MP Ganesan Wins Assurance Over NEVIDA’s Future
Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure Samantha Vidyaratna has reassured stakeholders that the New Villages Development Authority (NEVIDA) for the Plantation Region will not be dissolved, amid concerns over its potential downgrading under the current administration.
Speaking on the sidelines of Wednesday’s parliamentary sessions, Minister Vidyaratna told Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) leader, MP Mano Ganesan, that the government is committed to advancing NEVIDA’s mandate.
“We will continue to take it forward,” the minister stated, highlighting its role in supporting the development and empowerment of the Malaiyaha Tamil community in Sri Lanka’s plantation areas.
In response, MP Ganesan said on social media later: “We will quietly observe this matter until an official Cabinet decision is made.”
Established under Act No. 32 of 2018 during the Good Governance government — at the initiative of the TPA and with input from Malaiyaha civil society — NEVIDA coordinates multi-ministry efforts to address longstanding issues like land rights, housing, education, healthcare, and infrastructure for the historically marginalized Indian-origin Tamil population in the hill country, benefiting hundreds of thousands of families.
Recent reports of plans to convert NEVIDA into a mere division under an unspecified ministry sparked opposition from groups including the TPA and Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC).
Critics, including CWC General Secretary Jeevan Thondaman, argue that such a move would undermine decades of progress, violate equity principles, and reverse gains in tackling systemic inequities, especially amid calls from international human rights organizations for better protections.
The minister’s assurance may bring some relief to community leaders and activists, who see NEVIDA as a symbol of recognition for the Malaiyaha people’s contributions and struggles over the past 200 years.
However, government officials have not yet detailed how NEVIDA will be resourced or reformed, signaling a potential reversal from earlier indications of restructuring.
Stakeholders continue to call for increased funding and autonomy to ensure effective transformation of the plantation regions.
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, head of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya party, echoed these concerns in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
“For a very long time, the Malaiyaha community has endured historic injustices, from disenfranchisement to lack of land and housing,” he wrote. “Global human rights groups have rightly raised an alarm.”
Premadasa argued that abolishing NEVIDA would “undermine progress by bringing it under a temporary ministry structure versus the existing structure where there is coordination across multiple ministries to ensure essential development,” adding, “We must strengthen, not dismantle, institutions that defend their rights and dignity.”
In a letter to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, MP Ganesan had previously urged preservation of the authority, emphasizing its legal permanence as a statutory body.
“The preservation of the New Villages Development Authority for Plantation Region (NEVIDA) is not merely an administrative matter; it is a question of justice, equity, and the fulfillment of a historic responsibility toward a long-marginalized community under the globally accepted affirmative policy,” he wrote.
“I trust you will give this matter your most serious consideration and act in the best interests of the Malaiyaha Tamil community and the nation.”
Mano Ganesan is a key stalwart of the Premadasa-led SJB alliance.