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President Gotabaya Rajapaksa today (January 21) made a sudden inspection visit to the Department of Agrarian Development, located at Sri Marcus Fernando Mawatha in Colombo 07.

The Agrarian Development Department functions under the purview of the Ministry of Agriculture.

The vision of this public institution is the “Sustainable development of the agrarian society and all agricultural lands in Sri Lanka” and the mission is “Formulation and timely maintenance of institutional, ancillary, legal and management services so as to ensure sustainable development of the agrarian society of Sri Lanka and making optimal productivity from all agricultural lands”.

President Rajapaksa engaged in this observation visit to ascertain whether those objectives were being pursued properly, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said. This is also the first time in the decades-long history of the department that a Head of State has made a visit.

He inspected all divisions including the Agrarian Review Board, Agrarian Banks, Administration, Accounts, Development, Legal, Corporate Development (Services), Productivity and Marketing, Engineering and Water Management.

For nearly three hours, the President engaged in a discussion with officials and employees on the steps that should be taken for the promotion of agricultural sector.

Green agriculture and non-toxic food production is the policy of the government. The President pointed out that the distribution, use and yield of organic fertilizer during the Maha Season should be investigated and preparations for the Yala Season should be made on those findings to avoid shortcomings.

Thirty-four public and private companies were given the opportunity to produce organic fertilizer. The authorities need to look into the produce and success achieved by using organic fertilizers in each institution. It was decided to encourage companies that have made high progress and to increase their production. The President also emphasized the need to impart technical knowledge to agricultural research officers to educate farmers in the coming seasons.

The officials pointed out that during the last two years, under the programme to re- cultivate the abandoned paddy fields it has been able to cultivate all the fallow paddy lands in nine districts including Anuradhapura, Hambantota, Trincomalee, Ampara and Batticaloa.

Other barren paddy fields across the island have also been identified and most of them belong to Kalutara, Galle and Matara districts. The President instructed the officials to find the reasons for not cultivating them and to take steps to cultivate the agricultural lands with the intervention of the owners and farmers’ organizations.

The President emphasized that the lands that could not be used for paddy cultivation should be used for cultivation of other crops.

The Department of Agrarian Development accepts funds and lends money to farmers through 559 Agrarian Bank branches. Loans ranging from Rs. 200,000 to Rs.1 million will be given to farmers based on Yala or Maha Season and on a yearly system. The officials pointed out that this would alleviate many of the problems faced by the farmers when taking loans at high interest rates from other parties. Considering the importance of this, the President instructed to look into the possibility of strengthening the Agrarian Bank network and intervening to purchase paddy from farmers at higher prices.

Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, State Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa, Secretary to the President Gamini Senarath, Principal Advisor to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Cabinet and State Ministry Secretaries also joined this inspection visit.

The Director-General of Health Services has confirmed another 07 coronavirus related deaths for January 16, increasing the death toll in the country due to the virus to 15,218.

This includes 05 males and 02 females, according to the Department of Government Information.

Two of the victims are in the age group of 30-59 years. The remaining o5 patients are aged 60 years and above.

Former Director of the Criminal Investigations Department Shani Abeysekera on Friday (21) filed a writ application with the Court of Appeal to seek an order to invalidate the recommendations and the findings against him by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Political Victimization.

The application was filed by Attorney-at-Law Manjula Balasuriya.

Chairman of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Political Victimization, retired Supreme Court Judge Upali Abeyratne, members of the PCoI, Avant-Garde Maritime Services, and its Chairman Nissanka Senadhipathi were among the eight respondents named in the application.

Abeysekera in his application noted that when he filed a writ application with the Court of Appeal against a complaint by the PCoI over a complaint made by the Avant-Garde Chairman, counsel appearing for the commissioners assured that NO action will be taken against him until that writ application was taken up for examination and concluded.

The petitioner noted that however, the PCoI report with recommendations and findings was handed over on the 24th of November 2020 and it contained several recommendations with regard to the complaint made against him by Nissanka Senadhipathi.

The second phase of the Central Expressway from Mirigama to Kurunegala or the Athugalpura entrance was declared open under the patronage of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The second phase of the Central Expressway from Mirigama to Kurunegala spans 40.91 km in distance, enabling the public to travel between two cities within just 25 minutes.

