Government is set to re-expropriate assets of Sri Lanka’s privatised commercial plantations being under-utilised with the aim of handing it to the people for crop cultivation making it for productive use, the presidential media division announced.
The Government has decided to cancel land licenses issued to plantation companies, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said.
“All the land licenses given to the plantation companies will be cancelled and steps will be taken to provide the land needed by the people and we hope to complete these activities before February 04,” the president’s media division quoted Mr. Wickremesinghe as saying.
The President said that urgent solutions should be given to the land issues faced by the public in Nuwara Eliya.
He expressed these views while attending the Nuwara Eliya District Development Committee meeting held at the Nuwara Eliya District Secretariat yesterday morning (22).
The President requested the District Secretariat, Ministry of Plantation and Land Registration Department to jointly prepare a report on Government owned land in the district within a month.
Sri Lanka’s privatised plantations which are on 50-year lease have only 70,000 hectares of land.
Plantations are an emblematic case in Sri Lanka’s post-independence economic decline where they were expropriated from foreign and domestic owners under ‘land reform’.
Many foreign owners were given land in African nations like Kenya where they set up tea plantations.
Sri Lanka state is now bankrupt and the President Ranil Wickremesinghe is trying to attract foreign investment into privatisations.
Renewed expropriation fears arose after reports that a proposal had been given to the cabinet to take-over so-called ‘under-utilized’ land of privatised plantations.
Sri Lanka in 2011 expropriated a number of private properties including publicly listed Pelwatte Sugar and Hotel Developers, claiming the land was ‘under-utilised’.
Land of several Board of Investment firms were also taken back despite a constitutional guarantee that they will not be expropriated.
Given the past experience with nationalised plantations and other companies, then President J R Jayewardene put in the guarantee to assure foreign investors, but the country has not been able to draw large scale foreign investors unlike East Asia.
Sri Lanka expropriated peoples lands into the Janatha Estate Development Board and the Sri Lanka State Plantations Corporation from which the privatised plantations were hived off after taking monthly handouts from the Treasury to pay workers.
There are still two plantations companies in state hands making losses, raising questions as to how well utilised units like Elkaduwa Plantations is, according to critics.
In Sri Lanka, like most countries before freehold developed in Britain, land use was governed by various types of tenure and Rajakariya.
However the British Waste Land Ordinance took over large tracts of land which were not being used by the people at a time when free hold was under-developed making the state a big owner of land.
After independence established private property was expropriated under ‘land reform’ making the state the largest owner of land and reversing freehold.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced the official launch of a planned 5-year project in Sri Lanka and Maldives to reduce environmental plastic by decreasing industrial use of plastic and improving integrated solid waste management practices in the two countries.
The project’s consortium, led by Research Triangle International (RTI) works alongside local partners to target system inefficiencies and areas of reliance on virgin plastics. The project’s overall goal is to increase participation in solid waste management and reduction programs, preventing thousands of tons of plastic from leaking into the environment.
“USAID is proud to partner with the governments of Sri Lanka and Maldives, the private sector, civil society, and communities to reduce, reuse and recycle plastic products, which threaten the health and environment of the Sri Lankan and Maldivian people” stated Gabe Grau, the USAID/Sri Lanka and Maldives Mission Director.
“Combatting plastic pollution will reduce threats to marine ecosystems and livelihoods, food security, and ultimately, human health.”
Ocean plastic pollution threatens the world’s delicate marine ecosystems, the fishing and tourism sectors, food security, and human health.
The equivalent of an entire garbage truck of plastic makes its way into the world’s oceans every minute—roughly eleven million tons annually.
Stopping plastic pollution at the source is the most effective way to address this challenge. The majority of plastic ocean debris comes from rapidly growing cities along coastal areas in the developing world where governments struggle with growing populations and increasing amounts of waste.
Sri Lanka and Maldives face unique challenges in waste management. In Sri Lanka, the country’s solid waste management systems struggle to keep pace with growing urban populations.
Maldives, an archipelago of 1,200 coral islands, has extremely limited amounts of land to store waste, and is overwhelmed by managing both domestic waste and marine debris carried in by ocean currents from other countries.
India has handed 125 SUVs to the Sri Lankan police under a line of credit as part of its ongoing efforts to support the cash-strapped island nation and address the serious mobility restriction issues faced by the police due to non-availability of vehicles.
