'Development of a national economy, Government's priority'

[Friday, December 28, 2007 - 6.35 GMT]    

Government has given priority to the development of a national economy and is engaged in a massive effort to defend the pioneers of indigenous economic development, said President Mahinda Rajapaksa addressing a meeting of newly recruited Staff Assistants of the Bank of Ceylon held at the Presidential Secretariat, Colombo yesterday (27).
 
He also said that the Government aims to develop rural enterprises to the level of those located in Colombo and that its objective is to reduce the imbalance in rural and urban incomes by ensuring that benefits of
development reach the rural areas as well.
 
The President stressed the vital contribution that the banking system could make to the economy by facilitating local entrepreneurs to enter the global market.
 
Assuring that the Government would not privatize public institutions including state banks, the President said that already over 700,000 appointments were made in the public sector since the present government
took office while all public servants were given a substantial salary increase.