President announces resettling of Northern displaced people this year

President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Thursday (04) that he will resettle all displaced persons in the North in 2024.The President commenced his four-day visit to Jaffna on Thursday, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.

Addressing the Jaffna and Kilinochchi District Coordinating Committee meeting on Thursday evening, Wickremesinghe said there should not be any displaced persons by 2025.

He instructed relevant officials to draw up a plan to resettle all those displaced, the PMD said. President Wickremesinghe acknowledged the economic hardships faced by the public and assured that public servants would receive economic relief after the Thai Pongal celebration this year.

He said that more relief will be provided with the stabilization of the country’s economy.The President added that there will be a three percent GDP growth in 2024. This will increase to five percent in 2025.

The President also asked officials about the status of missing persons. He was told that the official tally of missing persons, in Jaffna, is 1788. Members of 1289 families with missing persons have been interviewed. The President directed officials to interview the remaining 500 cases within the next six months.

The discussions focused on key areas such as resettlement, education, health, land, fisheries, agriculture and forest conservation during the meeting. The President urged all Members of Parliament, representing the Northern Province, to actively participate in development programmes.

President Wickremesinghe said the government plans to establish a new economic commission, which will give Sri Lankans the opportunity to present proposals before it. Representatives of the diaspora, too, will be invited to appear before the commission, he said.

The President also expressed his commitment to transforming the Northern Province into a prominent agricultural centre through the modernization of agriculture. He directed officials to expedite land release in the Northern Province and indicated that a definitive decision on the required land for the Palali Airport and security forces would be reached by February.

The President instructed the officials at the Ministry of Lands to visit Jaffna and take immediate steps to address the land problem in the north.President Wickremesinghe also highlighted the allocation of funds in this year’s budget for two water schemes, aiming to resolve the water problem in the north.