Minister’s Budget Speech

Mr. Chairman,

The Budget of the United Peoples’ Freedom Alliance is a people-oriented budget. It is a pro-poor budget. It aims at improving the living standards of the rural population by increasing agricultural and industrial production. Emphasis is being given to small and medium scale private entrepreunership.

My Ministry too is contributing to the government’s efforts in its own way. My Ministry is in the process of setting up the Agricultural Marketing Development Authority. This Authority will strive to ensure that the farmer gets a reasonable price for his produce and the consumer too pays a reasonable price.

My Ministry is also in the process to revamping the cooperative sector through a new Cooperatives Act. The cooperative sector had lost its importance during the recent past due to the emphasis on the open market economy and globalisation. My Ministry is taking steps to give new life to the cooperative movement and to raise the standard of living of the population that depends on it.

My Ministry has programmes to revive religious and cultural activities among the Hindu population. Cultural Centres are to be established in towns with substantial Hindu population. Araneri schools conducted for Hindu children on Sundays are being given encouragement. We have also begun programmes of conducting youth camps and of  training Hindu pracharakas. Our programmes are designed to cater to the needs of a population traumatised by the war.

The contribution of my Ministry to alleviating rural poverty are varied. The different products from the palmyrah are being put out for sale at our outlets. Rural women are trained in handicrafts. The items they produce are bought from them and sold by us. Palmyrah plantations are being given  importance. Our aim is to raise the satandard of living of the population that depends on the palmyrah palm.

 Cashew production is being given a boost by my Ministry. The recent drought had hit the cashew plantation in the same manner as the paddy fields. We however hope to have an average or a better crop next year. Next year, we are not only going to give importance to extension of cashew cultivation but to plantation cultivation as well.

My former Ministry commenced the rehabilitation of the Fish Net Factory formerly owned by CeyNor in 2001. Today, a state-owned company under my Ministry is producing fishing nets and other fishing gear. We are also providing other facilities for the fishermen of Jaffna.

My former Ministry commenced the rehabilitation of salterns in the North and East in 2001. Today, I am proud to say that the state-owned company under my Ministry is harvesting and supplying salt from the saltern in Mannar. We have also begun the rehabilitation of the Chemmani saltern in Jaffna. We will commence the rehabilitation of the Kumburupitty saltern in Trincomalee next year. Unfortunately, due to the dog-in-the-manger policy of the LTTE, the massive saltern in Elephant Pass remains unproductive. We are planning to use the services of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission to enable us to have access to Elephant Pass and to commence rehabilitation of the Elephant Pass saltern.

I am happy to announce that the Palmyrah Board, Cashew Corporation, Mantai Salt Ltd. and the Northsea Ltd have produced several rural jobs.

Mr. Chairman, let me now come to the subject of Tamil schools. Of over 2000 Tamil schools, many schools lack basic facilities. Many have no roofs. There are schools functioning under the shade of trees. Many schools do not have toilets or wells for drinking water. There are schools without basic facilities such as black boards. My Ministry has geared itself to give a helping hand to the main Ministry of Education under Her Excellency the President to accelerate the rehabilitation of schools.

We realise the importance of vocational training in the economic development of a country. As much as vocational training is important for development work, it is also important for rehabilitation work. We realise that there is an urgent need for skills-training in the North and East. To meet their needs, we have begun a special vocational training programme. With the successful completion of this programme, we hope to meet the skills need of the North and East by the end of 2006 and create employment opportunities for thousands.

At this point, I would like to tell this Honourable House of what is going on in the North and East of the country in respect of contracts relating to rehabilitation work. In general, these construction contracts are awarded to unofficial nominees of the LTTE. These nominees thereupon pay their commissions or ‘kappams’ to the LTTE and give the work in turn to sub-contractors from the South. The sub-contractors bring outside labour for their work. This happens because there is an acute shortage of construction workers in the North and East. The LTTE does not encourage the youths of the North and East to acquire skills or to work for a living. They want the youths to join them and learn to kill. This situation has to change. An ISGA will not change this situation. It would only make matters worse. It would only institutionalise LTTE ‘kappam’ and lethargy among  the youths of the North and East.

An ISGA is not what the Tamil people of the country want. They want a permanent solution to their problems. They do not want to suffer just to allow Prabhakaran and his gang to suck their blood. Prabhakaran wants an ISGA just for his political and physical  survival. We, of the EPDP support the Tamil people in their demand that there should be a permanent solution to the ethnic problem. Her Excellency the President has taken the correct stand. She wants a permanent solution to the ethnic problem. The vast majority of the Tamils, Sinhalese and the Muslims are behind her in this issue. We of the EPDP fully support her.

Mr. Chairman,

Before concluding my address, I wish to thank My Hon. Deputy Minister, the Secretary to my Ministry and all other officials of my Ministry and institutions under it. Thank You.