Consulate General of India
Jaffna
Press Release
The 65th Republic Day of India was celebrated at the Consulate General of India, Jaffna on January 26, 2014. Mr. V Mahalingam, Consul General hoisted the Indian National Flag at 9.00 AM and read out the message of Hon’ble President of India H.E. Pranab Mukherjee. Consul General also spoke about the various development projects in Northern Province that has been undertaken since the last one year.
The morning Flag hoisting ceremony was well attended by the Indian Nationals resident in Northern Province along with their families and children.
Consul General of India Mr. V. Mahalingam also hosted an evening reception on the occasion of the 65th Republic Day of India. Chief Guest at the event was Hon’bleG..A. Chandrasiri Governor of the Northern Province and Guest of Honour for the evening was Hon’ble Justice C.V.Wigneswaran, Chief Minister of the Northern Province. Other prominent invitees in attendance included Member of Parliament Hon. Silvestri Alantin and Jaffna Security Forces Commander Major General Udaya Perera. All the four Ministers of the Northern Provincial Council Hon. P Ainkaranesan, Hon. T Kurukularasa, Hon. Dr.P.Sathiyalingam, Hon. B.Deniswaran, also attended the reception along with other members of the newly elected Northern Province Council. GA Killinochchi, GA Mullaitivu and Vice Chancellor University of Jaffna, also graced the occasion.
Consul General addressed the gathering of over 400 members comprising prominent members of the Civil Society, Religious leaders, members of the Pradeshiya Sabhas, Chambers of Commerce, Business community, Doctors, Academia, prominent Cultural personalities of Northern Province and members of the Indian community in the Northern Province.
Consul General in his address thanked Hon’ble Governor Mr. G.A. Chandrasiri and Hon’ble Chief Minister Justice C.V. Wigneswaran for having accepted the invitation to attend the event.
Beginning his address, Consul General briefly highlighted the contents of the message of the Hon’ble President of India H.E. Pranab Mukherjee rendered on the eve of the 65th Republic Day of India to the citizens of India. He also highlighted the fact that India’s Foreign Minister H.E. Mr. Salman Khurshid was the first foreign dignitary to visit Jaffna after Northern Provincial Council assuming office and his interaction with Hon’ble Governor, Hon’ble Chief Minister and Members of the Northern Province Council. Consul General thereafter covered the entire gamut of Development Partnership projects that Government of India has embarked in the Northern Province since the cessation of hostilities in May 2009. He highlighted the flagship programme of the Housing Project - both the Pilot Project completed in 2012 when 1000 houses were constructed and the Second Phase of the Housing Project where over 43000 houses are proposed to be constructed under the beneficiary driven programme. He informed that as on December 2013, 10,250 houses have been already constructed. The rehabilitation of the Kankesanthurai Port under Indian Grant Assistance and the partially re-laid Palaly Airport runway was alsorecalled in his address. He also referred to the Government of India assistance to the renovation and upgradation of the Northsea Fishnet Factory in Gurunagar, Atchuvely Industrial Estate, construction of the Vavuniya 200 bed hospital, assistance to the Small business damaged during the hostilities in Killinochchi and Mullaitivu districts. Consul General also conveyed to the large gathering that the, IRCON railway line project is nearing completion and the Yarl Devi express is now likely to reach Jaffna in June 2014 if not ahead of schedule. On the future projects to be taken in 2014, Consul General referred to the construction of Jaffna Cultural Centre, renovation of the Duraiyappa Stadium in Jaffna, Language lab at Kopay and Handicraft Village at Kaithady. On the Cultural front, the Consulate’s plans to continue to organise a Music festival – Divine Ecstasy, to coincide with the Nallur festival in Jaffna and the soon to begin restoration of the Thirukeeteswaram Temple in Mannar for which the rock pillars and sculptures are being carved at Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu to be shipped to Mannar.
Hon’ble Governor Chandrasiri in his remarks thanked for the assistance of the Government of India in the various projects highlighted by Consul General in his address. He mentioned that all these projects had made a significant contribution to the Northern Province and its people. He thanked the Government of India for the continued support it extends to the people of Northern Province.
The evening ended with a cultural performance of Classical vocal Indian music by the students of the “India Corner” led by Smt. Vachaspathy Rajeendran, the Teacher of the Classical vocal music at the India Corner set up at the Consulate General of India with assistance from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, New Delhi.
----------
.JPG)
