Our policy right throughout has been to empower the "have nots"

November 08, 2024

Development - Provincial

Our policy right throughout has been to empower the "have nots" - Minister Devananda

May 01, 2014

"Like manna from heaven to the Israelists, every conceivable facility has been extended only to the people of Colombo leaving the rest of the country high and dry to lag far behind. All the Governments that were in power from time to time, to a lesser or greater degree turned a blind eye towards the development of the other parts of the country.

This is the perception of the general public", said Douglas Devananda Minister of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development participating as the Chief Guest at the ceremony held on the last 25th to mark the opening of the Unaweruwa Traditional "Sesath" village in Etipola, Matale, subsequent to its development.

He also said that may be because of this lapse on the part of the previous Governments, Sri Lanka was unfortunate to experience an internecine armed conflict and two uprisings during the past 4 decades. However, Mahinda Rajapakse led government having well comprehended these unfortunate destructive incidents had resorted to develop the entire country as a whole leaving no room for such incidents to resurface..

The Ministry of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development had incurred more than Rs. 1.7 million for the total development of the village. Fifty industrialists had been supplied with industrial implements and work-sheds. The National Crafts Council conducted the entire programme whilst the National Design Centre provided the industrialists with new designs, training and modern technology for quality rich products.

the Minister speaking further, said that from the 2012/2013 Budgetary allocations set aside by the President, 12 villages in different parts of the country engaged in Traditional Industries had been earmarked for development and four of them were from the Central Province: Unaweruwa for "Sesath" Industry, Pahalahapuwitha for lacquer products in Matale district and Jewellery in Neelawala, Masks in Kuragala in Kandy district. He also said that it was necessary to bear in our minds that it was the Traditional Industries that could reflect our rich culture and traditions to the whole world, and therefore it is our duty to safeguard them at all costs.

Rohana Dissanayake, Deputy Minister of Transport, Pramitha Bandara Tennekoon, the Central Province Minister of Industries, V. Sivagnanasothy, the Ministry Secretary and Marshael Janatha, Chairman, National Design Centre also spoke.

Parakrama Dissanayake, Central Provincial Council member; Ajith Ekanayake, Planning Director of the Ministry; Ms. Kumudu Rathnayake, Secretary, Central Provincial Council Industrial Ministry; Wijeratne, Yatawatte Divisional Secretary and several Government officials were present at the event.