Colombo (LNW): Minister Bandula Gunawardena has announced plans to convert the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) and the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) into a public company due to continuous losses incurred by both entities.
The decision was disclosed during a meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Mass Media, where Minister Gunawardena presented financial statistics from 2015, revealing losses of Rs. 277 million for SLRC and Rs. 457 million for SLBC in 2023.
Considering the financial challenges and the difficulty of obtaining funds from the Treasury, the government plans to appoint a committee to oversee the conversion.
Additionally, concerns were raised about inadequate publicity for government development projects in state media, prompting Minister Gunawardena to emphasise the need for public media to highlight public inconveniences and project-related facilities.
The Sri Lanka Press Council has been instructed to prepare a report on regulating media propaganda that may negatively impact social culture and personal health.
