Colombo (LNW): Beneficiaries of the ‘Aswesuma’ Welfare Benfit Scheme will be able to access their funds via banks from either tomorrow (29) or the day after (30), announced Finance State Minister Shehan Semasinghe.
During the initial phase, 800,000 families will be eligible for the welfare benefit scheme, he noted, reminding that the funds required will be transferred from the Treasury to the banks today (28).
Meanwhile, appeals and objections have been meticulously reviewed, and disbursements related to the month of July will take places in this regard, he added.
(1/3) Out of the 15 lakh beneficiaries who have been selected, the welfare benefits board will disburse money related to the month of July to the banks on Monday for the 8 lakh beneficiaries whose information has been confirmed correctly. pic.twitter.com/GWp52IkTW1
Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka government has embarked on another project of collecting personal data of the people for a digital database at grama niladhari divisional level in addition to similar initiatives of setting up of various databases for e–passport, e–national identity card, e-driving licence etc.
The aim is to Utilize this community – based database of ‘e – Grama Niladhari’ project instead of the previously existing house holders’ register.
According to the document issued to the public via grama niladhari countrywide, the ministry of public administration and home affairs, it has been planned to eliminate obstacles in providing development project benefits to the people.
Another objective is to create an environment free of irregularities and corruption in obtaining public services at grama niladhari divisional level.
Preliminary work of creating e-grama niladhari project data system has been completed at present.
People will have to fil forms distributed by grama niladhari these days among households divulging almost all of their personal details including email address, passport number,driving licence details, mobile number and the number of residential phone., bank account number.
It is also compulsory to provide highly personnel details of details of bank account, monthly income, and the extent of housing land if there is any employment, etc.
Numerous issues have erupted due to issuance of certificates pertaining to residency based on electoral register by the Grama Niladhari officers and not implementing the methodology of maintaining the householder head list.
By now ‘e – Grama Niladhari’ project has been inaugurated under the State Ministry of Home Affairs and a house and citizens database is being developed while it has been planned to implement throughout the 14,022 Grama Niladhari divisions under several phases.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal submitted by the President as the Minister of Defence to conceptually accept the database of ‘e – Grama Niladhari’ project as the national database for the requirements of previously existing householders list method.
Householders’ lists are confined to only basic details of the house holder and occupants and the current comprehensive system includes all personnel details.
Quite apart from exposing confidential details ,there are the inherent risks of holding the nation’s entire identity information in a central database that is accessed by various government — and possibly private — entities, several social activists , community organizations and socio economic experts claimed.
The system immediately becomes a magnet for hackers. In the age of cyberwarfare and the usual sloppiness with which information security is treated by those in the Sri Lankan government, this should be a serious concern, they complained.
As a whole, the system opens itself up to all sorts of abuse by errant individuals or organized groups. Having access to people’s linked data on all activities the person has with the state, their family and perhaps bank details is a worrying amount of information that could be at few people’s disposal, they added.
The scheme is also easily converted into a system of mass surveillance that can be used to target dissidents, political opponents and others. All it requires is the right political moment and the wrong people in power. This needless to say is an enduring risk in Sri Lanka.
Colombo (LNW): The Sri Lankan Rupee happens to remain steady against the US Dollar at leading commercial banks in Sri Lanka today (28) in comparison to last week.
Accordingly, Peoples Bank reveals that the buying and selling prices of the US Dollar remain unchanged at Rs. 315.56 and Rs. 330.38, respectively.
At Commercial Bank, the buying and selling prices of the US Dollar remain steady at Rs. 314.73 and Rs. 328, respectively.
At Sampath Bank, the buying and selling prices of the US Dollar remain steady at Rs. 317 and Rs. 328, respectively.
Colombo (LNW): Principals and teaches engaged in evaluating the G.C.E. Ordinary Levels Examination this year have been granted a two-day work leave on Monday (28) and Tuesday (29).
The evaluation process of the OL answer scripts was commenced on August 18 and concluded on August 27.
Earlier, OL exam evaluators demanded that an allowance of Rs. 2000 be granted, and the Subject Minister responded that he has already taken steps to address the matter.
Colombo (LNW): Inmates visitation privileges have been restored at the Galle Prison, following the measures taken to neutralise health hazard occurred due to an infection.
Accordingly, relatives of inmates at the Prison have been granted another opportunity to pay a visit, said the Prisons Department.
The prison authorities clarified that prisoners will not be removed from prison premises any longer, and measures have been taken to control the disease spread.
Earlier, visits and prison affairs were restricted due to an outbreak of Meningococcal disease, which is caused by Meningococcus bacteria.
Two inmates died due to the illness while several others were hospitalised.
Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka and Singapore explore the possibility of transmitting Solar and Wind energy between the two countries.
