Colombo (LNW): The Construction Skills Test examinations under Japan’s Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) Programme were initiated in Sri Lanka on December 1, 2023.
This marks a significant advancement in creating employment opportunities for Sri Lankans in the Japanese job market.
The SSW status allows foreign nationals with specified skills to address labour shortages in identified industry fields in Japan.
The collaborative effort between the Sri Lanka Embassy, Ministry of Labour and Foreign Employment, and the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment opens new avenues for employment in Japan.
This aligns with government initiatives to enhance overseas job opportunities for Sri Lankans and strengthen bilateral ties with Japan.
Currently, four categories are available for Sri Lankans under the SSW Programme, with the Aviation sector set to commence in March 2024.
The Embassy continues efforts to explore job opportunities in other SSW categories.
Colombo (LNW): The National Dengue Control Unit has received instructions to promptly implement measures to address the surge in dengue cases with the onset of the rainy season.
The directives were issued by President’s Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayake considering the escalating situation in the country.
A meeting was conducted at the Presidential Secretariat on Tuesday (05), led by State Minister of Health Dr. Sita Arambepola and Chief of Presidential Staff Sagala Ratnayaka.
Concerns were raised about the increasing number of dengue cases in Colombo, Gampaha, Kandy, and Jaffna districts. The breeding of the dengue vector was noted in public spaces such as government institutions, boat yards, and schools.
In response, Ratnayaka instructed the Sri Lanka Police, with the support of the armed forces, to take immediate action to control the situation. The Presidential Secretariat is set to dispatch a letter to government agencies outlining urgent measures to curb the spread of the disease.
Furthermore, Ratnayaka recommended a collaborative effort between the Sri Lanka Police and the offices of the Medical Officers of Health to implement a comprehensive nationwide awareness programme.
A follow-up meeting with the dengue control unit is scheduled for next Monday to assess the progress of these initiatives. Defence Ministry Secretary General Kamal Gunaratne (Retired), Chief of Defence Staff General Shavendra Silva, Acting Inspector General of Police Deshbandu Tennakoon, and senior officers from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, and Colombo Municipal Council participated in the meeting.
Colombo (LNW): The Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR) indicates appreciation against the US Dollar today (07) in comparison to yesterday, as per the exchange rates of the leading commercial banks in the country.
At Peoples Bank, the buying price of the US Dollar has dropped to Rs. 321.18 from Rs. Rs. 321.67, and the selling price to Rs. 332.38 from Rs. 332.89.
At Commercial Bank, the buying price of the US Dollar has dropped to Rs. 319.50 from Rs. 321.75, and the selling price to Rs. 330.50 from Rs. 332.
At Sampath Bank, the buying price of the US Dollar remains unchanged at Rs. 322, and the selling price has dropped to Rs. 331 from Rs. 332.
Colombo (LNW): The Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka yesterday announced a pivotal advancement in public service delivery with the launch of the ‘Digital Government Forms’ solution.
This ground-breaking initiative promises to revolutionise the way Government services are accessed and delivered throughout Sri Lanka.
The Digital Government Forms project, funded under the World Bank’s Contingent Emergency Response Components (CERC) Initiative and successfully piloted in December 2022, marks a significant milestone in modernising Government service interactions.
Nine Government organisations, recognising the potential for transformative change, embraced this digital platform during the pilot phase, thereby digitising their manual forms and paving the way for a more efficient, citizen-centric service landscape.
Traditionally, Government services have often involved citizens visiting Government offices, filling out paper request forms and submitting them in person.
While this method has been in place for some time, it has presented challenges in terms of efficiency, paperwork management and convenience.
The Digital Government Forms solution represents a pioneering digital platform that empowers Government organisations to seamlessly design, deploy and distribute service forms online.
This system, accessible via various digital devices, including PCs, mobile phones and tablets, is agile and adaptable to meet evolving needs. Crucially, this solution eliminates paper usage, elevates data security and ensures traceability.
This solution offers a range of key features designed to enhance the experience for both Government organisations and citizens alike.
It enables access to Government forms through forms.gov.lk, while providing real-time tracking of requests’ status with notifications at every processing stage.
For Government organisations, the benefits of Digital Government Forms solution are substantial.
It promises heightened operational efficiency, substantial savings in paper, time and storage space, and liberation from the cumbersome task of managing and safeguarding paper documents.
The platform streamlines processes, enabling the swift identification and resolution of bottlenecks, while facilitating efficient data collection directly from citizens. It simplifies data archiving and retrieval while enhancing resilience to external threats.
By the end of 2025, ICTA envisions a nationwide Digital Government Forms solution presence, with a minimum of 25% of citizens opting for online service applications and an impressive 75% expressing satisfaction with their digital service experiences.
