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Making a reality of the Government’s Policy Framework ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour’, the Ministry of Mass Media implements the ‘AsiDisi’ Accidents and Medical Insurance Scheme’ with the intention of making a fit and healthy Media Professional as part of government’s responsibility to create a undisturbed environment for their profession.

The insurance coverage named 'Journalists' Protection of Prosperity', which is the first such insurance schemes implemented in Sri Lanka, will be presented to the selected beneficiaries at a ceremony headed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and with the participation of Mass Media Minister Dullas Alahapperuma at Temple Trees at 10.00 a.m. on December 2, 2021.

This premium-free insurance scheme covers hospitalization, OPD treatment, critical illnesses, accidents, hearing aids and spectacles and Covid-19 related treatments.

Out of all the 3,000 selected beneficiaries, only 98 will be symbolically presented with insurance coverage on this occassion.

Hon. Ministers, Hon.Parliamentarians, Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media Jagath P. Wijeweera and several other media officials will be present on this occassion.

The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Russia organized the “Sri Lanka Day- 2021" jointly with the Russian State Library (RSL) at the conference hall of the Center for Oriental Literature of the RSL on 23 November 2021 with a view to promote Sri Lankan culture, Ceylon tea, tourism and a range of Sri Lankan products.

The event featured insightful presentations on the culture, history, traditions and distinctive customs of Sri Lanka, Ceylon tea, amazing sights and attractions of the island delivered by the staff of the Embassy. A representative of SriLankan Airlines highlighted the ease of travel from Russia to Sri Lanka with the resumption of direct flights and relaxation of Visa process. The audience also treated with a colourful collection of traditional Sri Lankan dances, Sinhala songs performed by the Russian youth and students of the Sinhala course conducted by the Embassy and a fashion show including batik dresses and Sri Lankan wedding costumes.

The event was attended by around 50 guests representing culture, trade, tourism, tea – related spheres as well as Russian media, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Russia Prof. Janitha A. Liyanage, Deputy Director of the RSL Natalya Samoilenko and Deputy Director of the Center for Oriental Literature of the RSL Mikhail Milanyin. Since due to the pandemic restrictions the admission to the site was restricted, those who could not visit the event were able watch it online through the Embassy social media.

In the course of event, the Embassy donated a number of cultural items, which were received from the National Crafts Council, to the State Museum of Oriental Arts and to the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera). Russian books translated to Sinhala to Russian were also donated to the State Library and the Center for Oriental Literature of the RSL.

The exhibition included books of the Russian State Library collection of Sinhala, Tamil, Russian and English, published in Sri Lanka, in the USSR, Russia and other countries of the world. The exhibition is open for the readers of the library from 23 to 30 November 2021, It includes more than fifty publications, including novels and stories by the outstanding Sri Lankan writer Martin Wickramasinghe.

The Embassy provided for the exhibition numerous objects of culture and everyday life of Sri Lanka: traditional dresses, wooden masks used in rituals and theatrical performances, musical instruments, jewelry and boxes, brass items, batik paintings, etc.

The Embassy highly appreciates the input of everyone who helped to bring the initiative of the “Sri Lankan Day – 2021” to a reality.

− Administration of the Russian State Library and the Center for Oriental Literature;

− Students of the Folk vocal studio «Azure sapphire» from the Marfino Center for Leisure and Culture;

− Sri Lankan students, who performed traditional and national dances and model show of batik dresses;

− Interns of the Embassy who supported for the model show of batik dresses;

− Russian students of the online Sinhala course, who performed a song in Sinhala;

− All Sri Lankan and Russian volunteers;

− All sponsors of the event, etc.

Embassy of Sri Lanka

Moscow

It has been decided to hold the 74th national Independence Day at Independence Square in Colombo. The first meeting of the of the organizing committee took place today under the patronage of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse at the Temple Trees. The all night Pirith Chanting which is held before the Independence Day, will take place on 2nd February at the Independence Square. Prime Minister Rajapakse instructed only to get the participation of fully vaccinated persons, according to health guidelines for the ceremonial activities.