President Ranil Wickremasinghe during his recent visit to Singapore has held discussions with Singaporean authorities’ on ways and means to connect Singapore power grid with solar and wind energy generated by proposed projects in the North and East
Presidential Chief of Staff Sagala ratnayake has been entrusted with the task of carrying forward these discussions with Singaporean authorities on the direction of the President.
Sri Lanka could develop between 500 to 1000 MegaWatts of offshore wind power if risks to private investors could be reduced and the grid is upgraded to absorb the power, a statement by the energy ministry said.
Sri Lanka has good conditions for offshore wind, with the most of the more than 50 GigaWatts of potential being held in the western and southern coasts, according to a roadmap developed with the World Bank and International Finance Corporation.
“However, the roadmap analysis found that not all of this potential will be developed due to practical and cost limitations,” the statement said.
Under a low growth scenario Sri Lanka could install 500MW of offshore wind capacity by 2030, contributing 5 percent of the country’s power generation capacity. By 2040, the installed capacity could grow to 1000MW and then to 2000MW 2050.
Under a high growth scenario, the roadmap envisages deployment of 1000MW of offshore wind installed capacity by 2030.
By 2040, the installed capacity could grow to 2500MW and then to 4000MW by 2050.
There are technical and other risks to developing off-shore wind, including grid stability. Off shore wind is also generally more expensive than on-shore wind.
Sri Lanka’s Windforce was recently given the go ahead to build the first power plant which reduces ramping.
“Sri Lanka aims to have 70 percent of our electricity generated from renewable sources by 2030, and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050,” Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said in the statement
A 500MW offshore wind capacity could reduce up to 2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year and 1000MW could avoid 1 million tonnes of annual carbon dioxide emissions.
The World Bank Group was providing assistance to the government in planning and implementing de-risking measures, including further site investigations, environmental and social scoping, wind resource assessment, legal and regulatory analysis, further stakeholder consultations, and policy support.
“Over the lifetime of a 500 MW offshore wind farm, the Sri Lankan economy could benefit from over US$570 million of gross value added,” Asela Dissanayake, Acting Country Manager, Sri Lanka, World Bank said.
KPMG Tax and Regulatory Principal Suresh Perera says that, in line with the IMF conditions and Cabinet approval, SL authorities will be ready to impose Wealth Tax, Inheritance Tax, Gift Tax and Capital Gains Tax from 1January’25 onwards: analysts point out that such capital taxes are considered “draconian”, and have been discontinued worldwide many decades ago.
State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon says Defence authorities have ordered a crackdown on those responsible for causing deliberate forest fires: adds that fire belts will be set up at the earliest to prevent further infernos.
Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe says that the insurance company relating to the MV X-press Pearl disaster has expressed willingness to pay USD 878,000 plus LKR 16 mn for the damage caused by the X-Press: previously, several politicians had stated that Sri Lanka stands to receive around USD 6,000,000,000 (six billion US dollars) as compensation for the disaster.
State Finance Minister Shehan Semasinghe says that out of the 15 lakhs of beneficiaries who have been selected, the Welfare Benefits Board will disburse payments related to the month of July to the banks on Monday for the 8 lakhs of beneficiaries whose information has been confirmed correctly.
Defence Ministry spokesman says that approval has been granted for the Chinese vessel ‘Shi Yan 6’ to carry out research on Sri Lankan waters with NARA, based on a request from NARA & the Foreign Ministry.
Johnson Liu, CEO of Hambantota International Port Group of the Hambantota International Port says the HIP has joined hands with the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Small Enterprises Development Division to bring about progressive change for entrepreneurs in the Hambantota District: asserts the HIPG is creating meaningful opportunities for small-scale entrepreneurs in the region.
Ministry of Finance officials say the Treasury is preparing to create an Asset Management Company (Bad Loans Bank) to take over the toxic assets of the banks and ring-fence these assets for the banks to move forward: also say this proposal was approved by the last budget, but progress was very slow.
Export Development Board’s Director (Export Agriculture) Janak Badugama says the EDB is to introduce the first geographical indication (GI)-certified (Ceylon) cinnamon products to the market by October’23: asserts that achieving the certificate was a “herculean task”.
University Grants Commission Chairman Prof Sampath Amaratunga says that although there should be 12,992 university lecturers, currently there are only 6,548: laments there is a drastic brain drain and the university teachers and non-academic staff were leaving the country en masse.
Three top bowlers, Dushmantha Chameera, Wanindu Hasaranga and Lahiru Kumara, ruled out from the Asia Cup Cricket tournament, due to injuries: as the defending Asia Cup champions, Sri Lanka to meet Bangladesh on August 31 at Pallekele, Kandy.
