President pledged to nurture budding entrepreneurs through regional youth centres

President Ranil Wickremesinghe expressed his firm conviction in his ability to shape the Sri Lanka that the nation’s youth envision. Embracing the daunting task of revitalizing Sri Lanka’s faltering economy, which many deemed challenging, the President underscored his success in stabilizing the nation’s economic trajectory within a mere two years, the President’s Media Division (PMD) reported.

He emphasized that unity was the sole requisite for propelling the country towards progress.

Addressing a gathering of young Members of Parliament and emerging political figures from the Nuwara Eliya district at the Nuwara Eliya Presidential Palace today (18), President Ranil Wickremesinghe reiterated his commitment to fostering the region’s development into a premier tourist destination. 

Despite criticisms levelled against the government’s initiatives for Nuwara Eliya’s advancement, the President asserted that with widespread support, such efforts could catalyse a transformative shift in the nation’s economic landscape.

Furthermore, President Wickremesinghe cautioned against the pitfalls of antiquated political strategies, emphasizing the imperative of concerted efforts to attract essential investments for national development. 

He highlighted the people’s jubilant celebration of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year under the government’s sound economic policies, noting a marked increase in people’s livelihoods across various sectors. His overarching goal, he stated, was to ensure that these benefits reached every segment of society.

The young parliamentarians apprised the President of the challenges they encounter and presented their proposals pertaining to the nation’s development agenda.

In a bid to empower the youth demographic, the President outlined plans to establish regional youth centres in each divisional secretariat division. He pledged to nurture budding entrepreneurs through these centres, with intentions to engage bank executives and trade board members in the process.

Mr. Ashoka Herath, the candidate for Nuwara Eliya District Member of Parliament representing the Samagi Jana Balawega, expressed his endorsement of the President’s program despite his affiliation with another party during the event. He emphasized his backing for the program, highlighting its importance, it added.

He noted that had everyone supported the “Yali Pubudamu Sri Lanka” program initiated in 2001 while the President was the Prime Minister and was scheduled to conclude in 2025, Sri Lanka would have already achieved developed status. He also lamented the undermining of the ongoing program aimed at transforming the country into a developed nation by 2048.

Furthermore, Mr. Ashoka Herath stated his commitment to providing necessary support over the next two years to extend President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s leadership for another decade, facilitating a revolutionary transformation of the nation.

The event also saw the participation of former Member of Parliament K.K. Piyadasa, Former Mayor of the Nuwara Eliya Municipal Council Chandana Lal Karunaratne and a group of former municipal councillors and regional youth politicians from the Nuwara Eliya district, according to the PMD.