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Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has commended the progress Sri Lanka has made thus far with regard to the resolutions under their agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Speaking at the IMF – World Bank meet on India’s Group of 20 (G20) presidency, particularly in response to a question raised regarding the concerns pertaining to the G20 common framework for debt restructuring and claims that progress made under this framework is ‘too slow’, Sitharaman explained that albeit Sri Lanka having been categorised as a middle-income country, it was later on the verge of being graded a low-income country when the economic crisis came about, and thus, it could not be addressed by the common framework.

“The crisis could not be addressed by the common framework because it was a middle-income country, it couldn’t qualify to be addressed within the common framework it was outside”, she explained.

The Finance Minister noted, however, that when compared to many other countries the speed with which Sri Lanka is getting its resolutions through the IMF is “very good”, and “ speedy compared to the common framework”.

Speaking further in this regard, Sitharaman noted that today, many financial institutions, including the IMF, have realized the need for such processes to be speedier.

Emphasisng the value of Sri Lanka’s progress with regards to the IMF agreement and its resolutions, Sitharaman highlighted that the very formation of the creditor committee through a sovereign debt roundtable, which the IMF established together with the World Bank under the India presidency to address the issue of Sri Lanka’s debt crisis, is one that is likely to be used as a template for any other country in the future.

Albeit agreeing to the fact that the process, could, in fact, be speedier, Sitharaman said “It is moving as per the formula and speedily, it can be speedier, that’s a different story, but the fact is at the moment it is very speedily”.

Main opposition MP Eran Wickremaratne says corruption remains a critical issue for Sri Lanka, and with the appropriation bill seeking to increase state expenditure by Rs. 300 billion, it appears the government is yet to get serious about reducing costs.

The SJB parliamentarian says the opposition supports moves to reduce other expenditure to enhance spend on education and health. But the government seeks to increase defence spending despite being the largest spender on defence in the Asian region in terms of GDP, he said.

Wickremaratne added that citing the Civil Aviation Amendment Act, the minister speaks of infusing private investment into catering and ground handling of the national airline, which are profitable entities. There was no mention of airline operations, which is over $ 1 billion in the red.

Remarking he is keen to promote competition in the industry, the SJB MP noted that notwithstanding that any possible attempts to maintain the grossly loss-making airline could well be to hide avenues of corruption.

“If you are keeping the airline for political reasons, you need to consider private participation to turn it around. Through this act, if the government is looking to dispose the two performing entities and not solve the airline issue that’s not a good way forward. You cannot develop an economy without the rule of law and that must apply similarly to everyone,” he said.

Addressing a media briefing in Colombo yesterday (11), Wickremaratne noted the IMF too said aspects such as special commodity levies must be approved in parliament as per due process, without leaving it in the hands of one person.

The SJB MP said he had presented a private member’s bill in this regard, and leaving such decisions in the hands of one is seen as dictatorial and leave room for malpractice as witnessed with the sugar tax scam.

Wickremaratne also touched on the draft Online Safety Bill, which he termed draconian and aimed at stifling freedom of expression. He noted the government is looking to rush this legislature through without adequate discourse with civil society, and that aspects of the bill could extend to mainstream media as well which now has a heavy online presence.

He added the purported independent commission to administer the proposed law is not appointed by the constitutional council, but by the President and thereby questioned its independence.

“This is a move to stifle civil society. A society has diverse views and people must have opportunity to express different views and opinions in a democratic society. It adds that any posts that lead to unrest can lead to five years in jail and a fine. People should be able to protest peacefully like they did last year. People stood against an oppressive regime. They did it peacefully and this is part of democracy,” he said.

Wickremaratne added there are other provisions available to protect vulnerable segments from online activity.

(ft.lk)

The Criminal Investigation Department yesterday (13) arrested Registrar of the Fort Magistrate’s Court on suspicion of having prepared a fake letter stating that the travel ban of a suspect had been lifted and the Immigration Controller informed by fax.

The Court had imposed a travel ban on this suspect. It is stated that the suspect Registrar has issued this fake letter to the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration that the overseas travel ban has been lifted on a suspect who was sentenced in a case involving seven charges heard at the Fort Magistrate’s Court.

It has been revealed during the investigation that the relevant file related to the incident had gone missing, and the suspect Registrar was arrested based on the complaint received from the Fort Magistrate’s Court regarding a missing case file.

The CID has extensively questioned the officer who typed this fake letter. The typist had told the investigators that she received the draft of the letter from the Registrar to be typed.

However she has told the CID that she did not receive the relevant case file from the Registrar. The CID has also recorded statements from officials who were on duty at the room where case files are kept. On completion of the preliminary investigations into the incident, the Registrar has been arrested on suspicion to continue further investigations. She was produced before the Magistrate yesterday evening.

