Co-operatives system to be reformed

COLOMBO: The Ministry of Co-operatives and Co-operative Development is now in the process of gathering experiences of the other Co-operative Movements in the world to transform cooperative activities to bring the Co-operative Movement to a modern stage of complex activities in Sri Lanka.

Necessary legal reforms in this regard, are being carried out. Co-operatives and Co-operative Development Minister and Deputy Minister of Local Government and Provincial Councils M. Najeeb Abdul Majeed made these observations addressing the third Co-operative Youth Seminar of the International Co-operative Alliance - Asia Pacific Region held at the BMICH in Colombo yesterday.

He said that the first Co-operative Youth Seminar of the International Co-operative Alliance was held in Japan in 2001 and most of Co-operative youths from Sri Lanka attended this seminar. The second Co-operative youth seminar was held in Kula Lumpur in the year 2004 and a group of Cooperative youths in Sri Lanka also had attended this seminar.

Minister Majeed said that Sri Lanka was privileged to have the third International Co-operative Youth Seminar to coincide with the centenary celebrations of the Co-operative Movement in Sri Lanka with a participation of foreign delegates from India, Japan, Korea, China, Nepal, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Colombia and Vietnam.

He said the seminar would be of very much useful to exchange views and proposals of the participants in order to formulate future plans.

President of the International Co-operative Alliance Lavano Baberini, Regional Director of the International Co-operative Alliance - Asia Pacific Region Shi Kuwan Lee, Secretary to the Ministry of Co-operatives and Co-operative Development A.H. Gamage, Provincial Council Ministers and several distinguished guests participated at the seminar.