By: Staff Writer

Colombo (LNW): In the wake of forming a joint venture with Milco Pvt Ltdand Indian Milk giant Amul, National Livestock Development Board (NLDB) handling local milk production has come under charges of irregularities and malpractices.

The national audit office in its latest findings has exposed these irregularities and failure in achieving the targets expected from the corporate plan and the setback in the progress as an institution.

Inability to submit annual reports to parliament from 2017 to 2021, not submitting financial statements for the years 2019,2020 and 2021 to the Auditor General for his opinion.

It has only submitted the financial statement of the year 2018 which has been presented to him on the 05th November 2022.

The NLDB gas failed to create an Information Management System for strengthening the internal administration and administration of financial affairs of 31 farms.

Valuation of animals in farms has not been carried out according to standard accounting procedures.

A matter has arisen on the accuracy of information that has been produced about the livestock without including them even in their financial statements while delaying in submitting those statements in time.

The Auditor General’s Department says that there was a lack of interconnection between the corporate plan, action plan and procurement plan and those plans were not practical.

NLDB management has also failed in allocating funds for various projects that have been proposed by the institution itself.

The institution has not been carrying out a proper and timely analysis of the Information Management System.

Exposing malpractice in the implementation of the Wellard Project, the national audit office has found that out of 4495 dairy cows imported from Australia, 3991 dairy cows have died and only 504 dairy cows have left in the arms owned by NLDB.

It has ben revealed that an advance payment of 11.09 million US dollars has been paid to a contractor company for importing 15,000 dairy cows in 2018.

However, no dairy cows have been imported so far for the last 4 years and the NLDB was encountering an issue with keeping records of the aforesaid advance payment for those cows in its accounts.

Although the total milk production of the country is more than 500 million liters, the National Livestock Development Board has contributed only with 10 million litres in the year 2021.

It is only 2% of the total milk production in the country. Operations of the institution denote that farms in Nikaweratiya,Ridiyama and Menikpalama incur continuous losses whereas the annual revenue of the institution records at Rs.3 billion per annum.

The Auditor General’s Department sa strongly recommended the merging of the National Livestock Development Board and Milco company to ensure efficient productivity in the milk production and distribution within the country.

Colombo (LNW): The Sri Lanka Navy greeted the Indonesian Naval Ship KRI Bima Suci – 945 when it docked at the Port of Colombo yesterday (14) for an official visit.

The KRI Bima Suci – 945 is a Baroque class training vessel that spans 112.02m and houses a crew of 95. Commander M. Sati Lubis oversees the ship.

While in Colombo, it is anticipated that the ship’s crew will explore some of the country’s tourist sites.

The KRI Bima Suci – 945 is set to leave Sri Lanka on Sunday, 15th October, marking the end of its official stay.

Colombo (LNW): The authorities have opted to rent out the Jaffna Presidential Palace site, initiated during the 2011-2015 period, to the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT).

This resolution emerged from talks led by President’s Chief of Staff and Advisor on National Security Sagala Rathnayaka.

Located in Kankesanthurai, this 29-acre complex includes 12 acres of structures.

The initial phase involves leasing these 12 acres to SLIIT, and the subsequent 17 acres, previously acquired from local residents, will also be rented to SLIIT, ensuring revenue generation for the community.

Presently, the Sri Lanka Navy oversees this land, but SLIIT will assume control after formalising the lease agreement.

PMD: President Ranil Wickremesinghe delivered a speech at the dinner hosted by the Geopolitical Cartographer, an international research foundation specializing in the Indian Ocean, under the theme ‘Emerging New Order in the Indian Ocean Region’ at the Colombo City Center yesterday (13), addressing the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel. In his speech, he emphasized the importance of the current situation and its potential impact on the global order.

President Wickremesinghe began by discussing how the conflict had unfolded, with Hamas attacking Israel, and the world’s initial sympathies with Israel, including Sri Lanka, which traditionally supported Palestine. He highlighted the recent developments, including Israel’s call for over a million people in Gaza to move to the south, drawing condemnation from various countries and organizations.

“There were those who felt, probably in most of the Middle East, other Muslim countries, that Israel should be condemned. And others said, no, Israel has suffered, let’s see what this means. The bombing is over now. In the meantime, Secretary of State Blinken went in there.

America has announced its stand. Now we find that Israel has announced over a million people in Gaza from North Gaza have to move to the South. Now this in turn has drawn condemnations not only from the UN, from the African countries and even from some of the European countries.”