(dailynews.lk)

India’s Minister of External Affairs, Dr. S. Jaishankar, has met with President Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Presidential Secretariat a short while ago.

Extensive discussions were held to further strengthen Indo-Sri Lankan relations, resulting in the signing of three new bilateral agreements aimed at enhancing cooperation between the two countries, the President’s Media Division (PMD) reported.

Furthermore, the inauguration of the third phase of the housing project, supported by Indian loan assistance, was conducted during the meeting. While an initial allocation of Rs. 1.026 million had been allocated per unit for the fourth phase, it was necessary to revise the budget to Rs. 2.8 million per unit due to increased housing unit costs.

To uplift the lives of Sri Lankan citizens, the Government of India has committed to providing additional funds for the speedy completion of nine development projects in the country, which are currently supported by the Government of India. The relevant agreement for this initiative was also signed today, it said in a statement.

These projects include the modernization of 27 schools in the Northern Province, housing initiatives in Mannar and Anuradhapura, improvements to the Hatton Thondaman Vocational Training Centre and Pussellawa Saraswati Central College, the construction of a multi-ethnic trilingual school in Polonnaruwa, the establishment of 2889 rainwater harvesting projects in the Jaffna area, the promotion of vegetable cultivation in the Dambulla area and the construction of greenhouse facilities with a capacity of 5000 metric tons for fruit preservation. Additionally, a new surgical unit for the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital will be promptly built as part of these efforts.

An agreement concerning a joint project involving the Indian National Dairy Development Board, the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation of India (Amul), and the Cargills Group of Sri Lanka was signed with the aim of elevating Sri Lanka’s local dairy industry. This agreement emerged as a result of President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s official visit to India and allocation of funding for the modernization of Sri Lanka’s livestock sector.

The primary objective of this new project is to increase milk production by 53% within the first five years and achieve self-sufficiency in milk production for Sri Lanka within 15 years. As part of this endeavour, it is anticipated that approximately 200,000 local farmers will be empowered through the provision of facilities such as high-quality medicines, animal nutrition and technical support.

Furthermore, this initiative encompasses digitalization of the livestock sector, investments in new technologies to enhance the quality of milk-related by-products and ensuring access to milk-related products at affordable prices, the PMD mentioned.

In addition to this significant agreement, a special commemorative logo was unveiled today to celebrate the 75 years of Indo-Sri Lankan relations.

Present at the signing ceremony were Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay, Union Secretaries of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs Puneeth Agrawal and J. P. Singh, Indian Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Dr Satyanjal Pandey and Indian Ministry of External Affairs Deputy Secretary Raghu Puri.

From the Sri Lankan side, notable attendees included Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabri PC, Minister Jeevan Thondaman, State Minister Tenuka Widanagamage, Member of Parliament M. Rameswaran, Senior Advisor to the President on National Security and Chief of Staff to the President Sagala Ratnayaka, Senior Advisor to the President on Economic Affairs Dr. R.H.S. Samaratunga, President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake, Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ms. Aruni Wijewardena, Director of Presidential International Affairs Dinuk Colombage and other dignitaries.

Showers or thundershowers will occur over most parts of the island after 2.00 p.m. Fairly heavy showers above 75 mm can be expected at some places in Uva, Central,Sabaragamuwa and Easten provinces.

A few showers may occur in coastal areas of the western and southern provinces during the morning too.

Misty conditions can be expected at some places in Central, Sabaragamuwa and Uva provinces during the morning.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

The National Election Commisison has issued a gazette declaring that Ali Sahir Moulana has been appointed to the Parliamentary seat left vacant by Naseer Ahamed.

The National Election Commission said the Parliament seat was left vacant following the expulsion of Naseer Ahamed from the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress.

C.D. Wickramaratne has been granted yet another service extension of three weeks as the Inspector General of Police (IGP).

The current police chief was initially supposed to retire from the police service on March 26, 2023.

However, President Ranil Wickremesinghe had extended his tenure by three months until June 26 by way of a special gazette notification dated April 06.

Later, on July 09, he was granted a second service extension of three months which came to an end October 09.

The government has undertaken preparations to introduce three pivotal bills aimed at preventing gender-based violence in Sri Lanka, State Minister for Women, Children Affairs, and Social Empowerment, Geeta Kumarasinghe announced.

State Minister Geeta Kumarasinghe said that these legislative measures, including the Gender Equality Act, the National Commission for Women Act, and the Women’s Empowerment Act, are vital steps in promoting gender equality and safety.

She further stressed that the measures are being taken in response to President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s directives to address gender-based violence in Sri Lanka.

According to the President’s Media Division (PMD), she made the remarks while addressing a media briefing held at the Presidential Media Centre on Tuesday (Oct 10).

