Best journalist, Govt Officer on SME to be rewarded

Nimal Wijesinghe -Anuradhapura Additional District group correspondent

The Anuradhapura Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SME) Forum affiliated to the 'Enter Growth' organisation of the International Labour Organisation will select the best journalist who creates public awareness among today's plight of the small and medium scale entrepreneurs. The best Government officer in the same criteria will also be chosen.

The best three journalists and three Government officials would be selected at national, provincial and district level before the end of March, 2009.

At the recently held Anuradhapura District SME Forms's special meeting, details of the program were disclosed by Executive Director of the Anuradhapura District Chambers of Commerce P.B. Dissanayake. He is the Secretary to the SME forum of the Enter Growth Project.

The meeting conducted at the Anuradhapura Enter Growth Auditorium was convened by Enter Growth District Manager, Nihal Dewagiri with Anuradhapura Government Agent H.M.K. Herath.

Dissanayake said there has been a overwhelming response from carpenters, bakers, dairy farmers, those working in the fields of livestock and rice processing industry, business community and persons and agencies engaged in the tourism industry in Anuradhapura district to become members of the Enter Growth SME Forum.

"One of the grave problems faced by the business community and the various entrepreneurs in Anuradhapura city and the sub townships in the district is the non-availability of permanent deeds for their lands.

Due to this, they are unable to obtain bank loans and maintaining their business enterprises. On President Mahinda Rajapaksa's instructions the Land Commissioner General will visit Anuradhapura to participate in a mobile land Kachcheri next month to get first hand information relating to this crisis and to provide instant solutions, he said.

Herath said the encroachment of tank beds, Government lands including reservations require immediate remedial measures. Even the parapet wall around the Anuradhapura Kachcheri has not been spared. Some individuals have erected temporary and permanent business huts adjoining the parapet wall, he pointed out.

Representatives of the Nachchaduwa Carpenters' consortium submitting their grievances said that a certain public officer who runs a carpentry business is purposely delaying the issue of recommendations relevant to the business permits. Certain officials solicit bribes to continue their business.

Representatives of the Dairy Farmers societies indicated that due to large scale cultivations and encroachment of tank beds they couldn't release their animals for grazing in villages. The SME forum should intervene to establish gracing grounds in several areas to enable livestock farming.

They commended the loan scheme introduced by the Anuradhapura Central Bank to grant easy termed loan facilities to dairy industry ranging from Rs. 400,000 to Rs. five million, President of the Anuradhapura Chamber of Commerce, Amal Piyatilake said.

Anuradhapura ILO's Enter Growth District Manager Nihal Dewagiri, Regional Manager of Anuradhapura Central Bank H.M. Pemadasa, President of Anuradhapura Building Constructors Association, Pubudu Perera, Executive Director of Rajarata Tourism and Hoteliers Association, Harsha Gunaratne, President of the Mahaweli Zonal Entrpreneures Society Ranasinghe Premaratne and several others spoke.