President Ranil Wickramasinghe said that it is his aim to strengthen youth organizations such as the scout movement, the cadet corps and the youth corps in every way and to make the youth contribute widely for the country’s progress. Sri Lanka Latest News
Pointing out that the government has already allocated the necessary provisions for that, the President said that the necessary provisions will be allocated in the future as well.
President Ranil Wickramasinghe mentioned this while attending the ceremony held today (31) at the Bandaranaike International Conference Hall in Colombo for the presentation of Presidential Medals to the members of the Sri Lanka Bala Dakshika Association.
The President also said that the necessary support will be provided to increase the membership of the scouting movement from 75,000 to 150,000.
The President pointed out that the drug prevention program can also be widely contributed through youth organizations such as scout movement, cadet corps and youth corps.
President Ranil Wickramasinghe presided over the awarding of presidential medals to 2000 young talents.
The President of the Sri Lanka Scout Association Mrs. Shanti Wilson presented a special souvenir gift for the President Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe.
Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe, who spoke further, said:
I have a good understanding of Scouting. Several members of my family were active in this organization. We need to further develop the scouting business. A request was made to provide a necessary building for the Scout Association. It should be noted that steps will be taken to fulfill that request. The government has allocated the necessary money for the scouting movement, the cadet corps as well as the youth corps. It is hoped that the government will provide a separate amount of money for the implementation of other organizations.
The ability to allocate money in this way is because the government now has a lot of money. When I took over this country, the government had no money. We have now passed through difficult times. We have now stopped giving money to loss-making state corporations. Also, foreign loans have been stopped. The amount of debt we have to pay has also decreased. So now the government has some amount of money. I hope to use that money for the youth.
At present, a comprehensive program is being prepared for education. We have to spend a lot of money for it in the next few years. We are planning to allocate the necessary money for the health sector as well.
The education sector cannot be limited to books. Children should find new opportunities to advance. We will spend money for that in the future. We hope to develop the scouting movement in all aspects. The membership of 75,000 should be increased to 150,000 in the future. The government hopes to provide the necessary support.
We can accomplish a great deal through this organization. When discussed with the anti-narcotics committee, they mentioned that there should be more scouting organizations and cadet forces in schools. It can make a big contribution to the anti-narcotics program.
Also, it is possible to provide government assistance for some time to establish scout camps at the district level and national level. I wish you all the best, requesting that you work together with the Ministry of Education to implement those programs.
Secretary of the Ministry of Education Thilaka Jayasundara, Commissioner of the Sri Lanka Bala Dakshya Association Mr. and Mrs. Pesarith Fernando and a large number of gifted students were present on this occasion.
