TNA happy about Budget allocations for north

By Ashwin Hemmathagama – Our Lobby Correspondent

Joining the Budget debate, Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) Leader Rajavarothiam Sampanthan held his party will support political settlement provided within an undivided and indivisible Sri Lanka.

Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) Leader Rajavarothiam Sampanthan

Praising the Minister of Finance and the Government for the considerable allocations made by the Budget 2019 for the development of the Northern and the Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka, Sampanthan held the Tamil people are longing for a political solution and would do what is necessary to reach the target.

From Budget 2019, the Government has proposed to allocate Rs. 24.5 billion to meet the housing needs of the people including the low-income groups in Urban, Rural and Estate sectors and the North and the East, mainly through the Urban Regeneration Project (URP) and Model Village Program. 

In addition, work on 15,000 brick and mortar houses in the Northern and Eastern Provinces is expected to commence this year, with the allocation of Rs. 4.5 billion being already made. According to the Minister of Finance, further Rs. 5.5 billion will be made available for these initiatives.

“The war came to an end. The previous Government failed to uphold the promises to provide an acceptable political solution. We have extended the fullest support for this,” he said, urging the key political forces in the country to be responsible in developing the nation treating all Sri Lankans equally.

Touching upon the devolution of power, Sampanthan said: “Much work has been done through the Constitutional Assembly in reaching consensus on moving Constitutional reform much beyond the 13th Amendment. Are we going to throw all this away and take the risk of the conflict being resumed, or are we going to do our duty and arrive at a just and reasonable solution? In an undivided and indivisible Sri Lanka, all should feel equal and safe. I appeal former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to get involved in the process to find a solution.”

Last year, the Government initiated a multipronged strategy to address the key issues faced, in particular, by people in the North and the East. In this, the strategy was driven by the objective of creating sustainable livelihoods, including assisting those heavily indebted and assisting the marginalised. 

This year, the Government launched the Economic Development Framework for the Northern Province, along with stakeholders and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL). Steps are now being taken to convert this into a concrete work plan, which will benefit all the citizens in the North.