By: Staff Writer

Colombo (LNW):The implementation status of 71 per cent of the highest value expenditure proposals in Interim Budget 2022 – with an allocation of LKR 46.8 billion – remains unknown, Verité Research said.

Verité Research has been tracking the progress of budget promises since 2017, and Interim Budget 2022 has the largest proportion of proposals for which information was not provided. On average, information was not disclosed to assess progress of 38 per cent of the expenditure proposals between 2017-2021.

For most of the Interim Budget 2022 proposals, no information was provided by the government agencies, even for requests made under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. This has been a continuing trend since 2017.

The Interim Budget 2022 assessment tracked 24 expenditure proposals made in the budget speech, with a total allocation of LKR 50.5 billion. Information received was sufficient to assess the progress of seven proposals, and the assessment revealed that only one proposal had been fulfilled as of 31 December 2022.

The National Budget Department (NBD) of the Ministry of Finance is responsible for budget implementation but is not fully aware of the agencies responsible for the implementation of proposals.

For example, the agencies identified by the NBD as being responsible for implementation claimed they are not responsible for the implementation of 17 out of the 24 proposals tracked.

This indicates one of two possibilities: 1) the NBD, which is responsible for the estimation and appropriation of public finance resources, is unaware who the implementing agencies are or 2) the agencies are not aware that they are responsible for the implementation of these proposals.

Both possibilities raise serious concerns about the accountability of the government in delivering promises made by the Minister of Finance in his budget speech in Parliament.

The Interim Budget 2022 was presented at a crucial juncture in Sri Lanka’s history, where the country was mired in an economic crisis unlike any it has faced since independence.

The budget strived to provide hope by promising to lay the foundation to change the economic trajectory of the country.

These findings raise doubts as to whether Sri Lanka can genuinely expect a sustainable change in its economic trajectory without addressing the core problem that led to the crisis; lack of transparency and accountability in how the government manages the public funds.

The importance of enhancing fiscal transparency to reduce corruption vulnerabilities and restore long-term economic and political stability has been highlighted in Sri Lanka’s commitments with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Colombo (LNW): Senior Professor Nilanthi Renuka De Silva has been appointed as the new Vice Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya.

The new appointment was made by President Ranil Wickremesinghe and will be in effect from August 24, 2023, for a period of three years.

Colombo (LNW): President Ranil Wickremesinghe in his capacity as the Minister of Defence has issued an extraordinary gazette declaration lifting the ban that was imposed on five Islamic organisations since the Easter Sunday massacre in 2019.

These organisations are;

• The United Thowheeth Jama’ath (UTJ),
• Ceylon Thowheeth Jama’ath (CTJ),
• Sri Lanka Thowheeth Jama’ath (SLTJ),
• All Ceylon Thowheeth Jama’ath (ACTJ), and
• Jamiyathul Ansaari Sunnathul Mohomadiya (JSM) has been lifted.

These organisations were authorised to be proscribed along with six more in 2021 by former Attorney General Dappula De Livera, following the occurrence of the massacre.

Colombo (LNW): Former Convenor of the Inter-University Students’ Federation (IUSF) Wasantha Mudalige has been arrested by the Kuruduwatta Police a short while ago.

He was arrested near the Borella Cemetery, and the Police claimed that they were in possession of a warrant to make an arrest.

Mudalige is currently being held under the custody of the Kurunduwatta Police.

Colombo (LNW): The Colombo Lotus Tower plans to launch a new bungee jumping programme by December this year, Daily Mirror reported quoting its Head of Management Prasad Samarasinghe.

This will reportedly be the world’s highest bungee jumping event, and will be initiated as per a contract entered by the Colombo Lotus Tower and Singapore Go Bungy Company.

The two companies signed the contract to start bungee jumping for the first time in Sri Lanka.

The initial launch was schedule for August this year, but was delayed since the management found that some upgrading had to be done to the ski ramp, along with certain changes in the plan from the company’s end, Samarasinghe revealed.

Bungee jumping being introduced to Sri Lanka is expected to boost the tourism industry in the crisis-hit island nation.

By: Isuru Parakrama

Colombo (LNW): Tourism Minister Harin Fernando has held a discussion with representatives of Adani Group, India’s multinational conglomerate, yesterday (26).

“In this meeting, the upcoming work of the Adani Company in Sri Lanka and a large solar panel project expected to be constructed in the country were discussed,” the Minister wrote on his Twitter.

Dhaval Shah and Manoj Deshmukh from the Adhani Group joined the discussion.

A friendly meeting took place between Mr. Dhaval Shah and Mr. Manoj Deshmukh and me, the representatives of Adani Company.#VisitSriLanka #AdaniGroup #HarinFernando #lka pic.twitter.com/kLiC6fTiE5

— Harin Fernando (@fernandoharin) July 26, 2023

Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka Tourism Brand Ambassador, also joined for the occasion, Fernando added.

By: Staff Writer

Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), becoming the 178th state to endorse the treaty, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says.

The instrument of ratification of CTBT, the document by which a State expresses its consent to be bound by the treaty, was deposited with the UN Office of Legal Affairs (UNOLA) on Tuesday (July 25) at the UN Headquarters in New York.

By depositing the CTBT instrument of ratification, Sri Lanka’s status as a signatory is elevated to a complete State Party to the Treaty.

Drafted at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, and adopted by the General Assembly on 10 September 1996, the CTBT has been open for signature since 24 September 1996 at the United Nations, New York.

Sri Lanka was among the first signatories of the CTBT in October 1996, just days after the Treaty opened for signature.

Sri Lanka later entered into a Facility Agreement with the CTBTO in June 2000 which led to the establishment of an auxiliary seismological station in Pallekale, Kandy, as part of the International Monitoring System (IMS) to verify compliance with the CTBT.

The Geological Survey & Mines Bureau is the national technical focal point of Sri Lanka for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) based in Vienna, Austria.

The CTBT bans all nuclear explosions everywhere, by everyone, and for all time. The Treaty is nearly universal, with 186 Signatory States and 178 ratifying states. However, the Treaty will only enter into force, once it is ratified by all 44 States listed in its Annex 2.

Sri Lanka’s ratification at this juncture bears testimony to its long-standing commitment towards nuclear non-proliferation and its pursuit to achieve the principle objectives of the CTBT.