President Maithripala Sirisena inaugurated a series of development activities in the Northern Peninsula under Rata Wenuwen Ekata Sitimu programs.
He laid the foundation stone for the construction of new fisheries harbor in Point Pedro, inaugurated the water scheme in Vadamarachchi and the international water conference to find ways and means to face future water challenges in the North. The President also declared open a new building at the primary section of Hindu College, SMART Sri Lanka Jaffna centre and the new Cooperative Development Bank.
“I am glad that the State sector came to the ground level to solve the problems of the northern people” President Sirisena said .
He said this at the seventh phase of the program in Jaffna on Friday (August 30).
He emphasized that it is the responsibility of everyone to dedicate themselves to building the country, overcoming the economic crisis by standing together on behalf of the country.
The week-long program commenced in the Jaffna district, on August 23. A number of public welfare programs were conducted during the day.
In accordance with the instructions and guidance by President Sirisena, the Presidential Secretariat commenced the Program with the aim of monitoring the implementation of national development projects such as Grama Shakthi National Program, National Drug Prevention Program, Protect Children National Program, National Chronic Kidney Prevention Program, National Food Production Program and Environment Protection Program and special development projects and various programs implemented by the different Ministries to ensure that they are implemented efficiently and productively for the benefit of the public.
President Sirisena attended a series of programs in Jaffna on Friday. He inaugurated the new Fisheries Harbour in Point Pedro in the morning.
Then opened the Wadamarachchi Water Project in Wadamarachchi. Subsequently he opened the Plenary Session of the International Water Conference at Thinnai Hotel in Chunnakam. After the opening, he rushed to Jaffna Hindu College where he opened the newly constructed building for the primary school.
In the afternoon, President Sirisena attended the Smart Sri Lanka program at the new office set up near the Governor’s Office and later inaugurated the Northern Provincial Cooperative Development Bank at Kaithadi in Jaffna.
The ‘Rata Wenuwen Ekata Sitimu’ program in Jaffna covered 435 Grama Seva Divisions, targeting 1,95,000 families in the district.
A series of programs were held today including the distribution of water tanks under the Prevention of Chronic Kidney Disease project, several awareness programs under the Drug Prevention program, as well as distribution of school equipment and educating children on the importance of school education under the Let’s Protect Children project.
A Vidatha Centre was opened with the aim of introducing new technology to strengthen the rural agricultural economy.
The ‘Tell the President’ program was also launched in several places to provide solutions for the issues of the people in the district.
The ‘Rata Wenuwen Ekata Sitimu’program is to identify the public issues in the area and ensure that the government institutions take early steps to solve these issues with maximum efficiency through the state mechanism.
The very first program was held in the Puttlam district recently and later extended to cover the entire country. Along with this, several development programs were implemented under the National Food Production Program in several Divisional Secretariats in the district.
They include supply of supplementary food crop seeds to farmers, holding of awareness programs for farmers, distribution of fruit saplings, water pumps, and peanut seeds
The motive of “Stand together for the country” project is to make the special projects of the president and other national development projects by different ministries and social welfare projects, to be conducted effectively and efficiently to reap more benefits to the rural people and at district level. The programs include, the drug prevention program conducted under the guidance of the President which is a national development project, the national program for protecting children, and the national program for environmental conservation.
Services were provided to give solutions to issues related to the education, health, and vocational issues by the different public services to the community.
Thus, drug prevention programs, kidney diseases prevention programs, environmental conservation programs, and other special programs are being conducted at different places in the district.
Many program including the handing over of wheel chairs to disabled persons and self-employment kits also took place parallel to this event. A special program was held in Delft Island off Jaffna for the benefit of 4200 people living on the small islet.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also conducted a mobile consular service in Jaffna district. In this mobile consular service, conducted by the Ministry in coordination with the Government Agent, the people of the Jaffna District could avail themselves of consular services, including attestation of documents, assistance to the families of Sri Lankans who are stranded and detained abroad, registration of births and deaths that occur overseas, and assistance with regards to compensation-related issues.
Further, contact information of Sri Lankan Missions overseas and information pertaining to the services provided by those Missions to Sri Lankans living and traveling abroad will also be made available to the public via the mobile service.
In addition to the provision of consular services, the mobile service will also feature activities pertaining to the Economic Diplomacy and Public Diplomacy programs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.