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| Monday, 13 September 2004 |
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Politics | |
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| Action plan to revive co-operative sector Agricultural Marketing Development and Hindu Affairs Minister Douglas Devananda has formulated a program to revive the co-operative sector utilising available resources to enable it to assist the government's efforts to reduce the cost of living by facing the globalisation threat successfully through a social democratic program. Under this program the Minister hopes to find a meaningful solution to the problems faced by the farming community in finding for their agricultural produce as well. Minister Devananda has briefed ministry officials regarding the implementation of this program at a meeting held at the Ministry on Wednesday. Deputy Minister Siripala Gamlath and Ministry Secretary K. Mahanandan also attended the meeting. Outlining the program the Minister announced that the Agricultural Development Authority Amendment Bill would be finalised within ten days for tabling in Parliament after gaining Cabinet approval. Steps would also be taken to amend the co-operative constitution and implement the new program within a month. Other steps outlined by the Minister were to set up a Development Board for spices, takeover all resources of the now defunct Paddy Marketing Board and hand them over to the Agricultural Development Authority, Convene a meeting of Provincial Co-operatives Ministers, Ministry Secretaries and Commissioners build a co-ordination with line ministries to ensure that provincial co-operative policies move parallel to the ministry's co-operatives policy. Minister Devananda will meet Chairmen and General Managers of Co-operative Societies on September 13 to devise means through which co-operatives could intervene to bring down prices of goods. He said action would also be taken to investigate the alleged fraud concerning the long-term lease of the co-operative commission building at Marcan Markar Mawatha Colombo by the previous regime's co-operatives minister and to recover the said building and land soon. Since work on the Cader Memorial Cultural Centre planned at Gampola by Former Minister Abdul Cader had stopped half way after spending nearly Rs. 8 million from the Co-operative Development Fund. Action would be taken to complete it soon and maintain it as a common centre for all communities in the hill country. Minister Devananda said he would hold discussions with small and Rural Industries Minister K. D. Lal Kantha shortly to sound him on the possibility of handing over the ten dedicated economic centres to the Ministry of Agricultural Marketing Development as they are so vital for the marketing of agricultural produce. |
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