Addressing the media, the State Minister said the government is also placing special emphasis on the social security of women. As part of this commitment, plans are underway to establish women’s care centres across ten districts, providing a secure environment for women in need, while a 24/7 emergency hotline, 1938, has been introduced, allowing women to seek assistance and report incidents confidentially.

To ensure the safety of children left without parental care and to protect their identities, the government has implemented the “Window” program. Recognizing the importance of women’s safety, the ministry is considering reducing taxes on sanitary napkins.

She also said a comprehensive program to prevent gender-based violence is in the pipeline. This initiative, implemented in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), spans the next five years (2024 – 2028). It includes self-employment schemes to empower young women, widows, women from incarcerated families, women in the estate sector, and low-income urban women entrepreneurs. The government is actively working on the establishment of women’s care centres in ten districts to provide support and assistance to women in need.

Moreover, the Ministry of Women, Child Affairs, and Social Empowerment has undertaken numerous initiatives for children’s welfare, including a nutritional allowance program, providing Rs. 45,000 over ten months for pregnant and lactating mothers, which continues to operate. This program offers benefits for six months during pregnancy and four months during lactation.

In addition, a program has been implemented to provide breakfast to preschool children in the year 2023, and the target number of children is 155,000. Furthermore, high-nutrition biscuits are being distributed to preschool children in districts, including Monaragala, Galle, Mullaitivu, Anuradhapura, Nuwara Eliya, and Ampara, to combat nutritional deficiencies. Preschool teachers will receive a monthly stipend of Rs. 2,500 under the “Guru Abhimani” program.

State Minister Geeta Kumarasinghe added that monthly district-level meetings are being conducted to address the concerns of children and women, ensuring that these initiatives are successful.

Chamari Athapaththu is the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for September 2023 after inspiring Sri Lanka to a historic series triumph over England.

Athapaththu beat out South Africa pair Laura Wolvaardt and Nadine de Klerk to earn the award after an outstanding month that included leading Sri Lanka to a stunning series victory.

The Sri Lanka Women’s captain starred as her side claimed their first-ever series win over England in any format when coming out on top in two of their three Women’s T20I clashes.

The Catholic Bishops Conference has asked president Ranil Wickremesinghe to share copies of the investigation reports into the Easter Sunday terror attacks

“since it is the first time this information is revealed in public.”

In a letter to the president, Catholic Bishops referred to Wickremesinghe’s claim in an interview with German broadcaster Deutsche Welle that foreign investigation agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, British police, the secret services of Australia, India, Pakistan, and China had given their reports on the attacks.

It also pointed out that his stand of “only dealing with Catholic Bishop Conference, not with Cardinal” undermines the “collegiality” of the collective body comprising bishops of 12 dioceses and three auxiliary bishops in the county.

“It should be noted that the cardinal being the Archbishop of Colombo is not ‘sui generis’ [existing alone] but an integral and most vital member of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Sri Lanka.”

“Hence, any reference to the Cardinal by Your Excellency in a singular manner undermines the collegiality of the conference,” the letter said.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has directed government officials to prioritize the immediate requirements of Sri Lankan citizens residing in Israel, especially their safety, in light of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Consequently, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Israel and relevant government departments have collaboratively initiated a special program aimed at offering the utmost possible assistance to the Sri Lankan community living in Israel, the President’s Media Division reported.

Sri Lankans working or residing in Israel for various purposes now have access to channels for directly informing Sri Lankan authorities in case of life-threatening situations or related difficulties, it said.

They could convey their needs or obtain essential information by reaching out through the following contact options:

Phone: (+94) 117966396 WhatsApp: (+94) 767463391 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The government emphasizes that all Sri Lankans in Israel can avail of these services through established immigration procedures or any other appropriate method, the PMD said in a statement.

Earlier, the Head of State had expressed deep concern over the attacks, and its implications on Sri Lankans and Israelis residing in both countries.

Emphasising the need for immediate action to ensure the safety of Sri Lankans working in Israel, President Wickremesinghe directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to locate and ensure the well-being of these individuals, and called for further assistance in facilitating the return of Israelis, including tourists and employees, from Sri Lanka to Israel, urging the police to provide necessary security measures for Israelis within Sri Lanka.

The remains of actor Jackson Anthony will be kept at a private funeral parlour at Bauddhaloka Mawatha in Colombo today (10) for the public to pay their last respects.

His family said the body would be taken tomorrow to his home at no. 90/A 58, Wanigasuriyawatte, Ragama Road, Kadawatha.

The funeral takes place at St. Paul’s Church at Ragama at 3.00 pm on 12 October.

Anthony passed away yesterday, aged 65 years.

In July 2022, he was seriously injured after his vehicle collided with a wild elephant at Talawa in Anuradhapura.

Anthony underwent emergency surgery and had since been receiving treatment at Colombo National Hospital.