Citizens, too, reap numerous benefits from Digital Government Forms solution, including reduced need for in-person visits to Government offices, substantial cost and time savings, and the convenience of accessing services from the comfort of their homes.
It enhances efficiency in public service delivery, reduces paper usage across the public sector, and fortifies the security and reliability of personal data.
Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka’s first ever destination marketing campaign in 15 years titled ‘you’ll come back for more has been launched recently.
Announcing this tourism marketing campaign Minister Harin Fernando urged the private sector to be innovative and lure more tourists as the Government’s role was only to ensure an enabling environment.
His call to the tourism industry was made at the launch of Sri Lanka’s first ever destination marketing campaign in 15 years titled ‘you’ll come back for more.’
Award winning creative agency Ogilvy developed the campaign based on multiple insights including that over 30% of tourists coming into Sri Lanka are repeat travellers.
Fernando said Sri Lanka has been resilient to attract 1.5 million tourists this year and the plan is to target 2.5 million tourists next year.
“Sri Lanka has done so well on its own, thanks to the industry who have actually spearheaded all the campaigns on their own,” said Fernando urging the industry and other stakeholders to promote the new campaign.
”The Government is only there to facilitate. The Government is not there to do business.
It is up to the industry to come up with new fresh thoughts, ideas to face the challenges and the Government will be there to help,” Fernando told the launch attended by leading hoteliers, inbound tour operators, airlines, diplomats and media.
“Let’s promote a positive message. Let’s take this deep into our hearts as all Sri Lankans, let’s show the world what Sri Lanka is all about,” he added.
He expressed satisfaction with the new brand campaign which will be rolled out extensively from early next year.
Tourism Minister Fernando who also holds the additional portfolios of sports and youth affairs said he is keen at empowering youth and promoting youth tourism.
Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Chairman Chalaka Gajabahu said the new campaign will be done in three stages.
The first initiative is the on-going ‘Checking in’ campaign until February which will tell Sri Lanka is ready to welcome the whole world with the country returning to stability.
The subsequent stages will further expand on the core message ‘You’ll come back for more’ and widely promoted among major source markets of Sri Lanka Tourism.
Ogilvy and Mather Sri Lanka CEO Sudesh S. Moorthy enlightened the industry with the rationale for the theme, the campaign and its roll out.
Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka and India have agreed to conclude the technical level discussions of the Economic and Technology Co-operative Agreement (ETCA) by March, next year, with 13th round of negotiations slated from January 08 to 10, 2024.
Sri Lanka and India have held 12 rounds of ETCA negotiations up to now and the 13th round will be held in India from January 08 to 10, 2024.
Cabinet spokesman Bandula Gunawardana said the Cabinet of Ministers reviewed the information submitted by President Ranil Wickremesinghe this week, regarding the outcomes of the 12 rounds of discussions, which were held from October 30 to November 01, 2023.
After a five-year pause, India and Sri Lanka resumed the discussions on the ETCA in November 2023.
After 11 rounds of negotiations conducted between 2016 and 2018, the talks between the two countries came to a halt amid heavy opposition from Sri Lankan trade unions and professional groups.
The negotiations are carried out by Sri Lanka’s International Trade Office, established under the Finance Ministry.
The 13th Round of Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) negotiations between Sri Lanka and India are scheduled to be held from January 08 to 10, the government says.
Accordingly, the next round of negotiations is planned to take place in India. Meanwhile, it has been decided to conclude the technical-level discussions of the ETCA by March 2024.
A delegation of 19 Indian officials, led by Shri Anant Swarup, Chief Negotiator and the Joint Secretary of the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry of India, had visited Sri Lanka for the 12th round of discussions.
They engaged in extensive discussions on this comprehensive Agreement.The discussions during the 12th Round covered a wide range of topics, including Goods, Services, Rules of Origin, Trade remedies, Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation, Technical Barriers to Trade, Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures and Legal and Institutional Affairs.
Additionally, a special session was dedicated to addressing implementation-related issues of the existing India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ISFTA).
The resumption of ETCA negotiations represents a significant step towards strengthening the economic partnership between Sri Lanka and India.
The government earlier said it underlines the commitment of both nations to foster collaboration in various sectors, ultimately benefiting their economies and the well-being of their citizens.
As the talks progress, it is anticipated that this agreement will open up new avenues for trade and investment, bringing prosperity to both nations in the ever-evolving global landscape.
Colombo (LNW): The World Bank is set to grant US $150 million to strengthen Sri Lanka’s financial and institutional sectors, the Central Bank announced.
“Sri Lanka’s economic crisis highlights the need for strong safety nets to support the financial sector. Stable and reliable banking sector is essential for the economy, businesses and individuals, small businesses and poor households,” Faris Hadad-Zervos, World Bank Country Director for Maldives was quoted as saying in the Bank’s statement.