The road has been constructed bypassing urban areas to minimize the environmental and social impacts.

The Mirigama to Kurunegala section of the Central Expressway consists of five Interchanges with payment counters at Mirigama, Nakalagamuwa, Dambokka, Kurunegala and Yaggapitiya.

President Rajapaksa must take steps to make the public aware of the proposed constitutional principles of government, the chairman of the National Movement for Social Justice Karu Jayasuriya said.

He said that the Constitution, which evidently affects a country, should be drafted by the Parliament and the people, stressing that it should not be a Constitution drafted by government-appointed representatives as a majority in the country is not agreeable to the formation of a new Constitution through this process.

He urged the government to take steps to make the public aware of the planned constitutional reform process prior to February 4, the day of Sri Lanka’s Independence.

Jayasuriya reiterated the organisation's calls to abolish the 20th Amendment to the Constitution to foster national unity and reconciliation in the country.

Speaking at a press briefing today, the former speaker said;

"We as a country today have a number of issues that need to be addressed urgently. It must be understood that the everyday lives of the people have been disrupted due to the lack of foreign exchange. This should not be taken as a criticism and instead be understood as a pertinent issue that must be addressed and resolved.

However, the government has failed to take necessary action to resolve the matter and this is causing great harm. Instead of allowing two ministries to engage in a game of tug of war to secure foreign exchange, the government must take the lead to bring about a solution to the issue. The government cannot leave it to the ministries and wash their hands off the matter. The Minister of Finance in particular has a great responsibility to bear in this situation.

If we are not able to solve this dilemma within the next few days, it must be pointed out that public life, the economy and the production process will collapse.

As an independent civil society organisation, the National Movement for Social Justice constantly monitors parliamentary proceedings with great interest. With the commencement of the Second Session of the 9th Parliament, we urge the government to appoint the parliamentary committees that were dissolved following the prorogation of Parliament.

We make this request not for political reasons but because we sincerely appreciate the dedicated, impartial and exemplary manner in which the parliamentary watchdog committees, the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE), the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) and the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) have acted in the recent past.

We strongly believe that the services of Prof. Charitha Herath, Prof. Tissa Vitharana and Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, who served as Chairs of these Committees, should be further utilised in the future to better serve the interests of our people.

It also must be noted that we sincerely hoped for a presidential pardon to be granted to veteran artiste Ranjan Ramanayake, especially at a time when the conversation on ‘One Country, One Law’ policy has come to the fore.

However, the National Movement for Social Justice declares that our country is still not governed by 'One Law' but by unjust decisions that have been made based on political reasons.

Therefore, it can only be said that the discriminatory treatment meted out to certain individuals solely based on political reasons is an inhumane form of hypocritical revenge."

Meanwhile, the Director-General of Health Services has confirmed 07 more coronavirus-related deaths for January 14, increasing the death toll in the country due to the virus pandemic to 15,197.

According to the official figures released by the Government Information Department, the deaths reported today include 06 males and 01 female.

One of the patients is between the ages of 30-59 years. The remaining six are in the age group of 60 years.

Kuwait Airways Corporation has suspended flights to Sri Lanka this week, in the midst of what the airlines called the “dollar crisis” and airlines’ reluctance to increase flights, as local offices declined to settle dues, foreign media reported today.

Therefore, Kuwait Airways ended its operations to Sri Lanka last September, which was only one flight per week, without giving official reasons, reports Al-Jarida daily.

Reliable sources said that “the airline’s revenues were very low, compared to the operating costs of the flight to Sri Lanka.”

The decision not to fly is expected to last for a long period of time and will mostly affect the movement of migrant workers, as thousands of Sri Lankans use “Kuwaitia” to travel to work in West Asia and the Gulf states. And according to the Arab Times, there are indications that another airline is now re-evaluating its options.

Meanwhile, sources warned that general sales agents and local airline offices did not pay their dues in dollars, a problem that persisted for about 4 or 5 months.

In the case of Kuwait Airways, there were also concerns about the rising costs of landing in Sri Lanka, which are among the highest in the region.

Source: Arab Times

Dr. P.B. Jayasundara today (14) bade farewell to his position as secretary to the president.

A sendoff function for him took place at the Presidential Secretariat in the morning.

