The Parliamentary Secretariat for the Self-Employed is encouraging local councils to honour a businessman and an artisan in their community.

Parliamentary Secretary Edwin Vassallo said six councils have so far accepted to take up the initiative, namely those of Iklin, Mosta, Pietà, San Gwann, Sta Venera and Swieqi.

Mr Vassallo said councils were being encouraged to choose the ideal businessman and the ideal craftsman in their locality and honour them on the day dedicated to their community.

His secretariat was trying to encourage councils to look at business in their locality as a source of employment in the community.

Among the criteria to be used when choosing the best businessmen are that the business has to be beneficial to the community, it has to give priority to the environment, it has to help the voluntary sector, it has to be in an attractive establishment and if it has employees, they have to be from within the community.

In the case of the best craftsman, the craft has to be the contender's main business, the activity has to be carried out in the locality, the craftsman has to have distinguished himself in the community or at a national level and is sharing his trade so that it would not be lost.

Mr Vassallo said this was just the beginning of a thought which his secretariat wanted to see developed. It was up to councils now to come up with their own ideas, he said.

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