Northern & Eastern Provinces Are Nowhere Close To Middle Income Category
By C.V. Wigneswaran –December 5, 2015
C.V Wigneswaran
From an economic standpoint today’s is an important rendezvous for our investors, entrepreneurs, provincial administrators and Governmental authorities. We are gathered here today to conduct the Northern Entrepreneurs Awards Ceremony 2014. It is the first awarding programme for the entrepreneurs of the Northern Province with the object of recognizing, motivating and rewarding the Northern Province based entrepreneurs who have contributed to the National wellbeing.
The Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Yarlpanam has been involved in various activities to improve existing industries and has facilitated to establish new ventures such as a loan scheme called Youth Business Sri Lanka for young entrepreneurs in small and medium enterprises. It has taken steps to hold International Trade Fairs with the object of targeting appropriate technology transfer and product improvement to the Industries of Northern Province. We find over 150 private organisations from different sectors have their membership in your Chambers. They all contribute to the business improvement of the region.
I do not want to make a long speech. Let me refer to a few important policy decisions on our part as the Northern Provincial Administration and then refer to our concerns.
Firstly we are aware of the shortcomings our Central Government faces in fulfilling all its obligations towards a war torn society in the Northern Province. It must be flagged that even though Sri Lanka has been characterized internationally as a Middle Income Country the Northern and Eastern Provinces which have borne the brunt of the war recently are certainly nowhere close to such middle income category.
We are below par. We need to be helped to reach economic par in the first instance before we could speak of development at a National Level. Our infrastructures have been dismantled; our people are subject to psycho-social issues; our institutions need to be revamped. Education, Health sectors need to be improved; Local Government institutions need reorganisation and reform. As I said earlier the Central Government is hard pressed to help us. We are fortunate to have a Government whom we ourselves helped to install who are not averse to private investment and to the dynamic functioning of Non Governmental Organisations. We therefore welcome the role of the Private Sector and the Non Governmental Organisation Sectors in our economic regeneration. We also have the benefit of a sympathetic and resourceful diaspora who could be tapped.