37. Interpretation

For the purposes of this Act –

“development project” means, any activity whether public or private which generates production, income, employment or improves economic, social or environmental conditions in the designated areas;

“Disaster Management Centre” means, the

Disaster Management Centre established under the Sri Lanka Disaster Management

Act, No. 13 of 2005;

“Estates” means, the areas of land where tea, rubber, coconut or oil palm are cultivated in more than 20 acres with more than 10

resident labourers;

“implementing agencies” means, the government

Ministries and Departments that are assigned with the task of implementing various programmes of the Government at national, provincial, district and divisional levels;

“Minister” means, the Minister assigned the subject of Hill Country New Villages,

Infrastructure and

Community

Development;

“National Building Research Organization”

means, the National Building Research

Organization functioning under the Ministry of the Minister assigned the subject of

Disaster Management;

“new villages” means, the villages that are set up by replacing the existing line room housing in Estates with single houses and improved basic infrastructure facilities within those

Estates;

“plantation community” means, the legal residents comprising workers and non -

workers living in the Estates;

“plantation companies” means, the plantation companies incorporated by a certificate of incorporation issued under section 15(1) of the Companies Act, No. 17 of 1982 as repealed and replaced by Act, No. 7 of 2007, in terms of section 2 of the Conversion of

Public Corporations or Government Owned

Business Undertakings into Public

Companies Act, No. 23 of 1987, and in respect of which long term lease agreements have been entered into with the Janatha

Estate Development Board (JEDB) or the Sri

Lanka State Plantation Corporation established by the Sri Lanka State

Plantations Corporation Act, No. 4 of 1958, as the case may be, for the management of identified tea, rubber and coconut estates for a given period;

“Plantation Region” means, the areas coming under the Divisional Secretary’s Divisions in the Districts of the Central, Uva,

Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Western, North

Central and North Western Provinces, where the resident labourers live in the Estates in which tea, rubber, coconut or oil palm is cultivated;

“relevant Ministers” means, the Minister assigned the subject of Finance, the

Minister assigned the subject of Plantation

Industries, the Minister assigned the subject of Public Enterprise Development and the Minister assigned the subject of

Lands who have been legally mandated to oversee the utilization of estate lands.