The World Health Organization said Omicron coronavirus variant is likely to spread internationally, posing a very high global risk of infection surges that could have severe consequences in some areas. The U.N. agency urged its 194 member states to accelerate vaccination of high-priority groups and, in anticipation of increased case numbers, to ensure mitigation plans are in place to maintain essential health services. The WHO said Omicron has an unprecedented number of spike mutations, some of which are concerning for their potential impact on the trajectory of the pandemic.

***

The Deputy Director General of Health Services Dr. Hemantha Herath advised the general public to be vigilant and alert about the spread of Omricron Corona variant. According to the information received, the variant has not entered the South Asian countries. However, the general public should take precautionary measures in term of vaccination and health guidelines to be prepared for any situation. Dr. Hemantha Herath further said those who have not received the booster vaccination should receive it at the first instance. The WHO has released a media report stating the booster vaccination would protect the human beings from Omricron variant.

The appointment of 08 Secretaries to Ministries has been approved by the Committee on High Posts, Secretary General of Parliament Mr. Dhammika Dasanayake said.

General (Retd.) Kamal Gunaratne, Secretary to the Ministry of Defense was among the Secretaries to the Ministries who received approval of the Committee on High Posts chaired by Hon. Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Speaker of Parliament, Nov; (23).

Furthermore, Secretary General of Parliament stated that Mr. W.H. Karunaratna as the Secretary to the Ministry of Development Coordination and monitoring, Mr. D. L. P. R. Abeyratne as the Secretary to the State Ministry of Development of Minor Crops including Sugarcane, Maize, Cashew, Pepper, Cinnamon, Cloves, Betel Related Industries and Export Promotion, Mrs. D. N. Liyanage as the Secretary to the Ministry of Skills Development, Vocational Education, Research and Innovation have also received approval for their appointments.

Appointments of Mr. M. A. B. V Banadaranayake as the Secretary to the State Ministry of Rattan, Brass, Pottery, Furniture and Industrial Promotion, Mrs. K. A. D. R Nishanthi Jayasinghe as the Secretary to the State Ministry of National Heritage Performing Arts and Rural Arts Promotion and Mr. D. P. G Kumarasiri appointed as the Secretary to the State Ministry of Estate Housing and Community Infrastructure were also approved by the Committee.

The Committee on High Posts also granted its approval for the appointments of Mr. M. N. Ranasinghe a state Secretary to the State Ministry of Promoting the Production and Regulating the Supply of Organic Fertilizer, and Paddy and Grains, Organic Food, Vegetables, Fruits, Chilies, Onion and Potato Cultivation Promoting, Seed Production and Advanced Technology, Agriculture.

The Committee also approved the appointment of Mr. Sirimal Perera as the Secretary to the State Ministry of Urban Development, Waste Disposal and Community cleanliness.

Hon. Ministers Chamal Rajapaksa, Dinesh Gunawardena, Douglas Devananda, (Dr.) Bandula Gunawardana, Udaya Gammanpila, Hon. State Ministers Vidura Wickramanayaka, (Dr.) Sudarshani Fernandopulle, Hon. Members of Parliament Anura Priyadharshana Yapa, John Seneviratne, Thalatha Athukorala, Dharmalingam Siddharthan were present at this Committee meeting.

 

Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa with the participation of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday declared open the new state-of-the-art cable- stayed Kelani Bridge named “Golden Gate Kalyani” across the Kelani River at Peliyagoda. Golden Gate Kalyani, the first bridge built in Sri Lanka on high technology cables as a solution to the traffic congestion entering the Colombo city, connects Colombo-Katunayake Expressway and the city of Colombo. Following the opening of the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway, the linking of the Colombo Capital City with the Katunayake International Airport has resulted in a large increase in the number of vehicles entering the city of Colombo. Due to the inadequacy of the existing Kelani Bridge’s capacity for such a large number of vehicles, the preliminary plans for the new Kelani Bridge project were drawn up and signed in 2014 under the leadership of the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The Ministry of Highways and the Road Development Authority have commenced the project in 2017 to construct the new six-lane bridge adjacent to the old Kelani Bridge. The project was funded by the financial assistance of Japanese Yen 35,020 million from Japan International Corporation Agency.

