- Ranil Wickremesinghe’s proposal to empower provincial governors in refusing the use of school premises for political purposes has been approved by the Cabinet of Ministers, as announced by Minister Bandula Gunawardena.
- Opposition and SJB leader Sajith Premadasa questioned the government’s intent to quickly pass the Social Security Contribution Levy (Amendment) Bill and the Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill in Parliament without the Attorney General’s recommendations. Premadasa highlighted that these bills were included in the Order Book without the necessary input from the Attorney General.
- The no-confidence motion against Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena was handed over to the Deputy General Secretary of Parliament. It was signed by 44 parliamentarians including Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella and MPs Prof. G.L. Peiris, Rohini Kumari Wijeratne, Hesha Vithanage, Mano Ganesan, Rishad Bathiudeen, M.A. Sumanthiran, S.M. Marikkar, Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Thalatha Atukorale, Vijitha Herath and Chandima Weerakkody.
- Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva has announced a 45-day extension for the submission of bids for SriLankan Airlines. During a media briefing, he disclosed that an additional 45 days would be allocated to invite bids before the selection of an investor for the national carrier.
- Cabinet approval has been obtained to extend the validity period of the scheme allowing Sri Lankans working abroad to import fully electric vehicles. The initial approval for this scheme, granted in August 2022, facilitates the issuance of licenses to overseas Sri Lankans for importing electric vehicles through formal bank transfers of foreign remittances at licensed banks in Sri Lanka.
- Sri Lanka and India are working on an estimated USD 1.2 billion undersea transmission line that will link the island nation’s power grind with that of India to provide energy security to the country. The proposal is to link Sri Lanka’s north central town of Anuradhapura and Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state in India through a direct power line. After a 130km overland transmission line in India, an undersea line (via a submarine cable) will emerge at Thiruketheeswaram in Mannar in northeast Sri Lanka.
- The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal to develop Galle Harbour for commercial and recreational purposes. Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva submitted the proposal, which aims to seek aspirations and proposals for selecting an investor to undertake the development project for Galle Harbour.
- Sri Lanka’s earnings from merchandise exports in January 2024 amounted to USD 970.7 million, marking a decline of 0.77% as opposed to the corresponding month last year, according to the Export Development Board (EDB).
- The Anti-Corruption Act No. 09 of 2023, through Section 80, expands the scope of asset and liability disclosure beyond the requirements outlined in the amended Declaration of Assets and Liabilities Law No. 01 of 1975 by Act No. 74 of 1988. This new provision mandates additional disclosure by various officials and categories of individuals, broadening the coverage for transparency and accountability measures.
- The Sri Lanka Cricket team has commenced a new initiative which recognizes on-field performances of cricketers. According to SLC, as part of a new initiative, Charith Asalanka was awarded the ‘Orange Cap and the Coin’ by the team for his excellent fielding efforts during yesterday’s game against Bangladesh.