Colombo (LNW): The National Police Commission’s (NPC) responsibility is to clean up the Police Service in Sri Lanka, and if there are officers within the Sri Lanka Police itself who file false charges against honest Police officers for the mere benefit of politicians, the NPC including its Chairperson should pay attention to such, the National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ) said in a statement.
Full Statement:
We are grateful to the Judiciary for acquitting four skilled, brave, honest and independent Police officers including former Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Director, Shani Abeysekara, who suffered severe injustice in a fully politicised regime. We, as the National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ) raised our voice about the injustice caused to them from the beginning.
Abeysekara and other officers who became the victims of a programme launched by a group of opportunists merely for their political benefits, endured great mental trauma over the past few years. They were stopped from getting their salaries and other benefits, and such incidents should never happen again.
In the name of humanity, we strongly believe that the National Police Commission will act to correct the injustice caused to these officers, and grant them the salaries and promotions they deserve at the earliest possible.
Furthermore, if there are officers within the Police Department itself who file false charges against honest Police officers to please politicians, we appeal to the NPC including its Chairman to pay attention to such, clean the Police service, and make it earn public respect again!
Sunil Jayasekara General Secretary National Movement for Social Justice 27.08.2023
Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka should be calling in a referendum prior to building a bridge linking India and Sri Lanka, in order to seek the public’s consent for such a move, Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith said, addressing the Sunday Mass held at the National Basilica Church in Thewatta, Ragama yesterday (27).
If a bridge is to be constructed linking the two nations, it would be another event remembering that Sri Lanka is being sold out by pieces to different countries and forces, in the rulers’ stupidity leading the country towards destruction, the Cardinal noted.
He added that Sri Lanka has always been a free country and therefore, should never be slaves of any state, and stressed that the island nation was once forced by India to implement certain matters based on their opinion.
The Cardinal concluded that a referendum must be held to obtain the public opinion on building this bridge.
Colombo (LNW): The Sri Lankan government is committed to preserving the unitary state, territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of the motherland, which has been protected from one generation to another by the forefathers, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said, addressing the Sathyakriya and Adhishtana Pooja which was held for the 29th year together with several national organisations, under his patronage on Saturday (26), at Kataragama historical Kirivehera Chaithya.
The Full Statement:
“We dedicate ourselves to preserve the unitary state, territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of the Motherland, which has been protected from generation to generation in this holy land nourished by the blood and sweat of our forefathers.
Let’s dedicate ourselves to protect and preserve the noble Sambuddha Order and Maha Sangharatna, which was bequeathed to the nation with great honour and pride by our ancestors for more than two thousand five hundred years, and gift it to the world for its perpetuation.
Let’s protect our ancient culture, rivers, streams, lakes, water bodies, forests, animal sanctuaries, etc.
Enriched with renewable energy, we pledge to turn Sri Lanka into an environment-friendly country self-sufficient in food that could face the challenges of the climate change.
Let’s participate widely in economic innovation by ensuring the respect and safety of women and their equal participation.
We are committed to building a country in which youths are rich in knowledge, skills and positive attitudes and to create a future that guarantees new jobs and livelihood strategies.
By strengthening the democratic society, we commit ourselves to establish a mixed election system for the supreme Parliament and public representative bodies by reforming the Constitution to create a participatory democracy.
To ensure a leap forward in national economic revitalisation, we are committed to create new programs that will lead to increase production and exports by effectively using lakhs of unutilised lands, state lands and oceans across the country with people’s participation.
Together with the intellectuals and professionals, we dedicate ourselves to provide relief and facilitate capacity to rebuild for the farmers, working people, local businessmen, elderly parents, war heroes who have been affected by the current economic crisis that has collapsed and suffering from the burden of life.
Let us make a pledge to the entire nation at the historic Kataragama Kiriwehera Pooja Bhumi with determination to stand in the noble human virtues with all the people of the country.”
The Maha Sangharatna, General Secretary of the (Mahajana Eksath Peramuna) MEP, Tissa Yapa Jayawardena, Deputy Secretary, Member of Parliament Yadamini Gunawardena, Vice President, Minister of State Sisira Jayakodi, MEP activists, who traveled from various parts of the island to participate in this event.
Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, Deputy Speaker Ajith Rajapaksa, State Ministers Janaka Wakkambura, Piyal Nishantha, Anupa Pasqual, Shashindra Rajapaksa, and Jagath Pushpakumara, MPs Gevindu Kumaratunga, Gayashan Navanandana, leaders of Buddhist organisations including national organisation leaders Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekara, lawyer Kalyananda Thiranagama, Custodian of Kataragama Devalaya Dishan Wickremaratne, All Ceylon Buddhist Federation President Chandra Vakishta, representatives of various mass organisations and a large number of people attended the event.
