Boosting Uva economy under Pubudamu Nava Uva Vellassak

The inaugural session of the Uva Provincial Council chaired by Governor C. Nanda Mathew was held on August 26 with the participation of Chief Minister, Shasheendra Rajapaksa and the ruling party and opposition councillors. Pubudamu Nava Uva Vellassak would be the Council's master plan for the development of the province. This article examines the challenges faced by the ruling party as well as the Opposition in ensuring the prosperity of the province.

Uva is the third largest province in the country with a total land area of 8,335 square kilometres. Disproportionate to the size, the population stands at 1,275,000.

Infrastructure development including highways, port and aviation services, development of education and health and improved quality life are regarded as the three main components of an advanced economy. Most of the developed countries have however, succeeded in attaining only the first two priorities.

Sri Lanka is targetted to achieve all the three components under the Mahinda Chintana ten year development blueprint and policies. Ground work has already been laid in this direction.

Time is opportune to consider the importance of a population rich in values and qualities despite material possessions such as vehicles and other personal properties.

Mahinda Chintanaya envisioned symmetrical development in all parts of the country as against the hitherto practice of limiting development to Western Province only. Uva Provincial Councillors are called upon to shoulder the burden of redeveloping their province noted for the least development of infrastructure facilities.

At the recent swearing-in ceremony of the Uva Provincial Council, President Mahinda Rajapaksa remarked that if the elected Councillors would dedicate themselves to develop Uva with the speed and commitment with which they conducted their election propaganda, no doubt the province would be the most developed one in the country.

Let us examine the situation relating to education in the province. Whilst the Western province enjoys the highest literacy rate in the country which is 96.4 percent, the Uva register only 88.3 percent. The Eastern Province has the lowest rate of 86.6 percent.

As far as the non-schoolgoing population is concerned Uva is only second to Eastern Province, with a rate of 11.9 percent. The percentage of school drop-outs after primary education in Uva is 35.6 and East 37.9.

The Western Province registers the highest number of students who have completed their secondary education and left schools. It is 45.5 percent. Uva has the least number of students who have reached secondary level, amounting to 38.7 percent. It has recorded the lowest number of graduates and those with post graduate qualifications in the island. It is 13.8 percent.

Uva is naturally endowed with the potential for development with fertile lands running into thousands of acres. Reawakening of Uva back to its pristine glory is the prime task of the present political leadership in the country.

What is necessary is the wise political leadership and positive ideology. With its endowments Uva is inevitably targetted to be the most developed province in the country.