The new Kelani Bridge begins from the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway centering on the Peliyagoda Bridge Junction and ends at the Orugodawatta Junction and the Port Access Junction. The Bridge will have interchanges at Orugodawatta, Ingurukade and Kelanitissa junctions.

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The amendment to the Appropriation Act No. 07 of 2020 to increase the borrowing limit was recently approved by the Committee on Public Finance chaired by Member of Pariament Anura Priyadarshana Yapa.


Accordingly, the borrowing limit which was Rs. 2997 billion will be increased to Rs. 3397 billion, it was revealed at the Committee on Public Finance held online.


Secretary to the Ministry of Finance and the Treasury S.R Attygalle pointed out that an amendment to the Appropriation Act was needed to increase the borrowing limit due to the economic downturn in the country caused by the Covid 19 situation.

He further pointed out that this was due to the inability to achieve the expected revenue for the year 2021, the increase in supplementary expenditure and the devaluation of the rupee in the payment of foreign currency loan services.

Mr. Attygalle also pointed out that the increase in welfare expenditure during the Covid 19 pandemic led to an increase in supplementary expenditure. He also said that a sum of Rs. 200 billion had been approved by the Parliament recently for supplementary expenditure.

In addition to this amendment, as per the Cabinet decision taken on 27.09.2021, the gazette notification submitted by the Minister of Finance to revoke the licensing system for white sugar which came into effect from 29th October 2020 under the Import Export (Control) Act No. 01 of 1969 was approved by the Committee on Public Finance.

Dr. Harsha de Silva stated that he had repeatedly emphasized the need for a forensic report in this regard to clarify the crisis situation in the country regarding sugar. The Chairman said that the Committee on Public Finance would be able to engage in a lengthy discussion on the matter soon after it is tabled by the Committee on Public Accounts.

State Ministers Hon. Susil Premajayantha, Dr. Nalaka Godahewa, Members of Parliament Dr. Harsha de Silva and Prof. Ranjith Bandara as well as a number of senior government officials were present at the recent Public Finance Committee meeting held online.

  • Secretary to the President P. B. Jayasundera

Secretary to the President P. B. Jayasundera said that he believes a budget with a new vision and programme that goes beyond the traditional budget will be presented to the country this time.

The Secretary to the President said that the priority will be given to the fields of green economy, renewable energy, information technology and digital governance and special attention has been drawn to increase the income of the country working within the National policy framework Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour.

Secretary to the President P. B. Jayasundera and Secretary to the Ministry of Finance S.R. Attygalle responded to the questions raised by journalists at the media conference held at the Presidential Media Centre, today (02) via video technology.

The media briefing was organized under the theme “Future Budget and the Economic Situation of the Country”.

The production volume of goods and services should be increased to generate revenue for the country. Therefore, revenue policies that can increase the volume of goods and services will be included in this budget. The Secretary pointed out that the rural agrarian economy should be uplifted and the development of infrastructure facilities in this regard has been identified as a priority.

The Secretary to the President said that an attractive country should be created for local entrepreneurs, new investors as well as tourists and in addition to the country’s resources, new investment opportunities would be created for the country through these initiatives.

Many in the region are looking at our country to obtain financial advantages of its geographical location. The Secretary to the President pointed out that their economic revival requires alternative centers and that this economic revival will not take place within the existing economic model but on the requirements based on a green economy, renewable energy, information technology and digital governance.

The Secretary to the President commented extensively on the damage caused to the world economy by the Covid pandemic and its impact on Sri Lanka. He also explained the payment of salaries to public servants, the rest of the expenditure that are being made without any deductions and the economic process carried out by the government without disrupting the day to day lives of the people.

The supply chains in the world as well as in our country were disrupted due to the covid-19 pandemic. The Secretary to the President pointed out that the country’s production needs to be enhanced and distribution methods should be properly created. He also expressed confidence that the removal of inter-provincial travel restrictions would help achieve the country’s return to normalcy.

