Colombo (LNW): The Election Commission said despite a change in the Commission administration being taken place, there will be no hindrance to the activities of the currently declared local government election.
The Commission’s comment comes in amidst the Constitutional Council’s decision to appoint five new members for the body and the RW-led regime’s controversial move to postpone the LG Polls indefinitely.
Meanwhile, Nimal Punchihewa, the current Chairman of the Election Commission, has been proposed to be nominated as a member of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL).
The appointment of new EC members nominated by the Constitutional Council will take place after President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s return to Sri Lanka.
Colombo (LNW): The insufficient machine capacity at the Department of Motor Traffic with the existing printing machines mainly contributed to the delay in the issuance of driving licences, revealed Commissioner General Nishantha Anuruddha Weerasinghe.
The Dept currently has five printing machines, but they are not sufficient to meet the demand, he lamented, revealing that a Cabinet paper has also been sent for the procuring of five printing machines to print driving licences.
Due to the lacking printing capacity, the printing of 800,000 driving licences is being stalled, and currently the DMT prints 4,000 cards per day, Weerasinghe revealed.
In order to meet the demand and stop the issuance of temporary driving licences, the Dept has to exceed the 4,000 threshold of printing driving licences, he added.
Colombo (LNW): More than 900,000 (911,689) passports have been issued in the year 2022 alone, making the issuance the highest number of passports in the last five years, disclosed the Department of Immigration and Emigration in its annual performance report.
529,138 additional passports were issued in 2022 compared to the year before, it added.
Last year, the number of people who left the country through the Katunayake Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) was 2,008,066, and among them were 1,124,022 Sri Lankans and 864,648 foreigners, the Dept further noted.
01. Commissioner General at the Department of Motor Traffic Nishantha Anuruddha laments the main reason for the delay in issuing driving licences is “not having sufficient printing capacity with the existing printing machines”: adds a Cabinet paper has been sent for the purchase of five driving licence card printing machines.
02. Senior Consultant Physician Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama says there is a risk of a dengue epidemic with the upcoming monsoon, thus dengue control needs to receive “more attention from all sectors”: adds everyone’s assistance is important because neither the government nor the health authorities can control the virus on their own: More than 47,000 cases reported since January 2023.
03. IGP informs all senior Police officers that in a bid to expand the operations of seizing illegal firearms and hand grenades all Police personnel and private tippers will be encouraged by increasing the amount of cash rewards granted through the Police Reward Fund for a period of one month: Move comes in as per an order by Public Security Minister Tiran Alles.
04. Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Levan S. Dzhagaryan says a group of Russian delegates will arrive in Sri Lanka this September and October to initiate talks on establishing a nuclear power plant in Sri Lanka: expresses confidence that the outcome of the negotiations would be positive.
05. Transport Minister Bandula Gunawardena says by 2025, every depot belonging to the SLTB must be profitable; warns if not, the service cannot continue: laments while 90% of the depot employees are honest, about 10% do not hand over the fully daily collections to the depots; adds they allegedly keep a percentage of the collections and hand over the balance to the depots.
06. Foreign Minister Ali Sabry defends the appointment of ex Minister Rohitha Bogollagama as Sri Lanka’s next envoy to the UK, saying the move was well thought and was taken following discussion between himself and President Wickremesinghe.
07. The Department of Immigration and Emigration says 911,689 passports have been issued in 2022: reveals 2022 saw the highest number of passports issued in the last five years: adds 529,139 additional passports were issued in 2022 compared to the year before: In 2022, 1,124,022 Sri Lankans left the country.
08. The Election Commission says despite the change in the Commission administration, there will be no disruption to the activities of the currently announced LG Polls: The appointment of five new members to the EC nominated by the Constitutional Council to take place after President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s return to the island: Current Chairman Nimal Punchihewa nominated as a member of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka.
09. Finance State Minister Shehan Semasinghe says the final list of beneficiaries of ‘Aswesuma’ welfare benefit programme will be published after completing the evaluation of appeals and objections: adds different surveys have shown that approximately 30% of welfare benefits are received by people who do not qualify to receive the allowances.
10. All Ruling Party MPs urged in a special notice not to leave Colombo next week starting from tomorrow, due to a series of special meetings and ‘a special Parliament resolution’ pending being tabled; also instructed to halt their foreign travels as well.
Acting Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon made a visit to the Indian Navy Submarine ‘INS Vagir’ at the Colombo port on Wednesday (Jun 21).
Minister Tennakoon was received by the Commander of the submarine, Commander Divakar S on his arrival at the jetty and later accompanied him to the Submarine.
During the hosted tour of the Submarine, the Minister was given a briefing on the technical and maritime capabilities of the vessel.
Commander of Western Naval Command Rear Admiral Suresh De Silva and Defence Advisor of the Indian High Commission in Colombo Captain Vikas Sood were also present during the tour.
