Sri Lanka putting together social market economy model
View(s):The Sri Lankan Government in the coming months will embark on reforms on a social market economy model that encompasses the participation of the private sector, the trade unions and others.
This, according to Parliamentary Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, is to a chieve the five-fold development strategy put forward by the Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe to uplift the economic standards of the country to create an equitable society.
He made these comments addressing the inauguration of the Colombo International Maritime Conference (CIMC) in Colombo last week. The 3-day event saw 40 local and foreign shipping and maritime experts from Japan, Europe, USA, China, UK, Philippines, India and Bangladesh addressing the sessions. Over 400 local and foreign delegates attended the CIMC.
Mr. Jayasuriya said that the government is drawing a progressive road-map to develop the country through a series of political reforms aimed at establishing good governance and transparency.
He pointed out that the government hopes to improve the maritime industry aimed at positioning the industry/country to hub status. While the main ports including Hambantota and Trincomalee are to be developed with transshipment, bunkering, ship repairing and servicing, etc, he urged the private sector to think out of the box for the best interests of the country with one such area of development (that the private sector should get involved) is shipping and bunkering.
Arjuna Ranatunga, Minister of Ports and Shipping, said the main objective of CIMC was to enhance the development of the shipping and maritime industry for the country to achieve hub status in Asia.