Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen, taking up singer Iraj Weeraratneโs social media challenge issued recently, planted a red sandalwood bud at Vihara Mahadevi Park on 27 June.
โThis is a positive challenge. We need to plant more buds to safeguard loss of treesโ said Minister Bathiudeen, and added: โAs I take this Ice Bucket challenge, I next challenge three people to take it up-Minister of Rural Economic Affairs P. Harrison, Leader of JVP Anura Kumara MP and Secretary to my own Ministry TMKB Thennakoon.โ
The Cooperative Rural Department of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce will start planting 100,000 buds across the island in the run-up to July 02 launch of International Cooperative Day. The International Day of the Cooperative movement is being commemorated by the United Nations since 1975. The International Co-operative Day falls on 02nd of July this year and the proposal made Minister Bathiudeen to declare a Co-operative Week from 25th June 2016 to 01st July and to commemorate the Cooperative Day on 02 July at the Nelum Pokuna Theatre, Colombo with co-operators, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on 14 June.
Leader of All Ceylon Makkal Congress