Sri Lanka approves PPP to modernize State Printing Corporation
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Sri Lanka’s Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal to modernise and diversify the State Printing Corporation (SPC) through a public-private partnership. The programme, named the Smart Print Initiative, was put forward by Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya in her role as Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, Newswire reported.
Founded in 1968, the SPC is the main state institution responsible for printing school textbooks, official government publications and documents for public institutions. The reports say it has remained financially profitable in recent years, but its ageing machinery and outdated printing technology have hindered production efficiency and cost competitiveness.
The initiative is intended to introduce modern technology, broaden the corporation’s operations and build high-security printing capabilities. Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said the state printer could not meet the modernisation costs on its own, so the government intended to share some of the expense with private-sector partners.
Jayatissa rejected concerns that the partnership would compromise national security or amount to privatisation. He said syllabus-based schoolbook printing did not involve confidential material, and noted that non-confidential government printing already goes through open tenders. He said proposals would be sought before the partnership’s precise structure is decided, with the stated aim of acting efficiently while limiting the burden on public funds.
Written automatically by AI from the outlets’ own reports, and not reviewed by an editor. It can be wrong — the original report is the authority.