'Govt.'s aim is to make co-op movement strong'

Irangika RANGE

The co-operative movement is so strong in most countries that it regularly lends massive sums to their governments for development projects. Our aim is also to make the co-operative movement equally strong in Sri Lanka, Western Provincial Council's Transport, Sports and Youth Affairs, Arts and Cultural Affairs, Co-operative Development, Food Supplies and Rural Development Minister Upali Kodikara said.

The provincial minister was addressing the launch of the Mehewara, a tabloid paper which will be published along with the Dinamina newspaper bimonthly, at the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (ANCL) yesterday.

This tabloid is published by the Western Provincial Council's Transport, Sports and Youth Affairs, Arts and Cultural Affairs, Co-operative Development, Food Supplies and Rural Development Ministry in collaboration with ANCL. The tabloid paper was launched under the directives and close supervision of ANCL Chairman and Senior Journalist Bandula Padmakumra. Minister Kodikara said the tabloid paper was launched with the aim of making people aware of the activities, functions and progress made by his ministry and its affiliated organisations.

He noted that the public should have good knowledge about development programmes taking place in the country. The cooperative movement facilitated the people's lives during the past 100 years. Its role is to cater to the consumer requirements especially in the distribution of essential food items during emergency situations, he said.

He added that the co-operative movement was about to collapse due to wrong decisions taken by the previous UNP government. "When the present government came to power in 2005, we realized that the importance of reviving the co-operative movement. "That is why the government took measures to increase salaries, providing allowances and granting pensions for the employees of the co-operative sector for the first time in the co-operative history," the minister said. He pointed out that the government has taken all measures to revive the cooperative sector.

Now the entire sector is developing rapidly as a result of state patronage. The cooperative movement has been transformed into one of the major marketing networks which is currently marching forward uplifting the livelihoods of small and medium scale producers in the country and catering to the consumer needs by selling food and other essential items at reasonable prices, he said.

"We have taken measures to modernize the co-operative outlets as co-op cities. Plans are also afoot to establish mega co-op cities in each electorate in the Western Province, he said.

Meanwhile, steps have been taken to construct 17 new bus stands across the Western Province while eight swimming pools will be constructed for the Western Province youth. A number of self employment opportunities have been created for the benefit of school leavers, to avert unemployment problems in the province, said.

Silumina Editor Karunadasa Sooriyarachchi and Dinamina Editor Mahinda Abeysundara also spoke.