The National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) says a water supply cut of 08 hours and 30 minutes will be imposed to several areas on Sunday (13).
Starting from 08.30 am in the morning, water supply will be disrupted for a period of 08 and a half hours and will be restored at 05.00 pm on the same day.
Accordingly, water supply will be disrupted for the following areas;
MIAP
The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) instructed to implement the recommendations made by the Auditor General regarding the purchase of coal for the period 2022-2025 for the Lakvijaya Coal Plant in Norochcholai.
The Committee discussed the unique circumstances that existed at the time of calling for tenders for the purchase of coal and also paid attention to the views presented by the officials.
The Auditor General discussed at length the weaknesses in the implementation of the procurement process that had been pointed out in his report, and all the members of the committee agreed to table a full report on these discussed matters in Parliament.
Accordingly, the COPE ordered to implement the recommendations presented in the Auditor General’s report in the same way.
The order was made when the Committee on Public Enterprises met in Parliament under the chairmanship of Prof. Ranjith Bandara to examine the special audit report submitted on September 30, 2022 regarding the evaluation of the procurement process for the purchase of coal for the Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant in Norochcholai for the period of 2022-2025.
The Secretary to the Ministry of Power and Energy, the Chairman of the Procurement Committee, the Chairman of the Lanka Coal Company (pvt) Ltd and the Chairman of the Technical Evaluation Committee were summoned to this meeting.
Accordingly, 8 recommendations for future implementation were presented in the Auditor General’s report.
1. Ensuring proper fulfillment of responsibility of all parties connected with the coal procurement process in accordance with Procurement Guidelines approved by the Government and the necessity of taking appropriate steps against parties deviating from such responsibilities, are emphasized.
2. Without any prejudice to the objectives mentioned in paragraph 1.2 of the Guidelines, attention should be drawn on maximizing competition by relaxing the process of registering bidders to an acceptable level so as to safeguard basic 107 requirements including financial viability, experience, quality of supply and adequate legal obligations of the suppliers.
3. In making amendments to the bidding documents, such amendments should be made without prejudice to relevant confirmations and obligations and after confirming the legality thereof. Furthermore, responsibility should be taken to amend other sections and agreements of the bidding documents to adapt to those amendments.
After inviting bids, every possibility of making significant amendments for the bidding documents should be avoided. In the amendments made later on to the documents, action should be taken to allow all bidders a reasonable period to adjust to such amendments.
4. In the procurement of coal, action should be taken to prepare and approve the duly completed Procurement Plan in terms of the Procurement Guidelines, adapt accordingly and to draw attention towards the possibility of obtaining prior agreement on financial provisions so as to confirm timely supply of coal.
5. In case of procurement from a gathering of more suppliers, the legal personality of such a gathering should be confirmed and bidding documents and agreements should be strengthened so as to confirm the capability thereof and confirm timely receipt of quality coal stocks.
6. In determining the composite indexes relating to procurement of coal, action should be taken for timely re-consideration of regional indexes used for preparation of the said indexes so as to gain maximum economic benefits to the Government.
7. Approval had been granted by the Cabinet Decision dated 22 September 2022 to commence procurement activities by providing opportunities as well for suppliers registered already to participate in procurements while adhering to the open international procurement process.
For those riveted by the drama of politics in Washington, dc, candidates for state-level posts are often regarded as minor characters, upstaged by congressional stars. The reality is different. Individuals and parties who won power within states on November 8th will matter even more than usual if, as the final tallies are expected to show, Washington descends into partisan semi-paralysis for the next two years.
There were 36 governor’s races. The star performance was by Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida. A red wave may not have engulfed the whole country, but it swept the Sunshine State. Mr DeSantis trounced his Democratic rival, Charlie Crist, by around 20 points. In 2018 Mr DeSantis won by a paltry 32,000 votes (0.4 points).
His victory in South Florida was especially noteworthy. Miami-Dade County voted Republican for the first time since 2002. Hispanics, who had not supported Mr DeSantis in his first gubernatorial bid, connected this time with his outspoken style and his support for parental say in the school curriculum and opposition to shutdowns of businesses during covid. His adept handling of Hurricane Ian, a destructive and deadly hurricane that hit Florida in September, also won him broad support.
