President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, delivering the government’s policy statement in the House this morning said that no changes have been made to the green agriculture policy implemented by his administration. The president arrived at the Parliament this morning for the ceremonial opening of the second session of the 9th Parliament. In his speech the president said government’s plans and intentions for implementing the green agriculture policy were not communicated properly and several practical issues in introducing it were politicized, the President said adding that this resulted in a misunderstanding about the program. He said the government hopes to rectify the mistakes it had made when implementing the green agriculture policy and to take it forward in a more efficient manner. The President said the government has spent large sums of money to protect the lives of the people from the virus infection. He said government has also taken measures to provide assistance to daily wage earners who lost their livelihood due to the outbreak of the pandemic. The president pointed out despite all economic difficulties, the government went on to prioritize the health and well-being of the citizens. The President called on the Members of Parliament to work together as public representatives to fulfil their national responsibility to defeat the pandemic and to protect the people by setting aside the differences in their political views. President Rajapaksa said government would not under any circumstances allow any human rights violations to take place in the country and urged politicians to refrain from provoking people for petty political gains. The president reiterated that Sri Lanka is ready to respond positively to the observations of the international community. He urged all lawmakers representing the people of the northern and eastern parts of the island to set aside the differences in their political views and to support the government in its efforts to uplift the livelihoods of the people in those areas. The President said rule of law and its transparency is indispensable to strengthen democracy. The president said that he has not made any political appointments to the judiciary or the Attorney General’s Department ever since he was elected the Head of State. President Gotabhaya Rajapakse also disclosed plans to make Sri Lanka an internationally recognized investment hub within the next three years and to prioritize importation of electric vehicles.