A total of 1286 freehold deeds, covering all 15 Divisional Secretariat divisions within the Jaffna district, were distributed to residents, with President Ranil Wickremesinghe symbolically participating in the awarding ceremony.

Under the “Urumaya” programme, a further 13,858 freehold deeds are scheduled for distribution across the Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, Vavuniya, and Mannar districts of the Northern Province, the President’s Media Division said.

During his address at the ceremony, President Wickremesinghe announced the revival of the Northern Province housing project next year, which had been stalled due to the recent economic downturn.

Wickremesinghe also said that Sri Lanka holds a unique status as the sole South Asian nation offering free land rights to its citizens.

The President noted that the ‘Urumaya’ programme is therefore the nation’s largest privatization endeavour.

“Our objective is to extend this initiative across all regions of the island, ensuring every individual is liberated and granted land rights in their respective areas of residence,” he said.

“I have authorized the recruitment of 100 new personnel for the Land Commissioner’s Office and 150 for the Surveying Department. This strategic augmentation will enable us to execute this program with utmost efficiency moving forward.” President Wickremesinghe added.