Rural Industries Ministry to register small industrialists

BY IRANGIKA Range

THE Rural Industries and Self Employment Promotion Ministry expects to register local micro, small and medium scale industrialists under the ministry which will be utilised by it for the effective preparation and the implementation of policy planing and development programmes of the SMEs, said Minister of Rural Industries S.B. Nawinna at the opening ceremony of the national trade exhibition "Athkam Dekma" held at Negombo Town Hall, recently.

For the first time in Sri Lanka, the Ministry has taken steps to register all micro, small and medium scale industrialists under the State sponsorship.

The exhibition was organised by the Ministry in collaboration with the National Designing Centre. The Minister said as an initial step, these SMEs are proposed to register at the divisional secretariat level under each major industry category.

The Ministry also has decided to provide 100,000 self-employment opportunities, which is under the Mahinda Chinthana by implementing industrial villages concept. We expect to select 20 school leavers from each Grama Sevaka division in the country.

The Ministry also will encourage them by providing raw materials, machinery, infrastructure facilities, management training and the direct marketing facilities at the each industrial village.

Designer of the National Designing Centre, M. Piyaratna said that the major aim of the exhibition is to provide direct marketing facilities to SMEs introducing local manufacturing products for the national and the international market.

He said there are three projects including rush and reed wear manufacturing, pottery products manufacturing and curtain designing.

Craftsmen who engaged in these three projects displayed their products at the exhibition. Craftsmen had a big demand and they were able to supply products to consumers at a reasonable price.

Among the services of the National Designing Centre, it will conduct two-year special course to school leavers who are children of SMEs craftsmen to help implement the self-employment opportunities program in the country.