A special discussion was held this evening – on Friday 13 February 2026, at the Governor’s Secretariat under the Chairmanship of the Hon. Governor of the Northern Province, N. Vethanayahan, with the objective of finding solutions to the challenges faced by the agriculture, livestock development, irrigation, and inland fisheries sectors in the Northern Province.
During the meeting, extensive deliberations were held on ways to obtain additional financial allocations and assistance from the relevant line ministries of the central government, beyond the limited funds allocated to the Provincial Council. Discussions also focused on addressing sector-specific issues encountered by the provincial departments.
In particular, officials highlighted the challenges faced by the Provincial Department of Agriculture, the Department of Animal Production and Health, and the Department of Irrigation in implementing their development projects due to restrictions imposed by the Department of Forest Conservation.
Expressing his views at the meeting, Hon. Member of Parliament S. Thilakanathan stated, “I will present the data concerning these challenges faced by our provincial departments at the oversight committee meetings of the relevant line ministries.”
The Secretary to the Governor, the Secretary of the Provincial Ministry of Agriculture and the Directors of the respective provincial departments participated in the discussion.
