Thursday Jun 04, 2026
Thursday Jun 04, 2026
Wednesday, 3 June 2026 00:20 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal to accelerate urban modernisation and city-branding initiatives across 10 selected towns under a new Rs. 1.475 billion development program aimed at enhancing their economic and tourism appeal.
Addressing the weekly post-Cabinet media briefing, Cabinet Spokesman and Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said the “10 Cities Development Program” would adopt a prioritised, data-driven approach to urban development, with 217 projects identified for implementation.
The program will cover the cities of Jaffna, Matale, Hatton, Batticaloa, Chilaw, Thambuttegama, Vavuniya, Eheliyagoda, Badulla and Matara.
According to Dr. Jayatissa, the approved allocation includes Rs. 500 million that had already been earmarked in the Budget for the development of these urban centres.
The initiative comes alongside a separate allocation under Budget 2026, which has set aside Rs. 1.3 billion for the Transport, Highways and Urban Development Ministry to redevelop and brand major cities including Anuradhapura, Kataragama, Colombo and Kandy, with Rs. 325 million allocated for expenditure this year.
He said the Government’s objective is to create distinctive urban identities that would strengthen the attractiveness of cities for both domestic and international visitors.
“When it comes to attracting domestic and international tourists, developing those cities in a manner that creates a unique identity is a globally recognised concept. That is exactly what branding is,” he said.
He stressed that the program would not pursue a uniform model of urban development. Instead, projects would be designed around the individual characteristics, cultural assets and economic strengths of each city.
“This does not mean developing Anuradhapura, Colombo, Matara and Trincomalee all in the exact same manner. Instead, the expectation is to implement development projects by taking the unique characteristics existing within those respective cities into consideration,” he said.
The Transport, Highways and Urban Development Ministry will coordinate with other line ministries and State institutions to implement the program and oversee the planned interventions across the selected cities.
