News
Sajith signs MoU with several upcountry parties, promises to empower estate sector
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday emphasised that empowering the estate sector will be a top priority of a future SJB government.
Premadasa said so after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with several political parties representing the estate community. The event was attended by Democratic People’s Front (DPF) leader Mano Ganesan, National Union of Workers (NUW) leader Palani Thigambaram, and SJB MP M. Udayakumar.
“This document, consisting of seven chapters and 48 clauses, outlines the estate sector community’s aspirations to be fully integrated into the political, administrative, economic, and social fabric of Sri Lanka. It is not an agreement about the distribution of ministerial portfolios in an SJB administration,” said Premadasa.
Premadasa further pledged to establish a presidential task force dedicated to uplifting the estate sector community within 48 hours of his election as President. The Opposition leader also promised that under his administration, estate sector workers would be transformed into tea smallholders.
Speaking at the event, Ganesan said the estate sector community has been marginalized for 200 years. The agreement with the frontrunner in the coming election is a victory in itself, he said
Earlier in the day, Premadasa met with coconut cultivators and pledged to introduce a national policy for the coconut industry. The cultivators presented him with a policy framework they had developed, and Premadasa promised to establish a presidential task force to integrate all institutions involved in coconut cultivation.
“We currently earn around 740 million U.S. dollars from exporting coconut products, but we need to increase this to at least 2.5 billion dollars,” he stated.
Premadasa also noted that the country produces three billion coconuts annually, with a goal to boost production to 4.5 billion.
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Establishment of an Institutional Framework to Inagurate Upper Hydro Catchment Areas Management Authority
Policy approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was granted at their meeting held on 08.06.2026 to establish the Upper Hydro Catchment Areas Management Authority for identification and
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With the objective of securing the traditional livelihood and the eco system of the indigenous community, it has been recognized the necessity of introducing a formal regulation methodology to secure their engagement in livelihood activities by being more sensitive to the existing laws.
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who has been registered for securing the rights acquired from law or custom or usage or traditional stance to execute an act within a certain state land that is fundamental to the survival of the indigenous community permission can be granted
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the Minister of Environment to publish the said regulations in the government gazette notification and thereby submit to the Parliament for its concurrence.
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