Rs. 2,000 m to boost livelihood in North
Development projects to get off ground next month:
by P. Krishnaswamy
The ten well-formulated projects that the UNF Government will be
implementing in the North next month, under its reconciliatory program,
will have salutary impacts on uplifting the living conditions of the
people of the conflict-torn region, authorities said.
Consequent to the initial allocation of Rs.2000 million under a
Cabinet paper submitted by Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement
and Hindu Religious Affairs Minister D.M.Swaminathan the implementation
process will begin next month under the management of the Steering
Committee of which he is the co-chairman, Ministry Secretary
V.Sivagnanasothy told the Sunday Observer.
Northern Provincial Council (NPC) Chief Secretary A.Pathinathan is
the other co-chairman of the committee while the Government Agent (GA),
Jaffna and the sectoral heads of departments of the province are the
members of the committee.
The government identified the ten high impact viable projects in
consultation with the NPC Governor, the Chief Minister (CM), Ministers
and the planning authorities under its concerted and coordinated
reconciliation programs, Sivagnanasothy said.
The high impact 10 projects include construction of bridges and
causeways across the sea between Kayts and Karainagar offshore islands
and the construction of new passenger boats with a 100 passenger
capacity such as the 'kumudini' ferry boat . The projects also include
the reconstruction of the jetty in Delft and the rehabilitation of the
jetty in Elluvaithivu in Kayts; renovation/rehabilitation of roads from
Velanai to Kayts and setting up a clinical waste management system for
hospitals in the five districts of the province, Sivagnanasothy said.
The projects include the establishment of the disposal system for
human waste in the Vadamarachchi, Thenmarachchi and Valikamam in Jaffna
district and the systematisation of the collection and segregation of
solid waste in the Jaffna Municipal Council. Export-oriented projects
include seaweed farming in the coastal areas of the province, he said.
Livelihood and income generation projects include value addition and
marketing of milk products, the Vathiri leather industries and Karmarchi
Ambal light engineering industries in Kopay. Lack of infrastructure
facilities, mainly road networks, connecting over 15 offshore islands
with the mainland remained a major drawback towards the islanders'
socio-economic welfare and their contribution to the national economy,
Sivagnanasothy said.
Taking into account the fact that nearly 75 percent of the islanders
are engaged in fisheries, agriculture, livestock rearing and
manufacturing palmyrah based products for their livelihood, program will
be implemented to empower them and enhancing their productivity.
Moreover, these targeted projects will also help to achieve inclusive
development in the North while supporting the resettled communities to
achieve durable solutions as envisaged in the Lessons Learnt and
Reconciliation Commission's (LLRC) Report, Sivagnanasothy said. |