Govt. ready to empower industrialists as main stakeholders in earning FOREX to SL – President
President Ranil Wickremesinghe presented the ‘CNCI Achiever National Gold Award’ for Extra-large Manufacturing category to Alumex PLC. Here Alumex Managing Director Pramuk Dediwela and Director & Chief Financial Officer Prageeth Rajapaksha with the award. Picture by Sulochana Gamage
President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that an environment will be created for small and medium-scale industrialists to become successful using modern technology and the government is ready to empower the industrialists as the main stakeholders in earning foreign exchange for Sri Lanka.
The President made these observations at the 21st ‘Achiever Awards 2022’ organized by the Ceylon National Chamber of Industries (CNCI) in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry, at Hotel Galadari, Colombo on Tuesday (20).
The President pointed out that instead of looking at the fallen economy and regretting it, everyone should work together to create an environment that can enable the people to have a prosperous future. He also said that Japan and Germany, which were destroyed by the world war, provide with an example of how to rebuild the country and the economy.
The President also added that the industrialists have a great responsibility in rebuilding the fallen economy of Sri Lanka. Industrialists are a group of people who contributed immensely to the country’s economy.
“We have gone through the worst of what has happened this year. We have to pull through and that is where we have to look at all of you. Because we have to preserve what is left. We still have issues. Nevertheless, the government’s aim is to revive and help as many businesses as possible. Many businesses as possible must survive.”
The government focuses on small and medium enterprises with economic difficulties, as without the SME’s no one can survive. “The government is going through a whole series of exercises in correcting the economy and uplifting small and medium-scale enterprises. Modern technology can be used for that.”
“We should look at the development of small and medium-scale industries in other countries of the world and use the modern technology they have used for the development of these industries. We are ready to provide all the support we can provide as a government for that. The President asked the industrialists whether they would like to strengthen the economy with new innovations to win the international market or to remain with the same old methods. He further said that with new technology and new innovations, the industrialists have a good chance of becoming economically stronger to conquer the world.
“For that, we need to make a change in attitude,” he said.
At present the country needs foreign exchange, with increasing foreign exchange, the economy will be strengthened. “This enables the government to provide solutions to allocate more financial assistance to the underprivileged and to solve the problems that have arisen in education and health and many other sectors.”
Associated Newspapers of Ceylon (Lake House) was the media sponsor for the event.