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He said the cost has increased due the record number of candidates who have come forward to contest the presidential elections.

A total of 35 candidates have handed over nomination papers for the presidential elections, the Elections Commission announced.

Rajapaksa said, “We will give free fertiliser for all farmers and write off the loans they have obtained. On the very next day of becoming president, we will exonerate all military men who had been sent to jail after having been charged with false accusations. We will also create a pension fund for all civil defence force personnel who had served over 20 years.”

He said he was often accused of being a ‘military karaya’ or ‘hamuda karaya’ by his political opponents. “We ended the era where military men were called hamuda karaya. At the same time, I would like to remind that it was this militaray karaya who helped spearhead the war against the LTTE and defeat it. This militaray karaya brought peace to the country,” he said.

While thanking the SLFP for pledging their support to him, Rajapaksa said the SLFP had never turned their back on the Rajapaksas.

“With all of your support, we will win the election. We aspire to create a safe, disciplined, worry-free and a prosperous nation,” he said.

Meanwhile, it has been noted by several civil society activists that most of the military personnel currently custody are facing criminal charges.

Military personnel have been implicated in cases of abductions, assaults, disappearances as well as murders of persons during the previous Rajapaksa regime.

The district based rallies in support of Sajith Premadasa will begin on the 13th, a front line organiser of the campaign said.

Over 200,000 UNP supporters from all corners of the island are expected to attend the inaugural rally of Presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa. "We expect to pack the Galle Face Green that would be a clear indication that he is the first choice of the people.

Security has also been beefed up with the deployment of hundreds of policemen to prevent any unruly incidents.  

A national security strategy based on a sound national security policy (NSS/NSP) will be crafted to deal with specific security challenges, a senior defense ministry official said.

With the objective of providing continued and secured alternative communication network similar to the modern communication system existed between the tri forces, the Strategic Defence Communications Network consisting of 37 microwave links connecting 22 terminal points in the island wide had been planned to complete under the mid-term expenditure framework implemented during the period from 2014 to 2016 .

However, the term of the project had been extended up to 2018. Further, the initial estimated cost of Rs 1,192 million had been revised as Rs 1,854 million without obtaining the approval from relevant parties.

It was observed that 22 electricity generators including generators procured and installed at a cost of Rs.15.7 million in 2016 and other 12 generators procured at a cost of Rs 10.8 million in 2017 had remained idle at the premises without being utilized for intended purposes with the guarantee periods also expiring, an audit inspection revealed.

The Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation (SLIC) is the provider of the free “Shilpa Suraksha” insurance cover to Sri Lankan craftsmen.

In phase I of this project, 5000 Lankan craftsmen will receive a free insurance cover annually. This is the first time in Sri Lanka’s history that our craftsmen get insurance cover, that too free of charge.

The government announced that it is also keen on introducing hi-tech design tools to its craftsmen so that their intricate work could garner better global attention.

“Very soon there will be demands by our craft sector to start work with latest technological advancements,” said Minister of Industry and Commerce, Rishad Bathiudeen when he addressed the Shilpa Abhimani 2019 Presidential Handicrafts Award Ceremony at the BMICH.

There are more than 20000 registered Sri Lankan craftsmen with the National Craft Council NCC. Crafts and designs are a very competitive sector. It is increasingly market driven.

With the support of the NCC they are continuously trying to bring out new designs and creations. the government will be introducing  new technologies which are becoming part of craft design work across the world to  promising and award winning craftsmen too.

New technologies, such as 3D printing and laser operated design setups can help  craftsmen to go global much faster, Minister Rishad Bathiudeen said.

A new project commenced to establish District Craft Councils (DCCs) in Sri Lanka for the first time in NCC’s 35 year history.

Sri Lanka’s arts, crafts, and handicraft traditions widely differ from region to region, span across many sub-sectors and spring from diverse sources–including pottery, wood-carvings, mural creations, lacquer painting, metal works and jewelry making.

Police sources have said that legal action was being initiated based on information uncovered that there was no progress in the murder investigation from 2010-2015 when the case was handled by the former TID OIC.

While the CID investigation into the murder had uncovered many leads, the case has been quite dormant after the TID had taken over the probe in 2010.

The CID investigations revealed that after the TID took over investigations no progress had been made until the case was handed back to the CID in 2015.

Rajapaksa has yesterday (7) posted an image on his official Facebook account of him greeting Premadasa at the National Elections Commission after handing nominations.

“Meeting and greeting Mr. Sajith Premadasa, the UNP presidential candidate today at the Elections Office endorses my genuine belief that; contenders can and do disagree on principles and policies but still remain respectful of one another. Ultimately, it’s the People and the Nation who must be victorious,” Rajapaksa has said in the Facebook post.

One of the petitioners, Chandragupta Thenuwara said the petitioners were awaiting the court’s reasons for dismissing the case on Friday (4).

“We were not given reasons. The court only gave the verdict of dismissal. I’m of the opinion that once we receive the reasons, we will talk with our lawyers and appeal the verdict,” he has said.

He further noted that he was confident that the petitioners did have a valid case against Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his citizenship.

“From how the written submissions and the argument went, it was clear that we had a strong case. It is puzzling why the case was dismissed. We shall wait and see what reasons the court provides for dismissing the case and then take the necessary steps,” he has told the media, adding that there was still time to achieve a different legal outcome.

He added that if the evidence they have prove correct and Rajapaksa was allowed to contest, it would have serious implications for the country.