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This measure was taken to minimize the problems faced by the related industries due to the shortage of coconuts in the country, P. Edirimanne, the Director of the Coconut Development Authority said.

According to Edirimanne, around 100 million coconuts per month are required for factories and related industries.

Thereby, frozen sliced coconut will be imported from India, the Philippines, and Vietnam, the Coconut Development Authority (CDA) further noted.

The imported stocks of frozen sliced coconuts will be used to manufacture coconut oil and coconut milk.

There is a shortage of coconuts in the country, as a result of adverse weather conditions experienced in the country last year.

According to market reports the price of coconut has increased from Rs. 70 to Rs. 100.

"Back then, it was the bond scam. Now, it is from tax frauds. We ask the masses to rally against these government backed crony capitalists," Samarasinghe said.

The amendment was an outcome of the Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987, India’s DMK Parliamentary Party leader, T.R. Baalu said, adding that the proposal, if carried forward, would put a question mark on the accord with India, the Press Trust of India reported.

Baalu, who is also the party treasurer, asked, "why and how the Indian government could be a mere spectator if the island nation abolished the provincial councils after assuring the Tamil people, devolution of more powers, even beyond what was contemplated under the 13th amendment."

The DMK leader requested Modi to prevail upon Sri Lanka to not go ahead with the plan to abolish the provincial councils.

"Modi should make it clear to the neighbour that the proposal, if implemented, would adversely affect Indo-Lanka ties," Baalu said.

“We will take steps to ban groups that are drawn to extremist activities,” Weerasekara told reporters.

He noted that Russian ambassador to Sri Lanka Yuri Materiy had agreed to support Sri Lanka’s efforts in this regard.

“All countries must join hands to eliminate racism and extremism by exchanging intelligence information,” the public security state minister insisted.

Sri Lanka is currently exploring the possibility of purchasing military equipment from Moscow, Russian Ambassador to Colombo, Yury Materiy has said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

Speaking to the RIA Novosti on the occasion for the Diplomatic Worker’s Day, the Ambassador said Military-technical cooperation between Russia and Sri Lanka has been steadily developing over the years.

During his recent visit to Sri Lanka, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced Moscow’s readiness to continue to supply the island with the weapons necessary to ensure its defense capability and maintain the country's security.

The Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka has warned the island nation to be wary of terror financing coming in the guise of Covid-19 aid.

News reports quoted Materiy as saying: "Many extremist groups have been moving funds for terror activities and have additionally carried out such operations via the trade and trafficking of narcotics under the cover of humanitarian assistance for Muslim organisations and charities."

Russia also plans to provide Sri Lanka with the Sputnik vaccine as the ministries of health of the two nations have completed formalities for its distribution.

The two also discussed mutual cooperation between the countries related to trade which has gone up substantially despite the coronavirus pandemic.

The Russian ambassador also invited the minister to participate in international security forums being held in Russia in 2021.

Sri Lanka and Russia underlined the importance of international scientific collaboration in face of the pandemic and agreed to expand relations between the health-related institutions of the two countries.

The two parties discussed the technology used in production of the vaccine, its safety and efficiency, the results of clinical trials and the status of approvals.

The Sri Lankan side apprised the Russian specialists of the research done on the virus modifications in Sri Lanka and the immunization programme of Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan Embassy in Russia facilitated an online meeting between the Ministry of Health of Sri Lanka, the Ministry of Health of Russia and the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Ministry of Health of Russia.

They discussed  the 'Sputnik V' vaccine, which is developed by the Russian Gamaleya Research Institute.

The parties discussed the technology used in production of the vaccine, its safety and efficiency, the results of clinical trials and the status of approvals.

The Sri Lankan side apprised the Russian specialists of the research done on the virus modifications in Sri Lanka and the immunization programme of Sri Lanka.

The meeting was chaired by Sri Lanka Ambassador Prof. M. D. Lamawansa who was joined by other staff members of the Embassy.

“A positive PCR found post-mortem does not necessarily mean that the dead body is infectious,” the SLMA said in a statement.

It added that the COVID-19 virus can be transmitted only by the respiratory route.

“The virus itself can thrive only inside a living cell. It is unlikely that it could remain infectious within a dead body for any significant period of time,” the statement read.

The SLMA also dismissed concerns raised on the burial of humans citing environmental issues that arose due to the massive burial of minks culled in Denmark.

“The reported planned exhumation and cremation of a large number of minks culled in Denmark was not due to any possible contamination of water resources by the virus,” the statement read.

“It was due to a large amount of nitrogenous waste from these decomposing mink carcasses contaminating the nearby water sources and polluting the environment”.

The SLMA pointed out that the burial of corpses had been practised even in the case of severe waterborne diseases like Cholera.

The government has decided to appoint senior army officers to coordinate COVID-19 control measures., the Army said in a statement.

Secretary to the President Dr. P.B. Jayasundera has criticised the abysmal performance of ministries at a meeting with ministry secretaries recently.