By: Staff Writer

Colombo (LNW): Postmen pedaling bicycles for hours to deliver letters–even in remote villages, will become a a thing of the past following the Ministry of Posts decision to provide three wheelers for their mail delivery services as the proposal to introduce Motorcycles for mailmen under state assistance failed to materialized.

The familiar ring of the push-cycle bell will be thinned down and the toot of the tuk tuk at the door step for mail delivery can be heard very soon with the implementation of the ministry proposal.

The postman in Sri Lanka will deliver letters by tuk tuk and not the traditional bicycles in the near future, as part of the modernization of the postal service.

During the modernization of postal service, 1000 three wheelers will be deployed all over the country replacing the traditional bicycles that were used in field for a long time.

Some 1,000 three-wheelers will be deployed country-wide under the modernization of the postal service, replacing the traditional bicycles used in the field for a long time, State Minister of Mass Media Shantha Bandara said today.

He said an official uniform would also be provided to postmen with the ultimate goal of creating a strong postal service in the country.

He said the modernization of the postal service is planned to be carried out as a joint public-private sector partnership at a cost of Rs.10 billion and that the Postal Department will not be privatized at any cost.

It is expected to convert the Postal Department into a profit-making institution within the next two years, through the digitization of the Department, the Minister pointed out.

Further, Minister Shantha Bandara said by the end of 2023, the loss to the Postal Department will be reduced by Rs.4000 million.

The Postal Service’s income in 2022 was Rs. 7,000 million while the expenditure was Rs.14,000 million.

It is planned to resolve the gap between income and expenditure by 2024. In 2025, our goal is to create a Postal Department that no longer depends on the Treasury,” State Minister Bandara said.

Currently, Rs. 4,000 million, Rs. 668 million and Rs. 200 million has been earned annually by the sale of stamps, postage of stamps and Cash On Delivery (COD) service respectively. Also, in the future, it is planned to increase the revenue by popularizing the COD method,” he added

He said that a new Postal Act will be presented to Parliament this year to expedite the modernization process of the Postal Department.

By: Staff Writer

Colombo (LNW): The grand finale of Mrs. India Inc, Season 4 will be held at the iconic Nelum Pokuna in Colombo, a world-class venue known for hosting magnificent events in Sri Lanka today July 20.

The contestants will have the privilege of staying at the luxurious Cinnamon Grand Colombo, one of the finest hospitality destinations of Sri Lanka, ensuring their utmost comfort and convenience throughout the event.

Mrs. India Inc, the esteemed beauty pageant celebrating the essence of womanhood, is all set to unveil its highly anticipated Season 4.

This year promises to be a truly remarkable and international affair, as the grand finale will take place in Sri Lanka. It will also be the first time in the history of Mrs. India Inc, that the prestigious event will be held on an international stage.

With an impressive participation of 75 contestants from various parts of India and across the globe, Season 4 of Mrs. India Inc, took place from 13 and 14 July, offering a captivating schedule filled with exhilarating events and experiences

The Gala night of the beauty pageant Mrs. India INC was held on Tuesday 18 in Colombo. The event’s glamour was elevated by Former Indian Cricketer and Film Star, S. Sreesanth.

Mrs. India Inc, the most glamorous beauty pageant for married women in India is hosting their 4th season right here in Sri Lanka.

Among the exciting and adventurous events organized for the contestants, a Gala Party was held in Colombo yesterday. Indian Former Cricketer and Actor, S. Sreesanth along with other influencers participated for this event.

The families of the contestants also participated in this event.Pageant Subtitles of Mrs. India INC were given away to the contestants during this event.

Legends 966 and TV1 are the proud media partners for Mrs. India Inc Season 4. So stay tuned for more updates on Mrs.India INC

Throughout the week, the contestants had the privilege of exploring the picturesque beauty of Sri Lanka, immersing themselves in the vibrant local culture, and creating cherished memories.

Prior to the main event, Sri Lankans has the opportunity of meeting with the elegant finalists at a Gala Party which will be held on Monday 17 July 2023, at the Waterside Marquee, Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo.

Mrs. India Inc, Season 4 promises to be a spectacular celebration of beauty, talent, and diversity, bringing together participants from around the world. This prestigious event will undoubtedly leave an indelible mark on the global pageant landscape.

