Al Jazeera's 101 East programme examined the plight of thousands of widows struggling to survive, mainly in the North-East of Sri Lanka.

Speaking to several Tamil and one Sinhalese war widow, the programme highlighted the lack of support received by the Tamil women.

When questioned by Al Jazeera correspondent Drew Ambrose about the obvious difference in support given out, the minister of women's affairs, Chandrani Bandara denied that the Tamil war widows are not taken care of.

The Tamil Nadu state government unveiled its Vision 2023 plan which lays out future infrastructure development worth $25 billion (Rs1.5 trillion), reported the Economic Times.

"Tamil Nadu is an industry-friendly state and a big manufacturing hub with presence of many internationally renowned multinationals," Tamil Nadu Industries Minister P Thangamani said today in Mumbai, at a roadshow for Tamil Nadu Global Investors Meet 2015, due to take place in Chennai in September.

According to the minister, the state government has already signed 33 MoUs with private companies which will create around 162,000 jobs.

Parliamentarians form the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) stated no constructive measures have been taken on a range of issues affecting the Tamils of the North-East, and called for support of the 19th amendment to be reconsidered.

A federal arrangement that recognises Tamils as a distinct nation would solve the ethnic problem in a united Sri Lanka, said the leader of the Tamil National People’s Front leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam.

Highlighting successive attempts by the Sri Lankan state to dismantle the Tamil nation, the TNPF leader added,

“There has been a systematic effort on the part of consecutive regimes to dismantle the existence of Tamils as a nation.”

Questioning allegations that he was a political extremist, Mr Ponnambalam, in an interview with Ceylon Today, said,

“Why is it extremism to say that Sri Lanka is not a Sinhala-Buddhist country, it is not only the Sinhalese but the Tamils, Muslims and the Up country Tamils. Why is insisting that Sri Lanka belongs to its entire people considered extremism? We are not asking for a separate state, we are asking Sri Lanka to recognise its entire people and particularly the Tamils for the identity as a distinct nationality in a distinct nation.”

The Sri Lanka campaign, in an analysis of the new president’s first 100 days in power found that 21 of the 30 benchmarks that the NGO had set to judge the new regime by, had seen no substantial progress.

Highlighting that issues which saw a lack of progress “disproportionately affected the Tamil community,” the report found that the Sri Lankan government was “far less willing” to deal with issues such as militarisation and accountability, adding that “elements of policy still remain in the hands of a deeply embedded security apparatus whose attitude has not changed since the days of the previous regime.”

“The need for the international community to maintain its interest in Sri Lanka, and push the Sri Lankan government towards meaningful reform has never been more evident,” the Sri Lanka Campaign concluded.

The report highlighted that no progress had been made in several issues, including devolving powers to the Northern Provincial Council, issues to do with de-militarisation and resettlement, whereabouts and whereabouts of the disappeared.

See the full report and breakdown here.

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Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena today marked his hundredth day in office, claiming much was done since he was elected, including gaining the friendship and trust of the international community and restoring media freedom.

In a statement, delivered only in Sinhalese, the president said his government took "many important steps with regard to the country’s economy, politics, development and international relation".

Mr Sirisena reminded of the "international situation" the country was facing under the previous government, but said that he was now trusted by the international community to protect democracy and human rights.

"You will remember what took place at the United Nations, the Human Rights Commission and the Security Council. However, after January 9th, because of the faith you placed in me and elected this government, the international community that was divided over us, now place their trust in this government, and me just as you did, and believe that as Head of State I would protect the freedom of this country and its Democracy, Human Rights and Fundamental Rights," he said.