Mr DeSantis’s victory says a lot about a changing Florida and carries national significance too. As more Americans have moved to Florida, Republican registration has shot up. Since March 2020 roughly 400,000 people have relocated from other states and registered to vote in Florida: nearly half of them are Republicans, double the share who registered as Democrats. Mr DeSantis’s big win will serve as proof of his broad appeal as he prepares a run for president, pitting him against Donald Trump, who helped him win office originally but now snidely suggests he is willing to “tell you things about him that won’t be very flattering”.
A big question is whether Mr DeSantis will continue to push to the right to brandish his reputation as a conservative populist or soften his approach in preparation for a national run. Susan MacManus, of the University of South Florida, predicts that Mr DeSantis and the Florida legislature will be “more cautious” about taking on divisive social issues and will focus instead in the coming year on “three e’s”—education, the economy and the environment—which are winning issues with voters.
Whichever direction Mr DeSantis goes, he will be closely watched. He is likely to spar frequently with President Joe Biden, as well as with another governor who won re-election by a large margin, Gavin Newsom in California. Mr Newsom is also mulling a presidential run and will use his next term to position California as a leading incubator of Democratic policies on the environment, labour law and more.
One more antagonist with Mr Biden in his sights will be Ken Paxton, Texas’s attorney-general, who also won re-election. As the top law-enforcement officer in Texas since 2015, he has been indicted on federal securities-fraud charges and is reportedly under investigation by the fbi for abusing his office to help a campaign donor. (He denies wrongdoing.) Republican voters have remained indifferent to his ethical scandals. Mr Paxton has delighted in throwing sticks in the spokes of Mr Biden’s presidency, while greasing the wheels of Donald Trump’s. He will eagerly sue the White House over policies that Mr Biden tries to advance via executive order in the face of a divided Congress, predicts Mark Jones of Rice University in Houston.
State legislatures will play a strong role as either allies or foils of leaders in Washington, dc. Much as Democrats did better than some predicted in contests for the House and Senate, they also enjoyed some notable victories in races for state legislatures. In Michigan they flipped both legislative chambers, taking total control of state government (with the successful re-election of Michigan’s governor, Gretchen Whitmer) for the first time in almost 40 years. In Minnesota, which until election day was one of the last remaining divided state legislatures in the country, Democrats flipped the state Senate, so will also have full control of both chambers and the governor’s office.
Control of statehouses will matter especially in the years ahead as states press forward with policies on abortion, the environment and energy. As politicians in Washington, dc, wrangle over spending, government shutdowns and other issues, it will be “in even more areas of policy that the federal government isn’t acting where states are going to have to fill the void”, predicts Chris Warshaw, of George Washington University, co-author of the book “Dynamic Democracy”.
It will also carry big consequences for future elections. In December the Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in a case concerning the “independent state legislature theory”, which would give near-total control to state legislatures (and not governors or state courts) in how to conduct elections in the future. This has heightened the urgency of ensuring that state legislatures are controlled by people who will act ethically in election certification, says Daniel Squadron, a former state legislator who runs the States Project, a Democratic “super pac”. The stakes in states could not be higher.
THE ECONOMIST
The prices of auto diesel and kerosene will be increased with effect from midnight yesterday (11), the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CEYPETCO) announced.
Accordingly, the price of auto diesel will be increased by Rs. 15 per litre to be sold for Rs. 430, and kerosene, Rs. 25 per litre, for Rs. 365.
Meanwhile, the price of petrol will remain unchanged, the announcement added.
MIAP
The Government yesterday announced that the import tax on ethanol used for manufacturing disinfectant liquids, reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, has been increased to its previous levels amidst accusations of irregularities in ethanol imports.
“With this move, the Government expects to collect tax revenue of Rs. 1.6 billion,” State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said.
How ever the government has drawn special attention to the quantity of ethanol imported for use in Sri Lanka and the lack of proper regulation of importing institutions.
The Import and Export Control Department officials were instructed to submit a report to the Committee within two weeks containing the procedure for issuing licenses for the importation of ethanol into the country by various companies, information on each of these companies, and the quantity of ethanol imported by those companies.
At the height of COVID-19 pandemic, ethanol was imported to the country in large volumes to manufacture disinfectant liquids. Accordingly, the import tax on ethanol was reduced on two occasions on 30 April and 9 June 2020.
Separately, the Government has decided to raise the tax on toddy from Rs. 25 per litre to Rs. 50 per litre.
Justifying the move, State Minister Siyambalapitiya said the tax was hiked once again as the vendors did not pass on the reduced tax benefit to the consumers.
