Record groups of Department of Nationa Archives

Ministry of Industries and Scientific Affairs

Identity area

Type of entity

Corporate body

Authorized form of name

Ministry of Industries and Scientific Affairs

Parallel form(s) of name

Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules

Other form(s) of name

Identifiers for corporate bodies

Description area

Dates of existence

1977-1986

History

The Ministry of Industries had been assigned functions relating to the Planning, Formulation, Co-ordination, Implementation and Development of Industrial activity in Sri Lanka. In the early and late 1930s, the Ministry of Industries role in the development of Industry was only lukewarm but as the years passed by the Ministry of Industries played a dynamic role in Industrial Development and today the institutions under it total an impressive thirty-six. These comprise two Government Departments. Namely, Geological Survey Department and the Department of Metrology. Seventeen State Manufacturing Corporations, seven Statutory Bodies, Four Limited Liability Companies and Six Business undertakings acquired under the Government Business Undertaken Act.
The Industrial Products Act No.18 of 1949 was introduced as the two Industries that were protected by this act were the Textile Industry and the Plywood Industry. This Act stipulated that any Importer of a Product specified under this act should purchase a specified quantity of a similar locally produced product for each unit of the product he proposed to import. This act was widely acclaimed as it gave a much desired protection and stability to those two important industrial sectors.
It was during the lifetime of the second parliament that the most significant piece of Legislation the Government sponsored Corporations Act No.19 of 1955 was introduced. This act was modeled on the lines of the Crown Corporation Act of Saskatchewan in Canada. This Act sought to convert all factors managed by the Department of Industries into Corporations.
Act No.15 of 1955 was promulgated in order to provide local industries with scientific and Industrial Research. Its primary function was to undertake investigation and research and to provide testing and advisory services to Industry. This Institute developed new processes and products and levies a normal fee for Technical Services rendered to Local Entrepreneurs.
In the decade of the 1960s, the Ministry found that there was an urgent need to make local manufacturers aware of the need to maintain standards in respect of locally produced goods and as a consequence the Ministry set up a Bureau of Standards under Act No.38 of 1964. The Bureau set Ceylon Standards for Local Products and also undertake tests to see whether such products confirmed to these standards. In 1966 the Industrial Development Board was setup to provide various services to small and Medium scale Industries. Its principal functions were the preparation of feasibility Reports, Technical Services, Surveys on Industries, Documentation and Publication, Provision of Assistance for the procurement of Loans and Management Information and advice to the small Entrepreneur. In 1968 the Ministry of Industries set up a National Science Council by Act No.9 of 1968. This Central Body was responsible for coordinating scientific activity, initiation and promotion of fundamental and applied research. The first half of the 1970s was a period of rapid Industrial Development of the Public Sector. This period also saw the expansion and the establishment of several new Industrial Ventures in the Private Sector. Industrial Exports also increased during this period. In 1977 some of the Industrial sectors were transferred to other Ministries. The Textile industry was transferred to the new Ministry of Textile Industries, Fisheries Projects to the Fisheries Ministry and Pharmaceutical projects to the Ministry of Health. The present Ministry of Industrial and Scientific Affairs continued to oversee forty-one institutions.

Places

Legal status

Functions, occupations and activities

Mandates/sources of authority

Internal structures/genealogy

General context

Relationships area

Control area

Description identifier

LK-NA/MISA

Institution identifier

LK-NA

Rules and/or conventions used

ISAAR

Status

Final

Level of detail

Minimal

Dates of creation, revision and deletion

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

  • Latin

Sources

Maintenance notes