The President speculated about the motivations behind Israel’s actions, suggesting that the bombing of Gaza aimed to eliminate tunnels where Hamas was hiding. He pondered the potential consequences if Israel found that Hamas had been responsible for a massacre, leading to an even greater crisis.

“So what happens next? If the people of Gaza have been asked to move out, it means Israel will move in. Why had the people of Gaza been moved out? Why was Gaza bombed? I mean it was done with a purpose. I don’t think Israel just went on a rampage. They thought that bombing Gaza, the buildings, and bringing them down was the first stage of cleaning out the tunnels in which Hamas was hiding. So if they go in and find Hamas and they fight, is one issue. What happens if they go in and find that the Hamas do this? It’s brutal murder. I mean it’s a massacre, it’s something more than that.”

President Wickremesinghe expressed concerns about the global geopolitical implications of the conflict, particularly the challenges for the United States in managing multiple international issues simultaneously. He questioned whether the US could handle crises in Ukraine, Taiwan, and the Middle East concurrently. He also noted the changing power dynamics and alliances, suggesting that the world was transitioning from a unipolar or bipolar order to a more complex multipolar system.

“Can the US manage Ukraine, Taiwan and the Middle East, Gaza? I don’t think. If you are going to have two aircraft carrier groups in the Mediterranean, that’s serious. Can you manage it? It’s going to be difficult because many issues are going rise.”

The President stressed the need for dialogue and cooperation among nations to address these challenges. He cited the strained relationships among global powers and emphasized that the international community must work together to maintain a stable geopolitical system. He expressed hope that extreme reactions from different parts of the world should not dominate the discourse and that alternative solutions should be explored, including the possibility of a four-state solution involving Israel, Palestine, Gaza, and Lebanon.

“It’s not that I support Hamas or Hezbollah, I don’t. But we must see where it goes from here. I do not think Israel and the US can get together. What we have is Israel functioning independently, Gaza that is destroyed and you have Palestine that is half functioning, and Lebanon that is also half functioning. If you are going for a solution, it has to be four states in it. Not two. You also have to think of Syria. So going along the old route we won’t find solutions, we have to think anew.”

In conclusion, President Wickremesinghe urged a fresh approach to solving the conflict, emphasizing that the old ways of addressing the situation may not yield the necessary solutions.

1. Analysts say 18 months has now elapsed since the hurriedly announced Debt Default: point out that the forex received during that period was only USD 333 mn from the IMF, with very tough conditions: state that the only Debt that has been restructured upto now is that of the helpless EPF Members who have been hit with a cleverly-disguised ‘haircut” in their interest for 2022 by a massive 20%: further point out that foreign creditors haven’t suffered a single cent as a “haircut”, so far.
   
2. Reliable political sources say a proposal to abolish the Presidential system and revert to a Parliamentary system where the PM has executive powers is under serious consideration among the upper echelons of power: speculation mounts that such a proposal has been sent from the President’s Office to the Legal Draftsman’s Office.
   
3. Legal sources say the Parliamentary seats of 25 MPs are in danger of being lost, consequent to the Supreme Court decision where SLMC MP & Minister Nazeer Ahmed’s Parliamentary seat was vacated as a result of the MP crossing over from his original Party.
   
4. Ceylon Bank Employees Union General Secretary Ranjan Senanayake says the Govt is preparing to divest the ownership of 6 State Banks, including the Bank of Ceylon, People’s Bank and National Savings Bank.
   
5. State Minister of Water Resources Sanath Nishantha says water charges will have to be increased in keeping with the electricity charges hike.
   
6. State Minister of Indigenous Medicine Sisira Jayakody reveals plans to introduce cannabis cultivation as a component of the export industry once the proposal gains approval from the Cabinet: further clarifies the plan would be to utilize cannabis as a medical resource rather than for recreational purposes.
   
7. Exits of “hot-money” investments from SL Govt Securities jumps by a significant 50% in the week ending 13th October’23 to USD 24 mn from USD 16 mn in the previous week.
   
8. SL Accounting firm of the PwC network announces exit from the global PwC network: says the firm will join the Deloitte network, with effect from 28 October’23: the PwC network will however maintain a presence in the region.
   
