Poverty and unemployment are higher in the Northern Province than anywhere else in Sri Lanka, the Chief Minister has said.
Presenting the data at the Northern Provincial Council's second budget reading on Tuesday, Chief Minister Wigneswaran said that out of all 25 districts on the island, Kilinochchi was the poorest.
Mullaitivu, which was previously the poorest district, is now number 2 on the list of poverty by district.
Jaffna is the 5th poorest district on the island, the Chief Minister said.
The level of unemployment is also higest in the Northern Province than in any other province.
Tackling poverty in the Vanni and creating private and public job opportunities would be a priority for the Northern Provincial Council in 2018, the Chief Minister said.
