The Cabinet has approved Rs.1,475 million for a “10 Cities Development Programme” that will fast-track urban modernisation and city-branding work across ten towns, Cabinet Spokesperson Nalinda Jayatissa announced.

The programme covers Jaffna, Matale, Hatton, Batticaloa, Chilaw, Thambuttegama, Vavuniya, Eheliyagoda, Badulla and Matara, with 217 prioritised projects identified through what the minister described as a data-based approach to urban development. Jayatissa did not explain the criteria used to select the ten cities — though the list notably includes Thambuttegama, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s hometown.

Of the Rs.1,475 million package, Rs.500 million was already set aside in the 2026 budget for these cities. A separate Rs.1,300 million has been allocated to the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development to redevelop and brand a parallel set of cities — Anuradhapura, Kataragama, Colombo and Kandy — with Rs.325 million budgeted to be spent this year.

The government’s stated aim is to attract domestic and international tourists by building distinctive city identities. “When it comes to attracting domestic and international tourists, developing those cities in a manner that creates a unique identity is a globally recognised concept. That is exactly what branding is,” Jayatissa told reporters.

The plan will not impose uniform development across the listed cities, the minister said. “This does not mean developing Anuradhapura, Colombo, Matara, and Trincomalee all in the exact same manner. Instead, the expectation is to implement development projects by taking the unique characteristics existing within those respective cities into consideration.”

The 10 Cities plan adds to a growing list of infrastructure spend approved in recent weeks, including the Central Expressway Section 3 Phase 2 Rambukkana–Galagedara groundbreaking where AKD framed FDI and an Investment Protection Act as the policy response to dollar-side vulnerability.

Update — June 17: “Livable Cities” branding, October launch

The Urban Development Authority on June 17 named the programme “Livable Cities” and confirmed an October launch date, UDA Director General Damith Dissanayake said. The Rs.1.475 billion budget and the same ten-city footprint — Jaffna, Vavuniya, Matale, Hatton, Batticaloa, Chilaw, Thambuttegama, Badulla, Eheliyagoda and Matara — remain unchanged from the Cabinet approval two weeks earlier.

Dissanayake said projects will be carried out under integrated development plans prepared by the UDA, focusing on urban drainage systems, transport planning, multimodal transport hubs, commercial complexes and housing schemes. The scope also covers public recreational spaces, sanitation upgrades, solid waste management, roads and bridges, drinking water access, and public amenities such as markets and parking facilities.