Saturday, 19th July 2014
Disna Mudalige
The Economic Development Ministry has provisioned a development fund of over Rs. 4,500 million to carry out development projects in the Colombo District, Colombo District Secretary H.T. Kamal Pathmasiri said.
He was addressing the Colombo District Coordination Committee Meeting at the Colombo Divisional Secretariat Office yesterday. He said each Divisional Secretariat division of the Colombo district has been allocated Rs. 300-400 million for development activities.
"A large number of rural, regional and district level development activities are nearing completion in Colombo, and agreements and estimates have been finalised to commence many more projects," Pathmasiri said.
He said these development activities have been carried out in close coordination with the relevant government institutions.
He said a special workshop has been organised under the 'Divi Neguma' program at Anula Vidyalaya, Nugegoda today under the patronage of Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa and with the participation of 118 selected self-employed Samurdhi beneficiaries to link them with the Export Development Board and private institutions.
He said a job fair would also be held parallel to this event aiming at the unemployed youth in Colombo with 52 state and private sector institutions confirming participation in the fair.
He further directed the attention to the funding difficulties for the projects of re-cultivation of abandoned paddy lands and small irrigation reconstruction, adding that there are about 5000 acres of paddy land in the district and 60 percent of them are uncultivated paddy lands.
Colombo District Secretariat Office Planning Director D. M. N. Dissanayake said 255 schools have been selected under the rural school development project.
She said 733 projects have been approved under the 'One project for each village program' (Eka Gamakata Eka Vedak), while approval has been granted for 600 projects under Gama Neguma, 658 projects under the Decentralized Fund Program, 354 projects under Special Projects of Public Representatives, 609 projects under the Pura Neguma, 221 projects under the Regional Development Program of 'Basnahirata Ran Aruna' and 58 projects under the Uncultivated Paddy Land and Small Irrigation Reconstruction Program. Colombo District Coordination Committee Chairman and Environment and Renewable Energy Minister Susil Premajayantha chaired the meeting.
The unresolved development problems in the district were extensively discussed in the meeting. Minister Premajayantha said the Colombo District Progress Review Meeting presided by President Mahinda Rajapaksa would be held next month. Water Supply and Drainage Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Postal Services Minister Jeewan Kumarathunga, Civil Aviation Deputy Minister Geethanjana Gunawardena, MPs Duminda Silva and Thilanga Sumathipala, Western Province Chief Minister Prasanna Ranatunga, Western Provincial Council Minister Upali Kodikara and representatives of Local Government bodies and state institutions also participated.
From : http://dailynews.lk/?q=local/over-rs-4500m-allocated-colombo-district-development
