Editorial

Security

Politics

World

Letters

Sports

Obituaries

Archives

by Don Asoka Wijewardena

The National Enterprise Development Authority (NEDA) with a Rs. 100 million deposit base will be set up at the end of this month.

The Cabinet paper was approved and the Bill will be presented to Parliament shortly,said Advanced Technology and National Enterprise Development Minister Rohitha Bogollagama at a media conference on matters pertaining to quality improvement in tailoring at the Advanced Technology and National Enterprise Development Ministry auditorium, World Trade centre on Wednesday.

Bogollagama said that the principal objective of establishing NEDA would be to provide credit facilities to tailors ranging from Rs. 2 to 3 lakhs each with 7 per cent interest for tailors,especially in remote areas.

He said that around 30,000 sartorial artists were found to be practising tailoring under difficult conditions lacking opportunities to broaden their technical skills and lack of materials necessary to expand their business.

He said that NEDA in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Export Development Board had already formulated a program to conduct workshops in the cities and in the provinces.

SLEDB had made arrangements to obtain the services of trainers from the London School of Fashion to train Sri Lankan tailors whose profession would reach world standards.

Master Tailors' Association President B. N. de Silva said that the tailoring profession had been relegated to limbo as no successive government had paid due attention to improve it.

He said that it was Minister Rohitha Bogollagama who initiated developing the SME sector with a clear vision of achieving economic development in the country.

De Silva called upon Minister Bogollagama to arrange facilities to set up tailoring shops in the airport,harbour and star class hotels so that Sri Lankan tailors' skills could be showcased.

According to Advanced Technology and National Enterprise Development sources,duty free concessions to import tailoring accessories and machinery will be granted.

www.ceylincoproperties.com

| News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security |
| Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries | Junior Observer |

Produced by Lake House
Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager