The Provincial Councils (Amendment) Bill which was endorsed by the Speaker on Friday, making it law, is a milestone, marking their future
political partnership, Minister of Up Country New Villages, Estate Infrastructure and Community Development, Palany Digambaram told the Sunday Observer.
“Today, there is only a single female Provincial Council member in the Central PC representing the plantation women, from his political party, the National Union of Workers.
The other plantation political parties would make it their prime activity identifying suitable women candidates to contest the Provincial Council elections,” he said.
Speaking on new programs that have been initiated through the Ministry of Upcountry New Villages, Estate Infrastructure and Community Development, the Minister said that the program of the national unity government on giving land titles for seven perches of land with independent houses will take off in the near future as finalisation of the program is almost complete.
The 42 Prajasakthi Centres in the plantation areas, offering computer training and empowerment programs to plantation children, and the Pool Bank Vocational Centre in Hatton, which were brought under the purview of his ministry, are now fully functional as autonomous bodies without any political interference and the Government of India donated Rs.199 million recently to update and modernize the IT lab.
India has also promised to provide hybrid vehicles of recent manufacture for motor mechanical training, Minister Digambaram said.