Colombo (LNW): A group of Russian delegates is set to arrive in Sri Lanka this September and October to initiate discussions on establishing a nuclear power plant in Sri Lanka, revealed Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Levan S. Dzhagaryan.
Russian delegates may arrive to commence negotiations in this regard, and these discussions will hopefully be commenced in the autumn season, Dzhagaryan said.
That being said, the discussions to establish a nuclear power plant in Sri Lanka may take place in September and October, and the outcome of which will hopefully be positive, he added.
Colombo (LNW): In a bid to expand the operations of seizing illegal firearms and hand grenades throughout the country, all Police personnel and private tippers will be encouraged by increasing the amount of cash rewards granted through the Police Reward Fund for a period of one month, informed Inspector General of Police (IGP) all senior Police officers in writing.
The move has been taken based on the order of Public Security Minister Tiran Alles, and will be valid for the period of 25.06.2023 – 31.07.2023, the IGP informed.
Below are the details on the manner in which the cash rewards entitled to Police personnel who seize illegal firearms and hand grenades and those who tip on such information will be increased.
Colombo (LNW): All Ruling Party MPs and Ministers have been urged in a special notice to stay in Colombo next week as a mandatory requirement, starting from tomorrow (26).
This has been informed through the Office of the Chief Organiser of the Ruling Party, due to a series of special meetings and what sources elaborate as ‘a special Parliament resolution’ pending next week.
The retention in Colombo being a priority, all Ruling Party MPs have also been instructed to halt their foreign travels as well, according to sources.
PMD: Senior Consultant Physician Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama says that there is a risk of a dengue epidemic with the upcoming monsoon, thus dengue control needs to receive more attention from all sectors.
He emphasized that everyone’s assistance is important for this because neither the Government nor the Health Authorities cannot control dengue virus on their own.
There has been a clear increase in the number of dengue cases this year, according to Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama, and more over 47,000 cases have been reported since January.
Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama mentioned that the majority of the patients recorded thus far are from the Colombo and Gampaha districts and the Health and Security Forces will work together to launch a special initiative to clean up the garbage in those areas.
He stated so while joining the ‘101 Katha’ program produced by the President’s Media Division yesterday (23).
Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama further noted;
The Ministry of Health is working to adopt a number of strategies to prevent the spread of dengue in the upcoming period. Implementing dengue control measures by the Government, the private sector, and the public is also crucial. The possibility of controlling dengue fever exists, if this program is sustained for a considerable amount of time. With the upcoming monsoon season, there is a risk that dengue cases would increase. In general, the months of June and July see an upsurge in dengue patients. Therefore, all parties should work with utmost care to control the dengue virus.
Dengue can affect any age group. 75% of reported cases involve people older than 15 years. Nowadays, young people are more likely to contract the disease than small children, despite the fact that it used to spread among them more frequently. Dengue is a virus. As a result, there is a strong likelihood that dengue can be easily transmitted via mosquitos from one infected person to another.
Eliminating mosquito breeding places is vital. The dengue mosquito typically exists in in areas where clean water gathers. Anywhere, including waste plastic, used tires, flower pots, coconut and king coconut shells, serves as a breeding ground for dengue mosquitoes. Such areas should receive as much attention as possible, and should be removed immediately. In addition, precautions should be made to avoid mosquito bites.
It is important to take precautions against mosquito bites in order to avoid spreading the dengue virus to others. For that, the body might be covered with clothing. Additionally, there are mosquito repellents. It can also control mosquito bites. But none of these approaches is completely effective.
The Local Government authorities, Public Health Inspectors, Health Departments, and Security Forces have all stepped in to help control the disease by destroying mosquito breeding grounds. Special programs are being implemented focusing on the provinces where dengue is spreading most. Within the coming week, a special initiative will begin, with a focus on the Colombo and Gampaha districts, where the majority of cases are reported. There will be a clean-up of the garbage in such areas. It has been agreed to provide the labor contribution of Army for this purpose.
Even if water is removed from containers full of water, mosquito larvae can remain. Therefore, they should be cleaned thoroughly and water should not be allowed to collect again. The typical lifespan of a mosquito is five to six days. Therefore, weekly cleaning of the surroundings is crucial. Keeping your surroundings clean is a must. Controlling dengue cannot be done by one person alone. And it cannot be done only by a few institutions. This requires the support of everyone in the country.
A person suffering from dengue should not work hard. Rest is essential. If not, the chances of complications are high. Any fever patient should only receive Paracetamol, it has been advised. Paracetamol may occasionally fail to entirely bring down fever. However patients should not be afraid in such cases. Having a fever does not escalate to a major issue. Complications can be minimized through physical rest. Meanwhile, it is vital that fluid intakes are given to patients to keep them hydrated. King coconut water, orange and lime juice, and Jeevani are generally recommended for this purpose.
