Task Force to address plantation community challenges

COLOMBO: President Ranil Wickremesinghe has agreed to establish a Task Force to address the multifaceted challenges faced by Sri Lanka’s plantation communities, and to use the Indian grant of Rs. 3 billion towards bettering their livelihoods.

Taking to Twitter, Minister of Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development Jeevan Thondaman revealed that this was decided at a meeting with the Head of State held at the Presidential Secretariat.

“In a significant step towards advancing the well-being of plantation communities, President Ranil Wickremesinghe and I, concluded a pivotal meeting at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday. This meeting underscored our shared commitment to address pressing issued and introduced transformative solution to plantation communities”, he said.

Accordingly, several matters of concern, including the utilization of the Indian grant, land ownership and wage disparities were discussed.

Speaking on the utilisation of the Indian grant of Rs. 3 billion, Thondaman stated that it was agreed between him and the President that the money be used to catalyse substantive and sustainable changes within plantation communities.