Annual Report 2008 - Ministry of Finance and Planning

6. A Sectoral Perspective
257
Access to Postal Services
Two sub post offices have been upgraded to the post offices
with modern communication facilities in 2008. However, the
post office network remained unchanged in 2008. Additional
revenue sources have been added/improved to the system
such as providing banking facilities, insurance premium
collection, and selling pre-paid phone cards etc.
The total investment in the postal sector was increased by
Rs. 135 million in 2008 compared to 2007. Rs. 183.8 million
was allocated for construction of new buildings and Rs.
17.2 mn. was allocated for renovation works of post offices.
Various strategies such as international money transfer
through Western Unions are being introduced for generation
of new income avenues to the postal system. The postal
losses remained extremly high at Rs. 2,143 million in 2008
However, the postal revenue increased by 71 percent in 2008
due to the increase in postal charges.
Table 6.18
Postal Networking and Investment
Postal Services 2005 2006 2007 2008
Delivery Areas(No) 6,729 6,729 6,729 6,729
Post Offices(No) 4,704 4,727 4,737 4,737
Public 4,041 4,043 4,053 4,053
Main Post Offices 633 636 641 643
Sub Post Offices 3,408 3,407 3,412 3,410
Private 663 684 684 684
Agency Post Offices 442 463 463 463
Rural Agency Post Offices 156 156 156 156
Estate Agency Post Offices 65 65 65 65
Area Served by a Post Office (Sq.Km) 13.9 13.8 13.8 13.8
Population served by a Post Office(No) 4,100 4,167 4,252 4,259
Letters per Inhabitant(No) 25 24 23 21
Public Investment(Rs.Mn) 211 617 297 432
Source: Department of Postal
Access to Housing
Government as a facilitator in housing development,
continued a number of projects and programmes in 2008
to provide affordable houses particularly for low income
households and several targeted groups.
Townships for Service Personnel Project continued in 2008 to
construct 1,700 houses with other infrastructure facilities for
Tri-Services personnel at Ipalogama in the Anuradhapura
district. Road work at a cost of Rs. 276 million and 500
housing units were completed during the year.
904 housing units were completed in 2008 on a self-help
basis under the State Housing Loan Programme with a
total disbursement of Rs. 141 million. 1,094 new houses and
131 partly built houses were completed in 2008 under the
Housing for Displaced Families (Puttlam) Programme. This
provided permanent shelter for IDP’s living in welfare camps
in the Puttlam District.
North East Housing Reconstruction Programme commenced
with the objective of assisting the conflict affected
communities in the Northern and Eastern provinces through
the improvement and reconstruction of housing where
24,580 housing units were completed and the construction
work of another 13,976 housing units are in progress.
Ministry of Finance and Planning Sri Lanka
Annual Report 2008