News

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.

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.

MP Dayasiri Jayasekara claims that the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was defeated due to an intervention by Minister Mangala Samaraweera. 

The SLFP parliamentarian who left the government recently with 15 other MPs' made this accusation while attending the 360 program on the Derana television channel yesterday (08). 

PM was about to be packed off 

Due to the problematic situation in the UNP at the time, 28 members of the party had agreed to support the no-confidence motion, he claimed. According to him, the no-confidence motion was about to be won till Minister Samaraweera held a discussion with Minister Mahinda Amaraweera and eight other coalition members at his residence which eventually swung the balance in favour of Premier Wickremesinghe.  “If not, an SLFP government would be in place now”, Dayasiri said. 

UNP was strengthened again 

Due to the decision made by the 8 members of the coalition, those in the UNP who were already disgruntled with the Prime Minister, were left feeling lost as they too were forced to support the PM in the end. However, even knowing that they were going to lose the NCM, he decided to support the NCM along with the other 15 members but in the end, the PM and the UNP only got stronger, Jayasekara said.

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.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said today that over 45 percent of women in Sri Lanka are overweight or obese indicating a serious double burden of malnutrition within the adult population. 

Following a three-day regional conference on actions to accelerate improvements in women’s nutrition across South Asia held in Kathmandu the SAARC and UNICEF, it said many adolescents and women had also faced serious obstacles in meeting their right to health and nutrition.

UNICEF Director in South Asia Jean Gough said gaps in national policies, programmes and care services during pregnancy, combined with poverty and customary practices mean that women had failed to receive the nutritional care they need for a healthy pregnancy.

“Essential nutrition services, including dietary counselling and iron-folic acid supplements,are reaching too few women during pregnancy.

Underlying causes include the under-investment in maternal health services,the low prioritization of nutrition services,and the low reach of care for pregnant women,” the UNICEF said.

“Pregnant and breastfeeding women need better nutrition to protect children from stunting and disease. The progress on improving nutritional care of women in South Asia during and after pregnancy is slow, impacting on their children’s survival, growth and development,” he said.

It said over one-third of the world’s anaemic women live in South Asia, and no country was on track to meet the global nutrition target to reduce anaemia by 50 per cent women by 2025. In Sri Lanka, nearly 32 per cent of pregnant women are anaemic.

“Children who are born small due to poor maternal nutrition start life at a huge disadvantage. They are more likely to become wasted or stunted in early life, do less well at school, earn lower wages in adulthood and suffer diabetes and chronic heart diseases later in life,” it said.

SAARC Secretary General saidAmjad Hussain Sial said women's nutrition required special attention and the governments should look at how they could provide healthy diet and lifestyle options.  

“We must strive towards a collective effort that involves health providers, community based workers, families, schools and mothers themselves,” he said.

(Courtesy Daily Mirror)

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.

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya informed Parliament today that the National Audit Bill is in accordance with the Constitution as conveyed by the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. The National Audit Bill was approved by the Cabinet in February this year.

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 Sri Lankan government must explore cheaper and faster options to tackle traffic jams in the island country such as establishing a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system and a Light Rail Transit (LRT), The Central Bank said on Tuesday.

"Expeditious implementation of effective and affordable traffic management solutions is vital to curb numerous negative externalities arising from traffic congestion," the Central Bank said in its annual report cited by Xinhua news agency.

Major improvements to both public and private bus transport services were essential to overcome traffic congestion in urban areas and reduce productivity losses in the overall economy, the bank was quoted by the Sri Lankan media as saying.

The Central Bank noted that the increase in traffic, mostly by low occupancy vehicles like cars, had been rapid, and resulted in heavy traffic congestion, wasting time and financial resources of the country while increasing pollution levels.

The total vehicle population in Sri Lanka has risen from 3,390,993 in 2008 to over 6 million in 2016.