http://www.dailynews.lk/2013/02/02/news23.asp

 

North-East progress impresses US delegation

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

The delegation said so at a meeting with Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa at his ministry on January 30.

Minister Basil Rajapaksa with the delegation

The delegation comprised US Senior Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Relations James Moore and Deputy Assistant Secretary for State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor 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 other public requirements have improved through infrastructure development in the North and East and steps are being taken to raise the living conditions of the people of the Jaffna district by developing it as an industrial area.

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

Minister Rajapaksa added that a large number of internally displaced people have gone back to their 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. Also people in the Kilinochchi, Mannar, Vavuniya, Mullaitivu and Jaffna districts have found greater benefits by way of employment and welfare facilities through development and investment promotion programmes 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 minimized by educating schoolchildren and the community on the dangers these mines have posed.

The minister pointed out that the country was able to achieve 22 percent economic development in the North alone during 2012. This had made a major contribution to the island's economic progress.