President appoints committee to ensure availability of essential items

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed a high-powered committee, led by the secretary to president, to monitor the possible disruptions in the supply of essential goods and to make swift actions to rectify such disruptions.

According to Cabinet Spokesperson and Transport, Highways and Mass Media Minister Bandula Gunawardane, the Cabinet of Ministers this week approved the establishment of this committee.

“The committee has been tasked with rectifying disruptions in the supply chain of essential goods, in order to avert shortages,” he said.

The committee consists of the secretaries to president and prime minister as well as other secretaries to several other key ministries. 

Gunawardane also outlined that public response to unfair price increases is critical to limit unfair price increases by the traders.

“Today, vegetable and fruit prices have somewhat stabilised. It’s because the people stopped buying fruits and vegetables at exorbitant prices, which forced the traders to bring down the prices.”