Elders in North under Govt care -NP Governor
by P. Krishnaswamy
Northern Province Governor Maj.Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri refuted reports
in sections of the Tamil media that the Government and Provincial
Administration had no programs to look after the destitute elders of the
province and that thousands of them were languishing in their homes
after returning from IDP villages in Chettikulam, Vavuniya with no one
to care for them.
He also refuted as totally false the accusations of Tamil National
Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarians that some of the 500 tractors gifted by
the Government of India for farmers of the Northern Province were not
distributed among them, but were brought to the South.
All 500 tractors were distributed among farmers of the five Northern
districts as per the directions of Minister Basil Rajapaksa who is
Chairman of the Task Force for Northern Development. The final batch was
distributed last week by Namal Rajapaksa MP in Mullaitivu, the Governor
said.
The home for the elders at Kaithady, run by the provincial
administration, already houses over 250 destitute elders and would
accommodate more if any interested parties would approach the
authorities, the Governor said.
The reports are, purportedly, based on random surveys conducted by
some NGOs and neither the National Government nor the provincial
administration have been notified of them, he said.
If these reports are factual and the details could be furnished to
him, he would take steps to house as many elders as possible in the
Kaithady home and take up the cases of the rest with the relevant
Ministry and the Social Services Department, he said.
The bulk of the fertile red soil in the Northern peninsula has now
come under cultivation due to financial assistance, fertiliser subsidy ,
free seeds and other incentives extended by the Government. According to
latest reports, vegetable cultivation was to the tune of Rs. 10 billion
and paddy production was over 45,000 metric tonnes.
|