Northern Provincial Council Opposition Leader S Thavarajah says that the province is not starved of funds, and the Governor is not wantonly blocking statutes passed by the Northern Provincial Council (NPC).

“As per the National Budget Estimates for 2014, NP got the highest allocation for capital expenditure among the provinces. It also got the highest amount for recurrent expenditure per capita,” he has told The New Indian Express.

Northern Province was allocated Rs. 11.6 billion (US$ 88.7 million) for recurrent expenditure, which is Rs. 16,369 (US$ 125) per capita, when the average for the rest of the eight provinces is Rs. 10,000 (US$ 76.3) per capita. “Moreover, the Centre meets all the recurring expenditure of NP,” Thavarajah has stressed.

Furthermore, the central government had allocated Rs. 5831 million (US$ 44.5 million) for capital expenditure which is the highest among the provinces. Western Province, for example, got only Rs. 2755 million (US$ 21 million). Southern Province received Rs. 2093 million (US$ 16 million).

Meanwhile, the Opposition Leader of NPC has also said that LKR 1315 million (US$ 10 million) of the LKR 5831 million (US$ 44.5 million) was allocated to the NP for its own capital expenditure projects, but out of it, only 30 per cent has been used so far. There is no room for the grouse that the Governor is withholding assent to statutes passed by the NPC, he points out.

“The Finance Statute is being amended as per the suggestions of the Governor. He has assented to the setting up of a Revenue Department. As regards the statute on collecting Turnover Tax, there is no dispute, though it will be financially advantageous for the NP to take the advice of President Rajapaksa.” Thavarajah has told media. As regards the statute to set up a CM’s Fund, such a fund cannot be set up under the Provincial Councils Act, Thavarajah pointed out.

Meanwhile Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa had said recently that the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) should work with existing powers before demanding further devolution.

Speaking on the Northern Provincial Council’s role in development projects in the island’s former war zone, Basil Rajapaksa said the government’s development work in the north had slowed down because of little cooperation from provincial government, pointing to the delay in completion of the railway line to Jaffna.