The Committee on Public Accounts recently (08) drew special attention to the quantity of ethanol imported for use in Sri Lanka and the lack of proper regulation of importing institutions.
The government also inquired into the issuance of licenses for the importation of vehicles and spare parts to Sri Lanka.
Although it had previously instructed to take the necessary steps to formulate a proper procedure in coordination with the Department of Motor Traffic, but no action had been taken in this regard.
It has been revealed that the lack of proper coordination with the Direct Liaison Institutions such as the Excise Department, the Department of Motor Traffic and the Sri Lanka Customs is very problematic in conducting the activities of the Department and was instructed to take the necessary steps to do computer networking immediately.
To this end, the importance of liaising with institutions such as the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) and the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission was also emphasized.
Investors in condominium property are to be given long term residence visa in a new drive of the government to boost foreign reserves and attract foreign investment.
The Board of Investment (BOI) in collaboration with the Department of Immigration and Emigration and the Ministry of Defense launched the long-term residence visa scheme for condominium property holders in Sri Lanka.
The official function was held at the BOI auditorium under the patronage of State Minister of Investment Promotion Dilum Amunugama, BOI Director General Renuka M. Weerakone, Dept. of Immigration I. S. H. Controller General and other respective officials on Thursday.
Under the new visa scheme, the condominium property purchasing individuals and companies will be granted a long-term residence visa considering the investment remitted and the value of purchasing the property. This scheme will be targeted to promote the selling of condominiums/apartments to foreign nationals who wish to live in Sri Lanka.
Accordingly, individuals who invest $ 200,000 in an urban area condominium are eligible for a 10-year long-term visa scheme while those who invest $ 150,000 in an urban area condominium are eligible for five years. Further, investors who invest $ 75,000 in suburban area condominiums are also eligible for five years.
On the other hand, companies that invest $ 500,000in an urban area condominium are eligible for a five-year long-term visa scheme while companies that invest $ 500,000 in a suburban area condominium are also eligible for a five-year long-term visa scheme.
At present, Sri Lanka has around 30,000 apartment blocks including private apartments, Government servants’ housing schemes, etc. Around 7,750 apartment units are managed by 968 condominium Management Corporations registered under the Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka (CMA).
Furthermore, the number of apartment units completed by the BOI is approximately 5,000 ranging from low-cost units to semi-luxury to super luxury.
It is also noteworthy that apart from the local investors, several countries have also shown interest in investing in the development of condominium projects and real estate developments in Sri Lanka. Besides, the majority of condominium buyers were Sri Lankan residents while there is a present trend of purchase of condominium units by dual citizens and foreigners.
In conclusion, the BOI hopes the new system will curb inconveniences the investors/enterprises face and further strengthen the digital transformation of work with the respective line agencies and ministries.
In a move to attract foreign remittances to troubleshoot the collapsing economy of Sri Lanka, all migrant workers who are resorting to foreign remittances equivalent to Rs. 20,000 or more will be entitled to an incentive of Rs. 1,000 as a reimbursement.
The announcement was made by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) yesterday (11).
The incentive applies for remittances received to accounts maintaining Sri Lankan Rupees in local banks over the counter cash receipts, the CBSL noted.
The offer can be obtained from a licenced bank or foreign remittance agent in Sri Lanka, it added.
MIAP
Sri Lanka’s trade deficit contracted in September 2022 as import expenditure declined, year-on-year, for the seventh consecutive month, while earnings from exports remained robust, the Central Bank reported in its External Sector Performance review revealed.
Merchandise trade deficit declined to US$ 206 million in September 2022, compared to US$ 492 million in September 2021. The cumulative deficit in the trade account during January to September 2022 contracted to US$ 4.104 billion from US$ 5.999 billion recorded over the same period in 2021.
Earnings from exports remained robust in September 2022, while import expenditure declined for the seventh consecutive month, on a year-on-year basis, reflecting the significant reduction in imports of non-food consumer goods and investment goods.
As a result, the merchandise trade deficit recorded a notable contraction in September 2022, (y-o-y). Workers’ remittances increased marginally in September 2022, (y-o-y).
Earnings from tourism recorded an increase in September 2022, compared to the same period in 2021. Foreign investment in the government securities market and the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) recorded a notable net inflow during September 2022.
