In brief

AAP to celebrate 5th anniversary

The Academy for Administrative Professionals will be celebrating its 5th year, with a series of activities. A seminar for senior secretaries, an awards ceremony and the annual members induction will be held on May 22. Dr. Kishu Gomez will be the chief guest.

The Academy believes that the AAP can contribute towards the national development of the country through training the administrative professional reach higher levels of competency in a chosen administrative career, through a specially tailored series of courses, and seminar/workshops.

The award ceremony is open for Administrative Professionals.

New GM/CEO of National Savings Bank

H.M. Hennayake Bandara was appointed as the General Manager/CEO of the National Savings Bank. He assumed duties on May 5 succeeding Sunil Perera.

Speaking on his appointment, Bandara said, "I am very privileged to lead one of the Sri Lanka's foremost banks. We are an extremely strong bank in every aspect. We have a strong and committed team. Nevertheless we do not want to rest on our laurels. Thus, improve the quality in every aspect of our organisation, is one of my main goals".Bandara comes with wealth of knowledge and experience. He holds a B.Com (Special) Degree and is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (ICASL) and Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka.

Wewalkandura Tea Factory sets all time record price

Top Tea Broker John Keells PLC announced an all time record price obtained by Wewalkandura Tea Factory in Ratnapura. Wewalkandura obtained Rs. 4,910 for a line of FBOP grade at the weekly Colombo Tea Auction held on May 4, surpassing the previous record price of Rs. 4,000 established on January 12. The line was purchased by one of the main tea exporters in the trade, M/s. Akbar Brothers Ltd. The sale was passed through M/s. John Keells PLC.

Sri Lanka Insurance 'Motor Plus' motor insurance was launched offering more benefits to the customers. A Motor Plus new insurance card was also introduced with the new product. The 1st insurance card was issued to Dr. Hector Weerasinghe, the Director National Hospital by Dr. Nalaka Godahewa the Managing Director of Sri Lanka Insurance in the presence of Ms. Renuka Ekanayake the Deputy General Manager - Motor of Sri Lanka Insurance on May 7 at Sri Lanka Insurance Head Office.

T.V.S. Auto Parts launched

Deputy General Manager of Akebono Company, Japan Miyazaki lighting the oil lamp at the launch of Asahi clutch products. Director TVS Auto Parts Chanaka Yatawara, General Manager Brandon Morris, Deputy General Manager Janaka Hattotuwegama and dealers of TVS Auto Parts were present at the occasion.

Pic. by Bandula Alahakoon -

Borella Special Correspondent

AMUL cheese range launched

AMUL Cheese products, India's number one brand for dairy products is now available in Sri Lanka. AMUL means 'priceless' in Sanskrit. Amul products have been in use in millions of homes since 1946.

The brand was formulated through a cooperative movement 60 years ago, in the State of Gujarat. The movement has seen a steady growth year on year and now has a distributorship of more than two million outlets all over India.

Among India's oldest brands, Amul has come of age, to become a trusted household name that sprawls across India and offers a wide variety of dairy foods products.

The Amul brand today, is known in the market as a high-quality products which is sold at reasonable prices. It is also a symbol of the genesis of a vast co-operative network, of the triumph of indigenous technology and of the marketing savvy of a farmer's organisation, which has become a proven model for dairy development.

Inflation decreased in April

Inflation, as measured by the Colombo Consumers' Price Index (CCPI) (2002=100), computed by the Department of Census and Statistics, decreased to 5.8 per cent on the point-to-point basis in April from 6.3 per cent in March 2010, for the second consecutive month, registering a monthly decrease of 1.0 per cent when compared to March 2010. However, the annual average inflation, increased marginally to 3.4 per cent in April from 3.2 per cent in March. Meanwhile, Core inflation both on the point-to-point basis and annual average basis decreased to 6.4 percent and 7.0 per cent, respectively as compared to March 2010. The contribution to the monthly decrease in the overall Index arose mainly from price decreases in the sub category of Food and non-alcoholic beverages (-2.0 per cent).

New Chairman for LDB

The Lankaputhra Development Bank (LDB) will set up a branch in the North shortly said Chairman LDB, Upali Liyanage assuming duties on Tuesday.

He said LDB will expand its branch network to offer a better service to the SME sector which makes a salient contribution to the country's economy.

"SME sector financing is our primary aim and steps will be taken to ensure that entrepreneurs have easy access to funding", Liyanage said.

The LDB launched under the Mahinda Chintana operates seven branches across the country. (LF)