Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2017-02-28

Implementation of the Enterprise Based Village Development Projects

- Although, the socio economic standard of the Northern and Eastern Provinces have risen considerably after the end of the conflict, these regions still lag behind other Provinces in important aspects like income equality and poverty. As such, the Government has focussed its attention to extend the opportunities of the people of the Northern and Eastern Provinces to expand their economic participation, providing support for the upliftment of small entrepreneurs and thereby to raise their standards of living. Accordingly, the proposal made by H.E. the President Maithripala Sirisena, in his capacity as the Minister of National Integration and Reconciliation, for the implementation of the Enterprise Development Project under the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR), with a view to providing a concessionary loan up to a maximum limit of Rs.250,000, for 1,785 small scale entrepreneurs selected representing all 08 Districts of the Northern and Eastern Provinces, with the financial support of the Regional Development Bank and the SANASA Federation, was approved by the Cabinet.