Decisions on important and vital policies taken by various governments, based on national interest, should not be changed under any circumstances by the government in power, or by a subsequent government, on the basis of ‘change’, as it badly affects the country’s entrepreneurs, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya told guests at the CNCI Annual Achiever Awards 2019 ceremony in Colombo last week.
It was conducted by the Ceylon National Chamber of Industries (CNCI). Over 500 local industrialists and service providers represented their organisations and the best achievers in their categories were rewarded at the ceremony.
Outlining the role played by the CNCI in the promotion of industries, he said its contribution to the growth of the national economy was commendable.
The CNCI should also help the industrialists to accelerate their growth, innovation and expansion and encourage them to enter new markets since the entrepreneurs responsibility was to spur economic growth, the Speaker said.
“The small and medium sectors too contribute immensely to develop the village economy and also to provide employment to rural youth,” he said, adding that the Government’s aim was to bring business entities to villages and improve the economic standards of entrepreneurs in remote areas under the `Gamperaliya’ and `Enterprise Sri Lanka’ development programs.
Referring to Bill Gates, Speaker Jayasuriya said, “The responsibility of our entrepreneurs is to uplift the living standards of rural youth in the same way that top entrepreneur Bill Gates used his money to finance good causes, such as education and public health.”CNCI Chairman Raja Hewabowala said the Achievers Awards encourages and upgrades not only industrialists and service sector personnel, but also helps propel economic growth.
“The Chamber always supports industrialists and encourages them to perform better. The country could achieve rapid progress through the development of its industries and the Chamber also drives industrialists to adopt modern technology to transform their business,” he said.
This year’s Crystal Award was won by Saw Engineering (Pvt) Ltd, while 10 companies received awards for their outstanding contribution.