Priority for granting relief to consumers - President
Rasika Somarathna
COLOMBO: President Mahinda Rajapaksa said the Government was
doing its utmost to provide relief to consumers and was fully aware
about the hardships faced by them, and emphasised the need for a strong
mechanism to streamline the Government's relief measures to benefit all
areas in the country.
The President was speaking at a ceremony to mark World Consumer
Rights Day at Temple Trees yesterday,
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WORLD CONSUMER RIGHTS DAY:Rajes Nonis pins the first flag to mark
World Consumer Rights Day on President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple
Trees yesterday. Looking on are Minister Bandula Gunawardane and
Deputy Minister H.R. Mithrapala.
Picture by Sudath Silva. |
where the President was presented with the Consumer Rights
flag.
"Today is the day of the consumer, but sadly for the last 30 years
there has been no proper plan to address their grievances. In the
future, we would give the consumer the due place by providing them with
relief and a strong consumer network," the President said.
According to the President the Government decided to increase the
number of essential goods given tax exemptions from four to 10 in view
of giving much needed relief to the consumer.
The Government had also taken steps to control the maximum price of
certain essential goods, the President added. Minister Bandula
Gunawardene said these measures were possible after 30 years due to the
President's intervention.
"Because of this we were able to reduce the price of a kilo of dried
chilies from Rs. 270 to Rs.160. The price of other items too would be
reduced by a substantial margin," Gunawardene added.
According to Gunawardene, in the future, traders would have to
consult and get the consent of the Consumer Affairs Authority before
deciding on a price increase.
According to Government sources the prices of essential goods were
steadily coming down and the target area was the essential goods and not
luxury imported items. |
