Obtaining the Public Comments and opinions on the new National Trade Policy will take place in the next few weeks, Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena said.
He said so at the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Trade affairs held recently at the Parliament. Further he added that an expert committee has been appointed to formulate the National Trade Policy and a separate area in the BMICH premises has been set aside for this expert committee meetings.
Professor Sampath Amaratunga, the Chairman of the University Grants Commission, has been appointed as the Chairman of this Expert Committee.
The Minister informed the Committee that a Co-operative Policy will be formulated to address the shortcomings in the cooperative sector expeditiously.
The need for a feasibility study when the Lanka Sathosa outlets are newly opened was also raised in the Committee.
It was also discussed at the meeting that corruption and irregularities are common in the Lanka Sathosa and that this situation could be changed by computerizing all the outlets. The committee also discussed the need for an investigation at the ministry level to look into these allegations of corruption and irregularities.
The Minister said that when purchasing goods for Lanka Sathosa, it is done only through manufacturers and direct importers and that methodology has been successful at present.
It was revealed at the committee meeting that requests have been made to open 57 new Sathosa outlets and these outlets will be established expeditiously. Also the Committee was of the view that these outlets should be established under the same format.
At the outset of the Committee, the Assistant Secretary General of Parliament, Mr. Tikiri K. Jayatilleke also delivered a presentation on the role of the Ministerial Consultative Committees.
State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna, Members of Parliament Nalin Fernando and Rohana Dissanayake and a number of government officials were also present at this meeting.
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