The Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the manufacturing and assembling of vehicles was launched yesterday under the patronage of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. The SOPs for the automotive and auto parts manufacturing industry of Sri Lanka is now available on the Ministry of Industry website. Speaking at the event, Prime Minister stated, “Before the Covid pandemic, we spent a large amount of foreign exchange annually to import vehicles. We have spent between US $ 1,000-1,500 million annually to import such vehicles. So we stopped importing vehicles to minimize the economic impact that came with Covid.” “Previously, there was no SOPs for the manufacturing and assembling of vehicles. Although, many proposals were made to develop such systems, no one came forward to implement them,” he stated. He pointed out that when the country has a SOP, it is convenient for any local or foreign investor. “On the other hand, it is important to have such SOPs to generate great demand for innovation in the country and to increase interest in it,” he said. The initiative will also provide direct employment opportunities to about 20,000 professionals, including technical graduates and engineers in the industrial sector.