New stamp issues limited from 2012

by Mohammed Naalir

Moves are under way to limit the issue of first stamp and cover during the new issues of stamps from next year to increase the value of stamps, Postal Services Minister Jeewan Kumarathunga said.

The Minister said that plans are in place to issue only 35 stamps on various themes from next year.

Public notice have been issued to obtain proposals and these proposals will be forwarded to an intellectual council. On the decision of intellectual council stamps will be issued on nationally important proposals.

Last year the Philatelic Bureau of Postal Department issued nearly 51 different kinds of stamps, Minister Kumaratunga said.

Meanwhile Minister Kumaratunga said that the philatelic sector has become one of the attractive recreations in the world. This sector must be used to attract more and more tourists to Sri Lanka.

At a time our country has become a prominent tourist destination nearly after thirty years, a program to popularise Sri Lankan stamps among foreign tourists have been initiated, according to Minister Kumaratunga.

The Minister said that as the first step of this program, a collection of stamps depicting fauna and flora in the Eastern Province will be handed over to President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

A Postal Museum has been opened in Postal Head Quarters to make aware of the foreign tourists of Sri Lanka’s communication history and to attract more and more tourists to the island, Minister Kumaratunga added.