TNA Batticaloa District MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam has tabled a parliamentary motion calling for the establishment of a special USD 250 million National Development Fund (NDF) to revive economically lagging regions hit by decades of civil conflict and chronic neglect, The Island reported.
The motion proposes a 10+2-year programme covering the Northern and Eastern Provinces, Monaragala District and Nuwara Eliya District. The fund would draw on government contributions, bilateral and multilateral agencies, private investors and philanthropic donors to address what the motion describes as “deep-rooted economic inequalities” aggravated by the ongoing economic crisis.
The Northern and Eastern Provinces continue to suffer severe economic deprivation owing to the protracted civil conflict and historical neglect, the motion noted, while other underdeveloped districts have faced persistent marginalisation in national development planning.
Investment priorities outlined in the proposal include reviving rural livelihoods through agriculture, fisheries and cottage industries; infrastructure for employment generation; women’s socio-economic empowerment; activating idle assets to support SMEs and cooperatives; and renewable energy projects. A Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) would be established to strengthen local institutional capacity and bridge investment-viability gaps.
The motion places special emphasis on gender inclusivity, seeking measurable targets to expand women’s participation in economic activity and decision-making across all investment sectors. It calls on ministries, provincial councils and local government bodies to coordinate with the fund to ensure equitable regional coverage, accountability and sustainability.
The proposal extends Rasamanickam’s recent push for a bipartisan macroeconomic response on regional disparities and adds a concrete financing mechanism to long-standing calls from northern and eastern lawmakers for targeted post-conflict development funding. Japan’s joint grant programme for demining in the North and East, announced this week, addresses a parallel reconstruction need that the NDF’s livelihood and infrastructure components are designed to complement.
Source: The Island.
