SLID takes governance to Jaffna

Tuesday, 18 March 2014 00:02 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Sri Lanka Institute of Directors (SLID) in further pursuing its Chairman Pravir Samarasinghe’s undertaking on the regional outreach program ventured to Jaffna last week to conduct a seminar on how to ‘Conduct Businesses Responsibly’. It was targeted at the SMEs in the Jaffna district who were unaware of their legal and regulatory requirements and the governance codes of ethics. The Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Yarlpanam partnered SLID in this undertaking and together conducted a very successful event with over a 100 participants at the Green Grass Hotel in Jaffna. It was refreshing to see the number of female participants who were very keen on getting to grips with the subject. The barrage of questions that were levied was ample evidence of the lack of availability of information on the areas addressed. The participants were mostly SMEs from a diversified group of businesses ranging from Information Technology, education, small time hoteliers, energy and environmental solution etc. The seminar was conducted in Tamil and was totally free of charge to the participants. The lecture on ‘The Company as a Legal Entity’ and the minimum requirements that have to be complied with was conducted by Menaka Ebenezer, who is a visiting lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the University of Colombo and the lecture on ‘Minimum Finance and Tax Issues’ was delivered by Mylerumperumal Mayuran, who is the Manager of the KPMG branch office in Jaffna.

SLID continuing with its initiative to educate the provinces has so far covered Kandy, Ratnapura, Trincomalee, Hambantota, Gampaha, Kilinochchi and now Jaffna. Further visits are scheduled to the other provinces, aiming at educating and raising the standards of SMEs throughout Sri Lanka. Encouraged by the positive response received in the provinces so far covered, SLID firmly believes that the Institute could do so much more for the country’s economic and social progress. The dissemination of the message of corporate governance on a much broader and significantly intensified pace could be achieved with more benefactors who would be willing to fund this programme. This seminar was sponsored solely by Union Bank, which supported SLID in the Gampaha District seminar as well.