The Minister said that as the government realised the importance of productivity, budgetary allocations for productivity development was done amidst the high spending for the war in the North and East. Also the government has embarked upon educational and health reforms to meet the challenges of the new millennium, said the Minister. As the world moves towards globalisation and liberalisation, those who expect to remain in business in the next millennium will need to be extremely competitive. If Sri Lankan industrialists are to be competitive in the world market, they have to be productive and quality conscious. Technology or natural resources alone will only give limited benefits, but if we use it productively, we can achieve the desired objectives.
Productivity is a way of life, and it can be applied everywhere.
If we are not productive, the only thing which can be achieved is poverty. Productivity is not working harder, but working smarter, said Minister Gooneratne. Tuffline Ltd. Royal Ceramics Lanka Ltd won a merit award. Awards were also given to the winners of the poster competition conducted by the National Institute of Business Management on Productivity. The first, second and third places were won by R.D.W. Shirani Dissanayake, Sampath Sri Jayasinghe and Ajantha Gratien Peiris of the Institute of Aesthetic Studies of the Kelaniya University.