Jayasundara informed president Gotabaya Rajapaksa a few days ago that he would resign from the position.

Gamini Senarath is tipped to succeed him as the president's secretary.

Students both former and present of St.Peter's College Bambalapitiya were in the midst of a great centenary celebration yesterday (January 18).

However, as history tells us, it could be correctly stated that St.Joseph's College Maradana opened its secondary school in Bambalapitiya on the 18th of January 1922 and named it St.Joseph's College South Colombo, the exact location of where St.Peter's College Bamabalapitiya is situated at present.

St. Joseph's College, Colombo was founded in March 1896.

St. Joseph's College South, later St. Peter's College, was built on neglected cinnamon land bordering the Galle Road and alongside the Wellawatte Canal, starting on 7 July 1921.

On 18 January 1922, Fr. LeGoc with a large number of Josephian students and Staff opened the new school.

Thus St. Joseph's College South was born on 18 January 1922.

Rev. Fr. D. J. Nicholas Perera was appointed President of the college, with classes from Grade 1 to Grade 7, while the number on roll was 204. However, five years later on the 29th of June 1927, St.Joseph's College South Colombo renamed its institution as St.Peter's College and appointed Fr. D.J. Nicholas Perera as the first Rector of the school.

History

In 1919, just after the end of World War I, Fr. M.J. Le Goc, Rector of St Joseph's College, Colombo, wanted to start a college in the southern suburbs of Colombo, and acquired a block of cinnamon land in Bambalapitiya.

Construction began on 7 July 1921 under the supervision of J R J Jayesuria, an alumnus of St. Joseph's College. In December 1921, Fr. Le Goc announced that St. Joseph's College South would open in January 1922.

The buildings were designed by Fr. Le Goc, and was built in six months. The quadrangle in front had an oval drive running around it. Fr. Le Goc also incorporated the concept of open-air classrooms.

The inauguration took place on Wednesday 18 January 1922.

204 students were admitted on that day and by the end of the year the number had risen to 268.

The First rector was Fr. D. J. Nicholas Perera O.M.I. So in reality, the centenary celebrations which falls on the 18th of January 1922, is in fact when St.Joseph's College Maradana commenced its secondary educational institution and opened its branch in Bambalapitiya.

History, therefore, tells us that the 'name' of the institution 'St.Peter's College' located at Bambalapitiya, is in fact five years short of its centenary mark and will in reality be 100 years on the 29th of June 2027.

However, the founding of the current institution named 'St.Peter's College' (95 years since name change) located at Bambalapitiya, even though initially named St.Joseph's College South Colombo and founded yesterday, the 18th of January 2022, is factually correct.

Minister Namal Rajapaksa says the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) should pull out from the government with dignity without going around criticizing the government.

Speaking to the media, the Sports & Youth Affairs Minister suggested that it is better to voice such criticisms during the meeting of political party leaders and not to the general public.

People voted for the Sri Lanka Freedom Party too, and they also represent the Cabinet of Ministers as well as the government, Minister Rajapaksa pointed out.

With regard to the collective responsibility of the Cabinet of Ministers, he said the SLFP is also accountable for the decisions taken by the government.

If the SLFP members think these policies do not work out for them, it is better if they part ways with dignity without going around criticizing, Minister Rajapaksa added.

Speaking further, the lawmaker said, “Our government is not afraid of elections [...] and we are ready to hold elections at any given time.”

Veteran singer and musician Neela Wickramasinghe has died at the age of 71 following a sudden heart ailment.

Her death occurred in Milan, Italy, where she assumed duties as Sri Lanka’s consul-general only on 10 January, confirmed singer Keerthi Pasquel.

She sang her first song for the then Radio Ceylon in 1959 for a programme called 'Amateur voice.'

With a career spanning more than 55 years, she sung in 67 films as a playback singer and contributed to hundreds of songs.

She won three Sarasavi awards for the best female playback singer.

Meanwhile, the Director-General of Health Services has confirmed 14 more coronavirus-related deaths for January 11, increasing the death toll in the country due to the virus pandemic to 15,163.

According to the official figures released by the Government Information Department, the deaths reported today include 07 males and 07 females.

Three of the patients are between the ages of 30-59 years. The remaining 11 are in the age group of 60 years.