President presides over the 11th phase of 'Discussion with the village'

Colombo (News 1st): The 11th phase of the 'discussion with the village' was held in Karuwalagaswewa, Puttlam today (20th) under the patronage of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The President first visited the Muriyakulam Primary School in Puttlam and later attended a meeting organized at the Karuwalagaswewa public hall. "There are many who oppose this program and point out mistakes in it. They fear that they might lose their opportunities in the future when the head of state goes to the people directly. That is exactly why this program must be carried forward. That is the tactic. Somethings I say are incorrectly interpreted", said the President. "Due to a mistake on the part of forest conservation officials, the limits of the forest reserves have been marked in areas that were once traditional farming grounds of the people in these villages. So we held discussions and decided on a policy to allow these people to farm on these lands. I don't know what exactly is it that they don't understand. What I said was very clear", he added. The President noted deforestation must be stopped immediately if it is taking place. He also pointed out, campaigns are being conducted on social media to sabotage the President's programs.