Douglas promises 1000 Handicraft Villages

Under Mahinda Chinthana, Ministry of Traditional Industries and Small enterprise Development is making arrangements to setup 1000 handicraft villages island wide. Minister Douglas Devananda has announced that these villages will be organised within a year.

Minister Douglas Devananda, speaking at the ceremony, to mark the peoplising of Cane related product manufacturing factory at Radawadunna and Clay related product manufacturing factory at Webadamulla, stated that under “Mahinda Chinthana - Vision for the Future”, action was being taken to set up 1000 Traditional Handicraft Villages island wide, within a period of one year, and the peoplising of the two factories this day was a part of that concerted programme.

The Minister of Traditional Industries and Small enterprise Development, also said, “The industrialists are then to form co-operatives societies through which technical “know how” is transferred to the individual industrialists together with new designs. The Minister also said that the government has incurred a sum of Rs. 3 million towards the establishment of the factory at Radawadunna and a further sum of Rs. 2.9 million for the factory at Webadamulla, and it was the bounden duty of all the industrialists at these factories to better their careers whilst exercising extreme care in maintaining the factories.

After declaring open the two factories, at the discussion concerning the problems faced by the industrialists, the Minister assured those in Radawadunna Village to provide with the raw materials required by them, namely, the cane and new machinery deemed necessary for the factory, within a period of 10 days.

Similarly, the Minister promised those in the Webadamulla village to attend to their problem of obtaining clay and other attendant problems within a period of 10 days. The Minister also instructed the Divisional Secretary and the Regional Director of the Industrial Development Board to submit him a report detailing all the shortcomings of these two villages.

The Minister further stated that he would discuss all the shortcomings of these two villages with the Chief Government Organiser of Gampaha District and Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa, and with Deputy Minister of Indigenous Medicine, Pandu Bandaranayake so as to streamline the activities deemed necessary for smooth functioning of the two factories. Rev. Radawadunne Wimalajothy and Rev. Rupapha Soratha also participated at the opening ceremonies of Radawadunna and Webadamulla factories, respectively.

Mrs. Jegarasasingham, Advisor to the Minister and former Secretary to the Ministry of Social Services and Social Welfare introduced the Social Security Pensions Scheme launched by the Social Security Board to Webadamulla industrialists.

Nimal Samarakone, Chairman of Sri Lanka Social Security Board distributed the policies of the Social Security Pension Scheme to those who already had joined the Pension Schemes.

V. Sivagnanasothy, the Secretary to the Ministry, Yasmin Mannappurama General Manager of Sri Lanka Industrial Development Board also addressed the meeting. Ministry Officials, Mashel Janatha, Chairman National Design Centre, Wijekoon, Director National Design Centre and the Divisional Secretary of Mirigama also participated at this meeting. (Source: Asian Tribune)