The Sri Lankan government on Thursday said it will launch special projects in the war-ravaged north to improve living conditions there.
Media Minister Gayantha Karunathilaka said in line with a proposal submitted to the cabinet by Minister of Rehabilitation and Resettlement D.M. Swaminathan, the government had approved implementation of 10 projects to upgrade the living status of these communities.
The projects are to be implemented for the families residing in more than six islands around the northern Jaffna peninsula, Xinhua news agency quoted Karunathilaka as saying.
The projects include upgrading the transport system in these areas for families to travel from the islands to the mainland.
Sri Lanka's north was the worst affected in the 30-year civil war between government troops and the Tamil Tigers and was almost cut off for years from the rest of the country.
After the end of the conflict in May 2009 with the defeat of the Tigers, thousands of people were left displaced in the north.
In June, government officials in the Northern Province called for private investments in many key areas including construction and healthcare in order to improve the conditions in the former war zone.