Finance Ministry Secretary S. R. Attygalle said a new economic growth is expected along with the normalization of the country. The Finance Secretary pointed out that continuing to widen the budget deficit was not in the best interest of the country and that this year’s budget will focus on reducing that gap.

 
 

Epidemiology Unit of thy Health Ministry says that the daily count of COVID-19 cases confirmed in Sri Lanka moved to 573 yesterday. This brings the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus reported in the country to 542,212. As many as 513,540 recoveries and 13,770 deaths have been confirmed in Sri Lanka since the outbreak of the pandemic. More than 14,900 active cases in total are currently under medical care, official figures showed.

Director General of Health Services, Dr. Asela Gunawardena says that people should continue to abide by the health regulations and if they do not do so, coronavirus waves will re-emerge. He stressed that the provincial travel restrictions were not lifted to allow public to engage in leisure travel or other unnecessary travel. He added that the provincial travel restrictions were lifted to ensure that essential services to the public are maintained without hindrance.

Chairman of the Ceylon Electricity Board M. M. C. Ferdinando says he has not been informed of a power cut today and tomorrow. He said that CEB employees do not wish to keep the country in darkness. Meanwhile, Electricity Board Engineering Union said there would not be power interruptions despite the trade union action today.

 President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has emphasized the imperative need for a new agricultural revolution that is not against nature and pointed out that people should coexist with nature rather than act against it.

The President made these remarks addressing a special conference organized by Sri Lanka on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow, Scotland, under the theme “Rediscovering Nitrogen: Solutions and Synergies for Climate Change, Health, Biodiversity and Circular Economy”.

The Conference was held Oct (31) at 5.00 p.m. Scotland time.

“My Government’s policy frameworks emphasize sustainability. This is reflected in Sri Lanka’s ambitious updated Nationally Determined Contributions to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Mechanism,” President Rajapaksa said.

“The challenge facing us now is to use modern scientific techniques and practices to enhance agricultural production without causing environmental degradation… For decades, chronic kidney disease has been a serious issue in Sri Lanka’s agricultural heartland. The overuse of chemical fertilizers has contributed significantly to this problem, ‘’ the President said, adding in this context that his Government took firm steps to reduce imports of chemical fertilizer, and strongly encourage organic agriculture.

‘Although this action has been broadly appreciated, it has also met with some criticism and resistance. In addition to chemical fertilizer lobby groups, this resistance has come from farmers who have grown accustomed to overusing fertilizer as an easy means of increasing yields, ‘ the President said. “This is particularly unfortunate considering Sri Lanka’s rich agricultural heritage”, the President added.

The President said Sri Lanka’s progressive agenda on the environment is being implemented despite the resource constraints it faces as a developing nation and pointed out that sustaining such an agenda alongside development programs is challenging for all developing nations, especially following the pandemic.

The President expressed hope that developed countries will extend their fullest support to such nations through development assistance, technology transfers, skills development, investment, and financing support. He mentioned that there is also a significant role for businesses in this endeavor, and significant returns to be made in investments into sustainability.

“All of us alive today are custodians of this planet on behalf of future generations. We must all work together towards ensuring its health by contributing in whatever way we can,” President Rajapaksa said. “If we all do this in a spirit of togetherness and goodwill, I am certain we will succeed in effecting positive change for our people and our planet,” he said.

While welcoming the foreign representatives to the forum, Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that Sri Lanka has become the first country in the world to take the decision to convert conventional agricultural lands, 100% organic. The Minister said this move aims to create a green socio-economy with sustainable solutions for climate change.

The Minister appreciated all scientists, late, and alive, for their work on nitrogen and said, “Centuries after discovering nitrogen, we are rediscovering nitrogen.”

Environment Ministry Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe expressed views on Sri Lanka’s aspirations on climate resilience and adaptation: COP26 and beyond,” and High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to the UK, Saroja Sirisena also expressed views.

 PMD

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