Government will help construction companies capture world market -
President
The Government is always prepared to provide local construction
companies all facilities and incentives necessary to capture the world
market and turn towards international investments since they render a
major contribution towards strengthening the national economy by playing
a leading role in local development activities, said President Mahinda
Rajapaksa.
| Measures
that would provide relief to the construction sector in
importing equipment and building materials and incentives
necessary to enable the sector to enter the world market were
discussed |
The President gave this assurance when he met a group of people
engaged in the construction sector at Temple Trees on Tuesday to discuss
problems encountered by them and obtain their views and proposals to be
amalgamated to the 2009 Budget.
A Presidential Media Unit release said it was revealed at this
meeting that the construction sector which consisted of nearly 2,000
registered construction firms had recorded a nine percent progress
during the last few years.
President Rajapaksa addressing the delegates present said
construction firms should pay attention towards improving the quality of
constructions by working in close collaboration with foreign countries
and utilising new technologies. The delegates present pointed out that
the construction sector was facing a severe shortage of skilled labour
at present.
The President said the Government would try to solve this problem by
encouraging more and more youth towards construction sector training
courses. The President said it was everyone's duty to protect the
dignity of the profession. It was to streamline construction sector
activities that the Government set up a separate Ministry of
Construction and Engineering Services. As a further boost to this
sector, the Government gave priority to local firms in awarding local
building contracts.
Measures that would provide relief to the construction sector in
importing equipment and building materials and incentives necessary to
enable the sector to enter the world market were discussed at length
during the meeting. Ministers Ferial Ashraff, Dinesh Gunawardena,
Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, Geethanjana Gunawardena and Mano Wijayaratne
and Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunge also attended the
meeting. |
