Families possessing govt. lands to receive grants: PMD

COLOMBO (News 1st): Families who had been in possession of government lands without clear ownership started receiving grants under the patronage of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday (Mar. 08) at the Presidential Secretariat, the President's Media Division reported. According to the President's Media Division, the grant, awarded by the President, is considered a deed, indicating undisputed ownership of the specific land; the beneficiaries of this grant can obtain a bank loan placing them as collateral. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said that he expects to issue 100,000 ownership grants before the end of this year. President Rajapaksa presented grants to 19 people representing all provinces to symbolize the launch of the program on Monday (08). The program is jointly carried out by the Presidential Secretariat, the Ministry of Lands, and the Ministry of Mahaweli. The government’s objective is to ensure that every family owns land with undisputed ownership as envisioned in the National Policy Framework “Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour”, the President's Media Division said. According to the PMD, under the provisions of the Land Development Ordinance and the State Land Ordinance, grants will be awarded to 20,000 persons based on legal criteria covering the entire island during the first phase of the program. The program prioritizes low-income families whose livelihood is cultivation. The government intends to empower and encourage them by providing ownership rights to their lands in order to increase their level of income, the President's Media Divison noted. The recipients of these lands can use them to build a house, for agricultural purposes, for other crops, and for business activities. It is expected to strengthen the national economy with the contribution made by the recipients of these lands via effective and full utilization of them. Minister S.M. Chandrasena, State Ministers Siripala Gamalath, and Anuradha Jayaratne, Secretary to the President P.B. Jayasundera, Principal Adviser to the President Lalith Weeratunga, and Secretaries and officials of line ministries were also present at the occasion, according to the President's Media Division.