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| Wednesday, 5 November 2003 |
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from J. Gunadasa Jayawickrema - Galewela Group Corr. Central Region Development Minister Tissa Attanayake opened the Matale Business School last Friday, fulfilling a long felt need of the area. The Matale District Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MDCCI) in collaboration with the Matale Regional Economic Advancement Project (REAP) created this institution to provide the youth of the area with the knowledge and skills to fulfil the needs of the private sector. Chairman MDCCI Nihal Weerarathne received the special invitees and REAP Director I.P. Abeyrathne explained the formation of the MDCCI and the main objectives of establishing a business school within Matale. He said that in order to create the necessary environment for the private sector to go-ahead with the economic development in the Matale region, the most needed trained personnel had to be trained locally. The Kandy Chamber of Commerce and Industry achieved its objectives soon after establishing a Business School there. He thanked the ESSP, the German Development agency and other foreign doners for helping make this venture a success. Central Region Development Minister Tissa Attanayake said that he commissioned a new telephone facility at Meemure in the morning that day. He disclosed that a great grandfather of Minister Alick Aluvihare had made arrangements for King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe to save his life hiding at Meemure when the British forces were combing the country to capture him. He said that the Government constructed a new road to open Meemure to the out-side world. The people in that area had to struggle to make their living. They had to walk a long distance either to Hunnasgiriya or Kandy to buy their needs. The Government plans to develop the very far corners of the country. The present trend in the world is that the private sector should play a leading role in the development activities. Competition is an essential feature in this trend. The business community needs new knowledge and expertise to face the challenges. The new business school set up in Matale would produce trained skilled entrepreneurs in the near future, he said. "The very encouraging improvement at the Colombo Stock exchange is a direct result of the peace restored in the country by the Government. The banks have lowered the interest rates. This has a positive influence on the investments. He said, in order to make full use of the peaceful climate, the business community should take steps to develop the economy. The Central Region Economic Commission has taken action to reduce the registration fee for new business ventures by 50%. This reduction should be 100% very soon. Traditionally, new investments were expected only from the foreign business community. This is a wrong concept. The present Government has paved the way for the local investors also to step in. Central Provincial Chief Minister and several others also spoke. Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government Minister Alick Aluvihare, Central Provincial Chief Minister Wasantha Aluvihare, Matale District Secretary K. Udage, Director REAP I.P. Abeyrathne, Programme Coordinator, Sri Lanka German Economic Strategy Support Programme (ESSP) Dr. Volker Steigerwald, Associate Representative Miss. Jana Richter and many leading figures of the six Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the Central Region, were present on this occasion. |
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