Special budget pack for Avurudu season

Irangika Range

On the instructions of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the government has introduced a special budget pack of essential items to provide maximum relief to consumers -- while keeping the prices of essential items under control during the forthcoming Sinhala and Tamil New Year season.

Cooperatives and Internal Trade Minister Johnston Fernando handed over the first budget pack to President Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday.

The pack includes two kilograms of Samba rice, two kilograms of red raw rice, a kilogram of dhal, a kilogram of sugar, a kilogram of rice flour, a tin of canned fish (425g), a packet of milk powder (400g), a packet of soya meat, a packet of papadam and 100 grams of tea. A pack is sold at Rs.1,000.

Minister Fernando said this budget pack containing a host of essential items for the Avurudu season will be available at Laksathoa outlets islandwide. The minister said the 50 Lanka Sathosa outlets in the Colombo district have begun selling vegetables at prices lower than in the regular market price, from this week to provide relief to consumers during the festive season.

“The number of Lanka Sathosa outlets would be further expanded with immediate effect, allowing consumers to purchase vegetables at concessionary rates,” he added. The Minister said this move had been taken to curtail the escalating prices of vegetables. He said that initially 12 varieties of vegetables will be sold at concessionary rates through the Lanka Sathosa outlets.

Under this programme, the excess produce have been purchased directly from the Dambulla Dedicated Economic Centre (DEC)and sold at concessionary prices at about 50 selected Lanka Sathosa outlets in Colombo and suburbs.