09. Grants given for Safe Drinking Water Projects

10. Grants given for Rain Water Harvesting Projects

In order to ensure an adequate water supply for domestic use it was proposed by the Ministry of Relief, Rehabilitation & Reconstruction to implement the Rain Water Harvesting Programme in 5 districts of the Northern Province. The purposes of this programme are as follows.

i. To avoid water scarcity
ii. To augment ground water storage
iii. To avoid water depletion
iv. To improve ground water quality
v. To avoid sea water inclusion
vi. To mitigate flood water

Rain Water Harvesting is a simple technique operating at household level. It is possible to set up Ferro Cement Tanks at selected points to collect the rainwater directly and hand over to households for use. The necessary technology for construction of these Ferro Cement Tanks is available with National Water Supply & Drainage Board. Chairman, National Water Supply & Drainage Board has agreed to construct 5000 litre and 7500 ltr. tanks, 50 Nos. each at an average cost of Rs.50,000/- per tank. The tanks will be installed in identified spots in consultation with respective Divisional Secretaries and Grama Niladaries. It was programmed to provide.

:: 50 Nos. of 5000 ltr. tanks for the 5 districts of Northern Province
:: 50 Nos. of 7500 ltr. tanks for the 5 districts of Northern Province

11. Allocations for Housing Projects from the President’s Fund

The total estimated cost was Rs.150,655,726.81 for the following constructions

12. Short Term Vocational Training Programmes for North East Province funded by the President’s Fund

There is an urgent need to build up the necessary institutional capacity to provide effective training programmes and to restore job skills and create the potential for local and global employment opportunities to the youth of the North-East Province. Training provided by the majority of public sector Vocational Training Institutions lack relevance and does not meet the demand of a rapidly changing economy and labour market. Further, many of these institutions offer very little opportunities particularly to rural women and youth, in terms of employment.

The Vocational Training Authority started vocational training programmes in 8 districts of the North-East Prov. to encourage the peace process and to rehabilitate the affected and unemployed youth, to find them employment locally as well as abroad, and to generate income and to uplift living standards of the North-East Province. A sum of Rs.58M has been released for this purpose.

The President’s Fund is indeed a fund of hope and solace to the needy and deprived sections of the people of Sri Lanka who receive much needed financial assistance to relieve the economic and financial distress faced by their families particularly where patients suffer from life threatening illnesses like heart disease, kidney failure, cancer etc. It has also contributed substantially towards the improvement of health care facilities in the State sector enabling poor patients to obtain highly specialized health services from State hospitals free of charge. The Fund has further afforded educational opportunities to needy children to pursue further studies while also enabling eligible persons to do postgraduate studies in selected areas which would contribute to the economic development of the country.