News

Veteran SLFP politician A.H.M. Fowzie has been sworn in as the State Minister of National Unity and Reconciliation.

He was sworn in before President Maithripala Sirisena at the President’s Official Residence this morning (11), the PMD said.

Fowzie previously held the portfolio of State Minister of National Integration and Reconciliation.

Secretary to the President Austin Fernando was also present on the occasion

Source : Ada Derana

The first stage of the ‘Siyapath Sevana’ housing project for low income families built at a cost of Rs. 1748 million was vested in the public today by President Maithripala Sirisena. The first stage of the project consist of 437 housing units.

According to the Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development, low income families from 55 watta, colombo 07 and others who lost homes due to the widening of the Kelani Valley line are set to be homed here. 

Each apartment consisting of two bedrooms and all other necceary amnetiies. The apartment complex has 15 floors along with elevators, community hall and various other services.

The withholding tax on interest earned from children's savings accounts up to the age of 18 will not be levied, Minister of Finance and Media Mangala Samaraweera said yesterday. Samaraweera pointed out that under the Rajapaksa regime however, children's savings accounts were taxed at 2.5 percent for interest above LKR 5,000. 

The minister also announced that the author’s royalty fee from publishers below the amount of LKR 50,000 per month or LKR 500,000 per year will be exempted from taxes.

Prices of fuel will be increased from midnight today with immediate effect. According to Minister Rajitha Senaratne, the decision was arrived at during a special cabinet meeting held last night. Minister of Sarath Amunugama was meanwhile quoted as saying that the situation is such that a price hike has become inevitable. 

Accordingly, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) will increase its prices as mentioned below. 

New Prices per Litre 

Octane 92        Rs. 138
Octane 95        Rs. 148
Auto Diesel      Rs. 109
Super Diesel   Rs. 119
Kerosene         Rs. 101

The rise in oil prices in the world market in recent times, resulted in the Lanka IOC increasing its price of a litre of diesel by Rs. 5 and a litre of petrol by Rs. 9. The fuel price rise by Lanka IOC came into effect on February 23. However, CPC has been selling fuel at prices set from January 2015 while incurring a loss of Rs. 33 million daily.

Anuruddha Polgampola who was appointed as the new Chairman of the Sri Lanka Timber Corporation (STC) by the President just last week after its former Chairman was arrested for a bribery allegation has also been sent home now on the orders of President Maithripala Sirisena. 

According to reports, the decision was made by the President to cancel the appointment as a result of various allegations of past indiscretions of Polgampola resurfacing and being levelled against him after his appointment. 

JVP goes after Anuruddha 

After the shock appointment of Polgampola JVP MP Sunil Handunnetti revealed that the new chairman of the STC had been imprisoned several times for corruption charges while bringing in to question his appointment to an organization like the STC. 

Polgampola was also a former JVP MP who was sacked from the party after violating immigrations where he had attempted to use his parliamentary privileges to smuggle an individual into Japan. He later became an ardent supporter of Mahinda Rajapaksa and then went on to extend his support to President Sirisena at the last local government elections.

Sustainable Development and Wildlife Minister Sarath Fonseka has reportedly apologised to President Maithripala Sirisena for having criticised him.

Minister Fonseka has reportedly met the President after the Cabinet meeting yesterday and apologised to him for making critical remarks against him.

Minister Fonseka had made negative remarks over the appointment of the new Cabinet of Ministers by the President while also claiming the country had appointed the wrong leader at the last Presidential election. Fonseka had made these comments at the recent May Day rally which is reported to have upset Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe as well.

The European Union has launched a Rs. 810 million project to support the modernization of Sri Lanka's agriculture sector.

The project "Support to the modernisation of the agriculture sector in Sri Lanka" will be implemented by Ecorys. The technical assistance team will assist the Government in making the agriculture sector more productive, diversified, climate-resilient, market-oriented and equitable through facilitating an agricultural sector reform process. The programme will support the development of an overarching agriculture policy where issues such as gender, climate change, nutrition and youth will be integrated. In addition, it will promote the diversification of high value agricultural production, including a focus on improved export earnings. Climate change and identification of ways in which malnutrition can be eliminated will also be an integral part of the assistance provided.

A workshop held in the context of the project with participants from Government institutions, private sector, civil society and academia focused on a coordinating mechanism for the New Agriculture Policy (NAP), the impact of decentralisation and fragmentation of the agriculture sector. The workshop concluded by agreeing on a common approach on the development of an overarching agricultural policy and its implementation strategy.

H.E. Tung-Lai Margue, the Ambassador of the European Union to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, said "This programme has been designed with the needs of the small farmers in mind. Given the large number of institutions involved in the agricultural sector in Sri Lanka, strengthening coordination and developing a joint policy are key to a successful transformation of the sector. We are pleased to partner with the Government of Sri Lanka, civil society and private sector in this regard, a partnership that will make a lasting difference in the lives of the people."

The grant, which is a part of the EU's wider programme in support of rural development in Sri Lanka, will benefit rural communities in the entire country. The programme is expected to be operational for three years (2018-2020).

Minister Gayantha Karunarathna says the government is looking to implement a new process to grant the Samurdhi benefit due to accusations that non-deserving individuals are receiving the government benefit. 

“Due to various allegations, we will see to look into the process and ensure the less fortunate are benefitted to strengthen them,” he said 

Meanwhile, the All-island Samurdhi and Agri research officers organization claim that it will conduct islandwide protests if the decision to bring the Samurdhi bank and program under the Central Bank. The Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe announced this proposal recently at the United National Party May Day rally held on May 7 at the Sugathadasa indoor stadium.

The Young professionals' organization of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) has demanded that four out of the 16 parliamentarians who recently left the government to sit in the opposition must resign from their parliamentary memberships as they were appointed through the national list instead of being voted in. 

S.B Dissanayake, Dilan Perera, Thilanga Sumathipala and Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena were appointed as MPs by President Maithripala Sirisena so that they would work according to his ideology they say adding that if they intend to work against it then they should vacate their positions. The four MP's recently left the government with 12 other MP's of the party and sat in the opposition during the parliamentary sessions this week.

The group made these demands at a recently held press briefing at the party headquarters.

Several posts are to be created in the United National Party (UNP) to assist party seniors according to political sources. According to them the decision was taken yesterday at the party’s political bureau meeting.  

The meeting had taken place at the Prime Minister’s office in parliament under his auspices.

Following the government's announcement that prices of fuel at Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) will increase with immediate effect, private firm Lanka IOC has also announced its decision to increase prices from tomorrow (May 11). 

LIOC last increased prices on March 23 thereby increasing the price of a litre of diesel by Rs. 5 and the price of a litre of petrol by Rs. 9. CPC however at the time said no price hike at its stations is imminent.

It is reported that the Treasury has given Rs. 50 million to the Ministry of Agriculture to purchase the pumpkin harvest that the farmers have been unable to sell due to a drastic drop in prices. 

Accordingly, the relevant authorities have already released the funds to District Agriculture Officers and the Ministry has instructed them to commence a program to purchase pumpkin harvests and distribute them to the market accordingly, sources from the Ministry of Agriculture said.