let me pay my tribute to the memory of all those who departed, went missing, sustained injuries and became disable. Family members of those war heroes as well as members of the families of those serving the Army to-date are also remembered with gratitude and wish all the best to them.
I recall the multitude of services of our civil staff working in different fields, doing an excellent job and their families are also remembered at this juncture with heartfelt gratitude and best wishes for longevity. At this moment of pride when the Army celebrates its 65th anniversary, let me underline that we all must resolve to turn the organisation to be the world’s most professional and the greatest one. To achieve that, I wish you all the necessary strength, courage, quality, wisdom, presence of mind, knowledge and understanding at all times.
Best wishes to all of you!
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