The World Bank Executive Board approved the $150 million assistance recently.“Strengthening the Deposit Insurance Scheme will help protect the savings of smaller depositors, including women and people living in rural areas.
It will also sustain the confidence in Sri Lanka’s financial system, a critical part of building the country back better,” he said.
The Cabinet of Ministers has green-lighted a proposal seeking to enter into necessary agreements with the World Bank to secure financing under the Sri Lanka Financial Sector Safety Net Strengthening Project.
The proposal was tabled by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies, at the Cabinet meeting held on Tuesday (Dec.05).
The project was designed to boost the financial and institutional capacity of the Sri Lanka Deposit Insurance Scheme (SLDIS), which is managed by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
The financing will help boost reserves of SLDIS which could be used towards the payout to insured depositors of banks and licensed finance companies.
In parallel, the project will support institutional strengthening of the SLDIS in line with international good practices for effective deposit insurance schemes.
On April 24, 2023, the Cabinet of Ministers gave the nod to implement the financial sector safety net strengthening project under World Bank funds.
Later, on November 09, the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved USD 150 million in financing for Sri Lanka to strengthen the resilience of its financial sector.
The SLDIS was established in 2010 and has conducted several payouts for failed licensed finance companies in recent years. At present, the SLDIS guarantees the deposits of households and enterprises up to LKR 1,100,000, which covers more than 90% of deposit accounts in Sri Lanka.
The legal framework for deposit insurance in Sri Lanka was upgraded earlier this year through the approval of Banking Special Provisions Act by Parliament. The World Bank earlier said SLDIS should now be strengthened institutionally and financially for the deposit insurance scheme to be able to effectively fulfill its legal mandate of protecting the financial sector stability.
Colombo (LNW): The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) responded to recent reports regarding the issuance of Red notices to more than 5 million consumers.
The CEB clarified that the disconnection rate observed this year is within normal parameters when compared to pre-Covid years.
In an official statement, the CEB assured that the reported disconnections are routine for the current year.
According to the CEB, consumers are typically required to settle their electricity bills within one month of consumption, and the majority of consumers adhere to this timeline.
The board explained that a red bill is typically issued after one month, with an additional grace period of 10 days provided. Following this period, consumers are duly informed about the potential disconnection of electricity services.
In the first 10 months of the current year, the CEB disclosed that 544,488 disconnections and subsequent power reconnections have taken place.
Colombo (LNW): Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) MP Vadivel Suresh has assumed the role of Senior Advisor to President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Presidential Secretariat announced.
In this capacity, Suresh will focus on facilitating the comprehensive integration of Hill Country Tamils into Sri Lankan society.
Notably, SJB recently removed Vadivel Suresh from the position of SJB’s Passara Organiser due to his vote in favour of the second reading of the 2024 Budget during a parliamentary session last week.
Colombo (LNW): To honor the 50th death anniversary of Chilean Nobel Prize laureate and poet Pablo Neruda, the High Commission of Sri Lanka in New Delhi, in collaboration with the Embassy of Chile in New Delhi, partnered with the Department of Mass Communication at the University of Kelaniya, the Sri Lankan High Commission in New Delhi, India said in a statement.
Together, they organised an event featuring the presentation of the book “සෙයිලාන් දූපතේ දීප්තිමත් හුදෙකලාව” (Ceylan Doopathe Deepthimath Hudekalawa) on December 1, 2023, at the University of Kelaniya.
The translated book, by Indrani Rathnasekara, captures a chapter from Neruda’s memoirs, “Ceilán: La Soledad Luminosa,” recounting his time in Ceylon from 1929-1930 as the first Chilean Consul.
The event saw the presence of Juan Angulo, the Chilean Ambassador in India concurrently accredited to Sri Lanka, as the guest of honour.
The inauguration included Senior Lecturer Wijayananda Rupasinghe, Head of the Department of Mass Communication, and Professor M. M. Gunathilake, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, both from the University of Kelaniya. Indrani Rathnasekera, the translator, and Dr. Darshana Samaraweera, Deputy Director General of the National Institute of Education, played key roles in the event. The book was presented to the University of Kelaniya librarian and the Director of National Schools for circulation among schools.
This commemorative event served as a successful initiative to strengthen the ties between Sri Lanka and Chile, showcasing the potential for collaboration between Sri Lanka and diplomatic missions concurrently accredited to Sri Lanka from other capitals.
Currently, 99 foreign diplomatic missions are concurrently accredited to Sri Lanka from New Delhi, with the Sri Lanka High Commission in New Delhi acting as the focal point for their interactions with Sri Lanka.