The Central Bank continued to provide forex liquidity to finance essential imports, exhausting the liquid level of gross official reserves. Meanwhile, the weighted average spot exchange rate in the interbank market remained around Rs. 362 per US dollar during the month.
The balance in the merchandise trade account recorded a deficit of US dollars 206 million in September 2022, compared to the deficit of US dollars 492 million recorded in September 2021 and US dollars 261 million recorded in August 2022.
Meanwhile, the cumulative deficit in the trade account during January-September 2022 narrowed to US dollars 4,104 million from US dollars 5,999 million recorded over the same period in 2021.
Earnings from merchandise exports grew by 4.3 per cent in September 2022, over September 2021, to US dollars 1,079 million. However, merchandise exports in September 2022 recorded a decline compared to August 2022 (US dollars 1,224 million).
An increase in earnings was observed in industrial and agricultural exports, while a marginal decline was recorded in mineral exports. Cumulative export earnings during January-September 2022 increased by 11.7 per cent over the same period in the last year, amounting to US dollars 9,981 million, which was mainly driven by the improvements in industrial export
Expenditure on merchandise imports declined by 15.8 per cent to US dollars 1,284 million in September 2022, compared to US dollars 1,526 million in September 2021 and US dollars 1,486 million in August 2022. A decline in import expenditure was observed in investment goods and non food consumer goods, mainly resulted from the measures to compress imports.
However, an increase was recorded in imports of intermediate goods and food and beverages.
On a cumulative basis, import expenditure from January to September 2022 amounted to US dollars 14,085 million, compared to US dollars 14,938 million recorded in the corresponding period in 2021.
The Fort Magistrate Court ordered the Police to collect a statement from ex President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in connection with the near Rs. 18 million money sack recovered by anti-government protesters during the acquisition of the President’s House during the July uprising.
Those who recovered the said amount of money from the President’s House handed them over to the Fort Police Station. The amount was said to be Rs. 17.8 million in cash.
The order was issued by Colombo Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage yesterday (11), and it was also ordered to conduct a probe into the matter.
MIAP
The National Council Sub-Committee on identifying short and medium-term programmes related to National Policy is looking into establishing an integrated mechanism for all government services, said Committee Chief MP Namal Rajapaksa.
The MP mentioned regarding the formulation of policies to establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the public service when the aforesaid Committee met in Parliament recently (08).
The chairman whilst commenting on the legal obstacles regarding the integration of the services related to the government service of the country, also said that when considering the key performance indicators that are currently in operation, there are differences inherent in each institution.
Rajapaksa stated that there is the challenge of creating a key performance indicator that can be applied equally to all public services and it is the intention of his committee to submit and approve the national policy proposals related to building a more efficient public service when providing services to the public through the National Council.
The chairman also mentioned that the opinions, suggestions and support of all the island wide service providers are expected to successfully accomplish the task. The officials present mentioned that in addition to preparing the key performance indicators, changes should also be made in the existing organisational structure of the government mechanism.
Thus, the officials also pointed out the need to restructure according to the needs of the ministries and institutions under those respective ministries. The chairman mentioned that while maintaining 20 ministries precisely, the remaining 10 ministries are expected to be implemented flexibly. The Chairman also emphasised that the expectation of the sub-committee is to prepare the necessary background for the purpose of establishing the institutions belonging to the particular 20 ministries, the required number of state ministers and the departments under those state ministers by the constitution itself.
The Sri Lanka Accountants Service pointed out that there is no government agency to manage the sea area belonging to Sri Lanka, which is five hundred thousand square kilometers and further stated that the main reason for the failure of the state mechanism is because there is no concept in relation to the set goal of the country. A Sri Lanka Accountants’ Service suggested to the committee that it is appropriate to set up a joint mechanism for public service based on the concept of Sri Lanka being the first developed state in South Asia.
MPs Johnston Fernando, Pavithradevi Wanniarachchi, Wajira Abeywardana, M. Rameshwaran and representatives of the Government Medical Officers’ Association, Sri Lanka Administrative Service Association, Sri Lanka Government Ayurveda Medical Officer’s Association, Sri Lanka Education Administrative Service, Sri Lanka Accountant Service, Association of Public Service Engineers, Sri Lanka Planning Services Association, Government Surveyors Association, Government Veterinary Officers Association, Sri Lanka Agricultural Services Graduate Association, Government Scientific Officers Association, Sri Lanka Architectural Services Association attended the occasion.
