Great strides under Mahinda Chinthana :

Govt targets $10,000 per capita income in 10 years

by Uditha KUMARASINGHE

Higher Education Minister S.B. Dissanayake said if President Mahinda Rajapaksa governs Sri Lanka for another 10 years, it would reach the standard of a developed country exceeding the per capita income of US$ 10,000.

“We should do our best to take the country forward by strengthening peace, democracy and co-existence among the communities,” he told the Sunday Observer yesterday.

The country has made great strides under the Mahinda Chinthana vision for the Future.

Therefore, as President Rajapaksa hopes, Sri Lanka will exceed the US$ 4000 per capita income by 2015.

The Minister said from the day the Mahinda Chinthana was introduced in 2005, the Government developed the economy and infrastructure facilities while waging a war against the world’s most ruthless terrorist outfit.

Despite these challenges, the Government could bring down the inflation rate to a single digit and also increase its foreign reserves.

When the President assumed office in 2005, the per capita income of US$ 900 was increased to US$ 2,600. The Government has reduced the unemployment rate to four percent. In addition, the tourism sector has also recorded a dramatic improvement.

Dissanayake said that at present a massive economic resurgence has been launched under the Mahinda Chinthana. Investments too have shown a significant improvement.

“We defeated the most ruthless terrorist outfit in the world. The LTTE rump, the world over is still attempting to resurrect the LTTE. These pro-LTTE elements are engaged in rackets in some Western countries.

They are attempting to destabilise the country again. Security measures should be further strengthened without providing any room to create such a situation in the country” he said.