Monday, January 26, 2009

Nation pays tribute to war heroes - President

The whole nation, from the 'Line Rooms' to the luxurious mansions were paying their most and heart-felt tributes to the war heroes who have fought persistently to eliminate terrorism from our place of birth, said President Mahinda Rajapaksa addressing the second successful public meeting at Norwood playgrounds in Kotagala yesterday, in hold up of the UPFA candidates contesting the approaching Wayamba and Central Province Provincial Council elections to be held on February 14.
The fluttering of our Lion Flag in each and every family in the country, sufficiently signifies the nation's backing and their highest tributes paid to our gallant war heroes, he said.
The President reiterated that the Armed Forces were in no way rivalry the Tamil people in the North, but at the danger of their lives, were only striving their best to liberate the blameless men, women and children from the repression of the terrorists who were retaining them as slaves. "They are hostility for the betterment of the whole nation, complete of the estate community", the President extra.
He said that his Government has been of huge service to the land group of people within the last three years. The estate community who were only restricted to a few four-sided shape feet of accommodation, have now been able to own and live in their vision homes, comprehensive of all essential and modern amenities such as hygiene, electrical energy and potable water, which have now become norms quite than luxuries.
The estate community who only walked the foot paths among the tea undergrowth in the past, have now got the chance to tread on the modernised concrete roads which financial records for over 80 per cent of the roads therein.
The 'Teacher shortage' which was leading in the estate division schools some time back, has also been resolved productively, by recruiting young and cultured teachers from their own organization, instead of bringing them from somewhere else.
Already over 3000 such teachers have been chosen. This is ample indication that there is a great prospect which they could be arrogant of, in the land sector.
The provision of good health amenities for the land sector was long unnoticed by many Governments in the past. yet, this Government had taken a policy alternative to strengthen the health principles in the estates, as a major blame.
The Government in this process, had acquired 23 hospitals owned by the land companies.
"We will allocate from the budget, over Rs. 150 million, to strengthen the hospitals, and Rs. 75 million for sanitation facilities.
Which Government has done such things within your lifetimes? There has been a true rebirth and a further ray of hope to the land community. You too have equal human rights for everything in the state as others and a sense of possession.
No one could divest you of same. We are all children of one mother", President Rajapaksa resolutely stated.
He said that despite the global financial crisis, all necessary safety measures were taken, to alleviate the impact on the village, including the estates, by the provision of special subsidies for rice and kerosene. Mobile trade centers were also introduced.
President Rajapaksa also lauded the estate organization for their very good sense of discipline displayed when they had visited the President's House in Kandy, for Thaipongal. He urged them to display the same sense of gratefulness, at the Provincial Council elections too.
Ministers Hemakumara Nanayakkara, C.B. Rathnayake, Arumugam Thondaman and Muthu Sivalingam also spoke. Ministers Pavithra Wanniyarachchi, Kumara Welgama, Nirmala Kotelawela and a crowd of other distinguished visitors participated at the public meeting.

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