As part of its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, India has extended multi-pronged assistance to Sri Lanka over the last 12 months to help the country tide over its worst economic and humanitarian crisis since its independence from Great Britain in 1948.
Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay on Thursday handed over 125 SUVs to Sri Lanka’s Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles for Sri Lanka Police in an official ceremony in Colombo yesterday.
Taking to Twitter, the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka said that another 375 SUVs will be dispatched to Colombo under an existing line of credit.
“India’s Support to Sri Lanka continues. The High Commissioner ceremonially handed over 125 Mahindra SUVs to Minister of Public Security, Tiran Alles for Sri Lanka. Police 2day. More out of a total 500 state of the art SUVs under an existing Line of credit coming soon! Contract was signed earlier this year,” it said
Alles said Sri Lanka police faced serious mobility restriction issues due to non-availability of vehicles as fleet replenishments were not possible for the last three years.
The support India provided ranges from economic assistance of close to USD 4 billion to help secure Sri Lanka’s food, health and energy security by supplying essential items like food, medicines, fuel and kerosene.
These 125 SUVs constitute the first batch of the planned supply of 500 vehicles for Sri Lankan law enforcement agencies and armed forces under an existing Line of Credit of US$ 100 mn extended by Government of India to Sri Lanka sometime ago.
These vehicles with state of the art facilities will help address Sri Lanka’s requirements and augment capacities across the country.
India and Sri Lanka enjoy a multi-faceted and multi-sectoral partnership. In line with its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, Government of India’s assistance to the people of Sri Lanka is extended in various forms, including in implementation of various projects under concessional Lines of Credit.
This assistance continues even in the current situation. Till date, Lines of Credit worth about US$ 3.2 billion have been extended to Sri Lanka in diverse sectors including railways, infrastructure, defence, renewable energy, supply of petroleum, fertilizers, etc.
Separately, in March 2022, Government of India also extended a concessional Credit Facility of USD 1 billion to GOSL through the State Bank of India for supply of essential items like food, medicines, fuel, etc.
Thousands of Donald Trump’s supporters raged through the Capitol on 6 January 2021, assaulting police officers and threatening politicians.
Donald Trump was engaged in a “multi-part conspiracy” to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 presidential election, according to a report by US politicians.
The House of Representatives’ January 6 committee has issued its final report, based on interviews of more than 1,000 witnesses, 10 hearings and millions of pages of documents.
Amounting to more than 814 pages, the seven Democrats and two Republicans documented their 18-month investigation into the insurrection at the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.
They concluded that the evidence “has led to an overriding and straightforward conclusion: the central cause of January 6th was one man, former President Donald Trump, whom many others followed.
“None of the events of January 6th would have happened without him.”
The investigation detailed Mr Trump’s actions in the weeks leading to the insurrection and how his campaign to overturn his election defeat influenced those who were involved.
It said that, between Joe Biden’s election victory and the certification of that victory – on the day of the insurrection – Mr Trump or his inner circle “engaged in at least 200 apparent acts of public or private outreach, pressure, or condemnation, targeting either state legislators, or state or local election administrators, to overturn state election results”.
“Knowing that he and his supporters had lost dozens of election lawsuits, and despite his own senior advisers refuting his election fraud claims and urging him to concede his election loss, Donald Trump refused to accept the lawful result of the 2020 election,” the report said.
“Rather than honour his constitutional obligation to ‘take care that the laws be faithfully executed’, President Trump instead plotted to overturn the election outcome.”
The committee said Mr Trump had pressured states, federal officials, politicians and even Mike Pence, his vice-president, in an effort to get what he wanted.
Trump supporters face off with police at the Capitol during the January 6 insurrection
They said his claims of voter fraud were widely spread on social media, building on the distrust of government he had fostered during his four years as president.
And he did little to stop his followers when they violently took matters into their own hands.
The report found that 187 minutes went by between Mr Trump finishing a speech urging his supporters to march on the Capitol, and his first effort to get the rioters to disperse, which was done while reassuring them: “We love you, you’re very special.”
Several of his staffers pleaded with him to say something stronger, but he did not.
The report also detailed failings by law enforcement and intelligence agencies but it said these did not lead to the insurrection.
