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US-funded MCC grant not linked to any military tie-up, says local counterpart
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Sri Lanka’s newly appointed ambassador to the United States, Rodney Perera, met briefly with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the Independence Day Celebration reception hosted by the State Department at its premises in Washington DC on July 4. Secretary Pompeo expressed his regret for not being able to visit Sri Lanka last month due to scheduling conflicts, but said he would reschedule a visit to Colombo. Picture shows Secretary Pompeo and Ambassador Perera with their spouses.
The local counterpart of the US-funded Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) rubbished reports that the US$ 450 million grant was linked to the controversial ACSA and SOFA military tie-ups and that it was aimed at securing an ‘Economic Corridor’ around Trincomalee.
MCC Project National Coordinator R. Siriwardhane told the Sunday Times that the MCC was a donor funding organisation which provides financial assistance to low income countries and that Sri Lanka was qualified to get the grant in terms of the MCC’s selection critieria. The money is to be invested in land and transport sector reforms.
The grant is to be spread over five years and awaits Cabinet approval in Sri Lanka.
The grant will be spent on an advanced traffic management system covering the Colombo Metropolitan area, a bus sector modernisation programme, a project to improve a 131 km road network covering the Central Ring Road and a land administration programme covering eight administrative districts.
Asked what the land administrative programme entailed, Mr. Siriwardene said it covered the districts of Gampaha, Kandy, Kegalle, Matale, Kurunegala, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Trincomalee and included the creation of a Cadastral Map of land parcels and a complete inventory of state lands. It would provide data to be entered into the Government’s e-State Land Information System (eSLIMS).
The programme is also aimed at improving state and private land valuation process, strengthening the Valuation Department, improving the Deed Registry by digitalising existing records, improving tenure security by expanding the Government’s Bim Saviya programme, and supporting research to improve land administration policy.