New permit issuance system for Gem mining

COLOMBO (News 1st): A new system for the issuance of gem mining permits within 21 days is currently in place, the National Gem & Jewellery Authority of Sri Lanka said on Friday (Apr. 02). Previously applicants had to wait for months to obtain a gem mining permit, Thilak Weerasinghe, the Chairman of the National Gem & Jewellery Authority pointed out. "Through the new procedure of permit issuance, licenses will be issued for backhoe excavators and traditional gem mining, within a short period of time," Weerasinghe further noted.