People sheltered in the House gallery as protesters tried to break into the chamber. Pic: AP
The committee’s chairman, Bennie Thompson, said in a foreword to the report: “The president of the United States inciting a mob to march on the Capitol and impede the work of Congress is not a scenario our intelligence and law enforcement communities envisioned for this country.”
The report recommends that Congress create “a mechanism for evaluating” whether to ban people mentioned in the report from future federal or state office.
The panel has also passed its investigation to the Justice Department, recommending the department investigate the former president on four crimes, including aiding an insurrection, but these referrals have no legal standing.
Mr Trump called the report “highly partisan” and a “witch hunt”.
Writing on his Truth Social platform, he said: “The highly partisan Unselect Committee Report purposely fails to mention the failure of Pelosi to heed my recommendation for troops to be used in DC, show the “Peacefully and Patrioticly” words I used, or study the reason for the protest, Election Fraud. WITCH HUNT!”
At the request of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, measures are underway to provide non-refundable financial assistance of up to Rs.20,000 to the farmers who are cultivating paddy for the ‘Maha Season’ through a financial grant from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) .
Accordingly, an allowance of Rs.10,000 will be given to small scale paddy farmers who have engaged in farming activities on lands to the extent of one hectare or less and an allowance of Rs. 20,000 will be given to farmers engaged in paddy cultivation on lands over one hectare, Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said.
This financial assistance will be provided only to the paddy farmers, and the money will be directly credited to their accounts.
The amount of paddy to be cultivated during the Maha Season is 800,000 hectares and it is planned to give this allowance to all the paddy farmers to buy MOP fertilizer.
Minister Amaraweera said that the amount proposed to be spent for this purpose is Rs.08 billion and 1.2 million farming families will be entitled to this benefit.
Minister Amaraweera will announce further information about this in the future through a special press conference.
A special awareness programme to support the Committee on Public Accounts (CoPA) regarding the further expansion of the evaluation process in the Public Sector was held in Parliament recently, with the participation of Committee members and Chief MP Kabir Hahsim.
The officials of Sri Lanka Evaluation Association (SLEvA) who attended the meeting briefed the CoPA in this regard.
It was also discussed regarding the completion of the National Evaluation draft bill and implementation of the recommendations of the Parliament Select Committee.
Meanwhile, facts were presented about the possibility of establishing an Evaluation Unit when establishing a budget office in Parliament. The need to speed up the preparation of a National Evaluation Policy was also emphasised here.
Further stressing the need for a formal national evaluation process, CoPA Chief Hashim stated that this programme is a preliminary discussion and that he expects to discuss this more widely in the future and take the necessary steps expeditiously.
State Ministers Prasanna Ranaweera, Kader Mastan, MPs Dr. Sudarshani Fernandopulle, Maj. Pradeep Udugoda, Wasantha Yapa Bandara, Sahan Pradeep Vithana, Prof. Charita Herath and Dr. Harini Amasuriya were present on this occasion. Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake, Assistant Secretary General Tikiri.K Jayathilaka and a group of officials from the CoPA Secretariat were also present on this occasion.
Renowned journalist Asanga Jayalath has been appointed as the Director General of Rupavahini Corporation.
The appointment was made by the Minister of Mass Media at the approval of the President.
Jayalath, who previously served in higher media portfolios in several ministries including the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Higher Education, holds a Masters in Business Management and can be recognised as an individual with unique capabilities and innovative thinking in media with his expertise in the digital world.
He also served in several private media institutions and contributed to advertising by many companies in the business field.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe stressed that everyone should unite to fulfill their moral responsibility for the country, sidelining the traditional political system of trying to grab power at the next election by palming off all the responsibilities on the government.
The President also said that he has not forgotten the difficulties the people are facing today due to the increase in the prices of goods as a result of inflation, and that he will solve the country’s economic problems step by step and provide more relief to the people by next year.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe made this statement during the progress review meeting of the food security district program held at the Nuwara Eliya Town Hall yesterday morning (22).
The President requested all to cast aside political differences and join hands in order to make the food security program a success.
President Wickremesinghe said that he has not engaged in politics since assuming the office of President, and assured his commitment to revive the country’s fallen economy by providing relief to the people who are suffering from the high cost of living burden.
