Business‘JEWELS – 2017’ - a Gem and Jewellery Exhibition, Competition and Jewels’ Talk, opened at the Taj Colombo hotel on Friday. The event is dominated by a 40-strong Chinese delegation along with Russian, German and Belgian delegates at this international gem and jewellery fair and exhibition. The event was opened by Karunaratne Paranavithana, Deputy Minister of Skills Development and Vocational Training with Dr Kithsiri Dissanayake, Chairman, National Gem and Jewellery Authority (NGJA) and Dr. Navaratne Bandara, Chairman, National Gem and Jewellery Training Institute (NGJTI). Mr. Paranavithana assured that he would work to start an insurance scheme for the gem miners as well as a pension scheme. He said another major hindrance is that miners leave the large pits abandoned after mining which has caused many environmental problems including landslides.

Source: Sunday Times December 16, 2017 04:07 UTC