A BRANCH of a Lak Sathosa was opened in Jaffna on July 28, by Social Services and Social Welfare Minister Douglas Devananda, and Trade, Marketing Development, Co-operatives and Consumer Services Minister Bandula Gunawardana.
Devananda said he untiringly made every endeavour for making available the essential and other commodities at a price in a par with the Colombo prices and that his long cherished dream has now come true, through the opening of a Lak Sathosa outlet.
The Jaffna people are extremely happy to see the coming up of this CWE branch, being amply proved by the large number of consumers flocked to the place to purchase their requirements. Minister Devananda whilst appreciating this gesture of good-will thanked the Government and Minister Gunawardana on behalf of the people of Jaffna.
Minister Gunawardana said it was due to the untiring efforts of Minister Devananda that it was possible to open a branch of the CWE in Jaffna and it was the bounden duty of people of Jaffna to extend their support to Minister Devananda for development of the Jaffna peninsula.
A meeting was held on this same day headed by Minister Gunawadana with the representatives and Management of Multi Purpose Co-operative Societies (MPCS), Palmyra and Coconut Development Co-operative Societies and Weaving and Small Industries Co-operative Societies of the peninsula.
At this meeting Minister Devananda stated that President Mahinda Rajapaksa is to hold a high level conference for development of Co-operative Societies in the Jaffna peninsula and it was also to be decided to pay compensation to the MPCS affected by the war and natural disasters like tsunami and Nisha, the cyclonic wind that hit Jaffna some time back.
Gunawardana said the President has waived off all the taxes payable by the MPCS under the Mahinda Chinthana policy program and has allocated Rs. one million for opening of 1,000 co-ops in Jaffna peninsula for providing essential and other commodities at reasonable prices. (Courtesy: Daily News)