9. International, high-speed passenger ferry service between Nagapattinam on the eastern coast of Tamil Nadu and Kankesanthurai in the northern province of Sri Lanka, resumes from 14 October’23, after a gap of nearly 4 decades: Indian PM Narendra Modi & President Ranil Wickremesinghe highlight the importance of launching the ferry service between the two nations.
   
10. All-rounder Chamika Karunaratne replaces captain Dasun Shanaka for the rest of SL’s Cricket World Cup campaign: replacement made necessary after Shanaka suffered a right thigh muscle injury during SL’s 2nd World Cup match against Pakistan on Sunday.

In a recent announcement, State Minister for Investment Promotion, Dilum Amunugama, disclosed plans to establish a Japan-Sri Lanka Free Trade Zone (FTZ) within Sri Lanka, with the selected regions of Bingiriya and Iranawila identified for this ambitious project.

Minister Amunugama unveiled these intentions during a press conference held at the Presidential Media Centre, under the theme of ‘Collective Path to a Stable Country’.

Providing additional insight into Sri Lanka’s economic developments, Minister Amunugama discussed the progress of the port city, which has been temporarily opened to the public. This large-scale undertaking, funded with an allocation of 15 billion US dollars under a third-party agreement, has seen significant advancement, with China Harbour Engineering Company successfully completing 80% of the construction work. The legal framework essential for conducting business within the port city has been meticulously prepared, and various operating regulations are poised for approval in Parliament.

The Sri Lankan government has already attracted investments amounting to approximately 1.6 billion US dollars, with an additional 1.6 billion dollars in investments currently in progress. The government plans to offer 28 project land plots to prospective investors, comprising 74 plots dedicated to business purposes and 44 designated for public use.

Furthermore, efforts to establish a Japan-Sri Lanka Free Trade Zone in the Bingiriya and Iranavila areas are actively underway. These endeavors are supported by the Japanese-Sri Lankan business council and Japanese entrepreneurs who share a keen interest in creating free trade zones within Sri Lanka, thereby fostering economic growth and collaboration between the two nations.

Dr. Kapila Banduthilake, the President of the Consultant Eye Surgeon’s Association, revealed on the 13th that the National Eye Hospital in Sri Lanka incurs a monthly expenditure of Rs.30 million to provide medical care, including surgical interventions, to individuals afflicted by eye diseases stemming from diabetes.

Dr. Banduthilake emphasized that a significant 25 percent of diabetic patients in Sri Lanka currently grapple with diabetic retinopathy, a condition that could be detected early and effectively managed through annual eye examinations conducted by qualified ophthalmologists.

He explained that diabetic retinopathy occurs as a consequence of diabetes-induced damage to the blood vessels, primarily affecting the retina—the back layer of the eye responsible for converting light into visual images.

Furthermore, individuals suffering from diabetes over an extended period, poor diabetes management, elevated cholesterol levels, hypertension, kidney disease, and smoking are at heightened risk of developing diabetic retinopathy.

Ophthalmologists have strongly recommended that individuals above the age of 40 should undergo comprehensive eye examinations conducted by qualified professionals at least once a year. Additionally, those aged 60 and above should be routinely screened for glaucoma, a common eye condition, to ensure timely diagnosis and management.

In the midst of escalating tensions between Israel and Hamas, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Israel has confirmed that two Sri Lankans have gone missing. Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Israel, Nimal Bandara, issued a special statement detailing the situation and announcing measures to protect Sri Lankan citizens in the region.

Ambassador Bandara revealed that approximately 20 Sri Lankans working near the Gaza Strip are being relocated from their current residences to safer accommodations. To support affected Sri Lankans in Israel, the Foreign Affairs Ministry has allocated USD 20,000 for relief efforts. Furthermore, the Foreign Employment Bureau has approved an additional USD 10,000 to ensure access to food and medical care in case of emergencies.

Unofficial sources indicate that one Sri Lankan has tragically lost their life, while two others remain missing during the recent clashes in Israel. International Red Cross representatives are actively collecting information from the families of the missing Sri Lankans.

Nimal Bandara disclosed that the Sri Lankan Embassy has obtained crucial information, including photographs and physical descriptions, to aid in the identification of the two missing individuals. This data will be forwarded to the International Red Cross in Israel to facilitate their identification.

Israel is currently home to more than 8,000 Sri Lankan nationals, and recent developments have prompted discussions within the Cabinet regarding plans for the potential evacuation of Sri Lankan workers in the event of further emergencies arising from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.