Pointing out that the people today have rejected not one group but the entire political system, the President further stated that people’s trust can only be regained by working together and rebuilding the country.
The statement made by President Ranil Wickremesinghe is as follows:
I came to this Nuwara Eliya district today to review the progress of the Food Security Programme. Nuwara Eliya is a very important district for it is one that brings foreign exchange to the country and contributes a lot to the country’s economy through agriculture.
You experienced a shortage of fertilizers last May which we have now overcome. We should also think of the coming year while providing the necessary fertilizers to the farmers since we are facing a food shortage caused by the collapse of the country’s economy. However, due to the war in Ukraine, the entire world will face a food shortage next year, a challenge which we too would have to overcome.
We hope to continue with this Food Security Program throughout the year 2023 since the prices of the food would rice with this global situation. Then only the developed countries could afford for food. Under such a situation, we have got to make these activities successful. Today this project has been extended to the village level.
I want to thank you all for the progress that this program has made. We should all work together to carry this program forward. I request the officials to report to us if there are any deficiencies and we provide all the facilities through the Ministry of Agriculture.
Recently, I received a report on the relief that we are to be provided with from the World Food Programme. I hope we will get help from other countries as well.
In addition, the discussions on the debt restructuring program with the International Monetary Fund and private creditors have almost come to an end and with it our problems could be solved. However, we cannot give up this Food Security Program though we solve our issues. We have got to move forward by bringing everyone together to make the program a success.
We hope to allocate money next year to provide the necessary support to prevent malnutrition in certain areas of this plantation. We have established a joint mechanism at the regional level for all these activities. Efforts are being made to involve non-governmental sectors in this regard. All these people should work without politics.
Today we are facing an unprecedented challenge in history. A large number of people in this country are living with many difficulties. Everyone is in a very difficult situation due to the increase in the price of goods along with the increase in inflation. We have not forgotten these difficulties that the people are facing.
After resolving these issues, I hope to provide more relief to the people in 2023. We have to get through this difficult period to move forward.
We must continue this food security program without political differences. This economic collapse is unprecedented. Therefore, we should unite without politics for the program of rebuilding the economy. Although we have different ideas and opinions, we all have to work together. We should think about it ethically. We have no other option.
I have never been involved in politics since becoming President. Talking to everyone, representing everyone, I am trying to save the suffering people from this crisis.
We should provide relief to all these people living in plantations, villages and cities. Regardless of political differences, we will work together for this purpose.
However, some people still think in a traditional way. They think that if all the responsibilities are assigned to the government, they will be able to grab power at the next election. It doesn’t work. Today people are not only blaming the government, they accuse the entire Parliament. The people are fed up with the political system. We are all responsible for this situation after 75 years.
At present, the youth have distance themselves from politics. We all have to work together to win their trust. We need to change this entire political system and move forward. Before that we have to eradicate the hunger of the people. People today are suffering from the burden of high cost of living. If we want to end this situation, let’s correct the mistakes that we have made and move the country forward together.
Member of Parliament Mr. V. Radhakrishnan
If we consider about the food security program in the Nuwara Eliya District, there is a problem of fertilizer. The farmers have informed us that the fertilizer which they have received is of substandard quality.
Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera:-
Earlier this year, farmers bought fertilizer for Rs. 40,000. With the government’s intervention, currently the fertilizer is being provided at a rate of Rs.16,000. The price decrease is not a result of the drop of fertilizer price in the world market but is due the intervention of the government. We will continue to provide quality fertilizer.
Member of Parliament Mr. C. B Ratnayake.
Hon. President, at present, it costs about Rs.65,000 to grow about 66 kg of potatoes. In addition, a seed problem has also arisen. We hope to reduce the price of insecticides and herbicides in the future. We are taking every possible measure to increase food production.
Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, Mahinda Amaraweera, Members of Parliament S.B. Dissanayake, CB Ratnayake, Palani Digambaram, Jeevan Thondaman, V. Radhakrishnan, Udaya Kumar, M. Rameswaran, Nimal Piyathissa, Chief of Staff to the President and Senior Adviser to the President on National Security Sagala Ratnayake, Secretary to the President Saman Ekanayake, former Minister Navin Dissanayake, former Member of Parliament K.K. Piyadasa, Central Province Governor Lalit U Gamage and public officials of the district were present on this occasion.
