Every day, every waking moment, citizens living here and by extension, the people of our origin overseas remember, ask and wish to be reassured, that the government cares and is working for the welfare, development, and progress as a whole of the people who inhabit the province. 

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As 2022 dawned we said, "We believe that our province, the Northern Province, should be a place where any one of us can pursue and achieve our dreams. It should be a place where no one is left behind, and most importantly a place that celebrates diversity and champions equality. I believe that by embarking on a journey of inclusive development, we can leave behind the challenges of the past forever, and never again regress into conflict – for any reason!” 

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We have an 80% rural and 20% urban demographic presence. Our unemployment rate of 5 % is above the national average of 4.8%. When it comes to poverty headcount in relation to the national poverty headcount, three (3) out of five (5) districts are in the first five (5) nationally. The last two readings do not give us a reason to be happy. We are blessed with 1.26 Mn willing minds and hands with relatives and persons of origin overseas from the province who have immense skills, resources, and goodwill.  

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As the incumbent Governor, the vision is to “Celebrate diversity, champion equality, and achieve inclusive development.” The Mission is, “A safe, thriving, buzzing province, where the government is responsive, and the people are happy.” A Governor is a constitutional functionary.  I have thus set myself these objectives - Protection of the Constitution as the delegate of the President, Optimal interconnectivity with the central government and province for governance, maximum benefits to the province granted from the Constitution, and set out to achieve gold standards in governance for sustainable development. 

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I have taken the initiative upon myself to drive the Northern Province to become a leader both locally among the 9 provinces as well as regionally in economic development and performance. We plan on turning around the fortunes of all its citizens, setting an example that the rest of Sri Lanka can follow in bucking the trend to become a regional economic force. This Plan is aligned with the globally accepted UN framework of sustainable development.  

This vision is data and digitally driven. The Jump team sitting, convened, and managed independent of the Office of the Governor will help formulate, communicate, execute, lay KPIs & measure the performance of the province on a near real-time basis using cutting-edge digital technology. It has an independent Board with depth, integrity, and skills required for the call.