The depression over Southwest Bay of Bengal located 370k.m. to the northeast of Trincomalee and it is very likely to cross Sri Lanka during subsequent 48 hours, said the Department of Meteorology in a statement today (23).
Under the influence of this system, rainy and windy conditions are likely to increase over most parts of the island during 24th and 25th December.
Showers at times will occur in Northern, Eastern, Uva and North-Central provinces, and showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in elsewhere during the afternoon or night.
Strong gusty winds of about (40-50) kmph can be expected at times over the Northern, Eastern, Western, Sabaragamuwa and Uva provinces.
General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimise damages caused by temporary localised strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
Marine Weather:
The depression over Southwest Bay of Bengal located 370k.m. to the northeast of Trincomalee. It is very likely to cross Sri Lanka during subsequent 48 hours. Therefore, Naval and fishing communities are advised not to venture into the deep and shallow sea areas off the coast extending from Mannar to Pottuvil via Kankasanturai, Trincomalee & Batticaloa and in Central and Southwest Bay of Bengal (05N – 15N, 80E – 85E), until further notice. Fishing and naval community are requested to be attentive to future forecasts issued by the Department of Meteorology in this regard.
Condition of Rain:
Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in the sea areas off the coast extending from Kankasanthurai to Pottuvil via Trincomalee and Batticaloa.
Winds:
Winds will be northerly to north-westerly and wind speed will be (30-40) kmph. Wind speed may increase up to (55-65) kmph at times in the sea areas off the coast extending from Mannar to Pottuvil via Kankasanthurai, Trincomalee and Batticaloa and it will increase up to 50kmph at times in the other sea areas around the Island.
State of Sea:
The sea areas off the coast extending from Mannar to Pottuvil via Kankasanthurai, Trincomalee and Batticaloa will be rough. The other sea areas around the Island will be fairly rough. Temporarily strong gusty winds and very rough seas can be expected during thundershowers.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe says state officials are acting like Ukrainians & Russians who are fighting, instead of solving problems of the general public: also says about 50% of the people’s problems presented to him can be solved by officials.
CB Governor Weerasinghe says Sri Lanka is waiting for financing assurances from bilateral creditors to tap into IMF loan: also says he has “shared all the information possible with bilateral creditors and now they will have to look at it and come back to him”: economists point out the proposed USD 2.9 bn IMF facility over 48 months is not even sufficient to meet 2 months of imports.
Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara says his Ministry will take action against tourists engaged in businesses without permission.
Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardene limits annual bonus payment to employees of commercial corporations, statutory boards and SOEs for 2022 to Rs.25,000: no bonus at loss-making entities: Siriwardene however approves increase of annual travelling allowance of Central Bank Senior Directors by a massive Rs.303,600 to Rs.1,154,100.
Court orders immediate arrest of Peradeniya University Students’ Union President Anuruddha Withanage over the attack on former Vice Chancellor of the Peradeniya University and his son: also orders the extension of the remand of 12 students who were remanded previously.
CEB says one of the 3 coal power plants at Norochcholai, presently generating 300 MW will be shut down from today to “manage the coal stocks” and routine maintenance: reduction in output to be covered by other sources: no change in the daily 2 hr & 20 minute power cuts.
Sathosa to reduce prices of 7 commodities: White Sugar- Rs.220 (reduced by Rs.4): Imported Potatoes- Rs.285 (Rs.5): Big Onions- Rs.185 (Rs.5): Red Lentils- Rs.374 (Rs.11): Local Canned Fish- Rs.475 (Rs.15): Chillies- Rs.1,780 (Rs.15): Sprats (Thai)- Rs.1,100 (Rs.50).
Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) Leader MP Udaya Gammanpila says the Govt is hesitating to hold elections on time because it is alarmed by the people’s reactions over increased taxes, possible long-hour power outages and delay in obtaining IMF assistance.
President Ranil Wickremasinghe instructs officials to commence construction of a cable car project between Pattipola and Boralanda to view World’s End.
Public attention drawn towards Christmas tree erected with vegetable plants at the roundabout in front of the Presidential Secretariat: banners at the location encourage public to grow vegetables in their home gardens.