The European Commission has put forward a significant suggestion to extend the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) scheme for an additional four years. This proposal comes amidst the ongoing negotiations for the European Union’s new GSP+ arrangement.

In a recent tweet, the European Union delegation in Sri Lanka revealed that the European Commission’s proposal aims to extend the current scheme until December 31, 2027. The objective is to ensure that countries like Sri Lanka maintain preferential access to EU markets during the interim period.

For Sri Lanka, this extension proposal means continuity, as the country will continue to enjoy the same access to the European Union’s market and the same obligations to comply with 27 international conventions. These conventions play a crucial role in fostering not only a swift economic recovery but also an equitable, just, and environmentally sustainable one.

The current GSP+ scheme, which is set to expire on December 31, 2023, has been instrumental in supporting Sri Lanka’s trade with the EU. As one of the country’s major trading partners, the EU received approximately EUR 3.2 billion worth of Sri Lankan exports in 2022. The proposed extension offers hope for continued trade benefits and economic growth for Sri Lanka, providing stability and opportunities in an uncertain global landscape.

The Sri Lanka Navy recovered over 35kg of Kerala cannabis, during a search operation conducted in the Mamunai area of Jaffna  (19^th July 2023).

The operation was conducted by the Naval Deployment Vettalakeni belonging to the Northern Naval Command in Mamunai area today. During this operation, naval personnel searched 18 packages abandoned beside a road in the area and the packages contained Kerala cannabis weighing about 35kg and 900g.

Meanwhile, the gross street value of the seized Kerala cannabis is believed to be Rs. 11 million. The consignment of narcotic drugs has been kept in the naval custody until they are produced for onward legal proceedings.

Sagala Ratnayaka President’s Senior Adviser on National Security and Chief of Presidential Staff, said that the active participation of government officials in Sri Lanka is essential for the implementation of the “Aswasuma” social welfare benefit program, which was initiated under the guidance of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, to empower low-income families and provide relief to the people in need. 

He said that the policy decisions to be taken for the upliftment of the low-income people should be taken without delay and pointed out that the country had to face many economic problems in the past due to the failure to take those policy decisions properly.

Mr. Sagala Ratnayaka expressed these views during the discussion held at the Presidential Secretariat July (18) regarding the active participation of government officials in the “Aswasuma” social welfare benefit program.

The progress of the “Aswasuma” social welfare benefit payment program so far was reviewed and Mr. Sagala Ratnayaka instructed the officials to provide those benefits to everyone registered for kidney, disabled and elderly allowances.

Mr. Ratnayaka explained the need to formalize the identification of beneficiaries in the implementation of the Aswasuma Social Welfare Program, which was introduced to replace the Samurdhi Development Program that was implemented for low-income families, and requested the Samurdhi Development officials support it.

It was discussed at length about expediting the work of identifying the deserving persons by settling the appeals and objections received so far for the “Aswasuma” program with the participation of Samurdhi Development Officers who had left this program.

Mr. Sagala Ratnayaka also pointed out the importance of advancing this program in a timely manner using modern technology.

Minister of State for Finance Shehan Semasinghe, Minister of State for Social Empowerment Anupa Pasqual, Governor of the North Western Province Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, Director General of Samurdhi Development R.P.B. Tillakasiri and representatives of the All Ceylon Samurdhi Managers’ Association also participated in this discussion.

Public sector Salaries expenditure down while Pension payments up 

At a time when Sri Lanka is looking to restructure its state-owned enterprises (SOE), which continue to be a massive burden to the economy, the government needs to step up efforts to tackle the bloated public sector, for which active steps are yet to be taken.

The latest update by Publicfinance.lk showed that according to the 2023 budget estimates, 15 percent of the total recurrent expenditure of the government will be spent on salaries of government employees.

Of the total state salaries, the defense sector claims 48 percent. The tri-forces take up 32 percent of the total payroll expenditure and 16 percent goes for other defense services.

According to World Bank (WB) data, the size of Sri Lanka’s armed forces was at its highest between 2017 and 2019 with 317,000 personnel. This was several fold more than the number of personnel recruited during the civil war which ended in 2009.

In January, the Ministry of Defense announced it will slash its army to 135,000 personnel (by a third), and to 100,000 by 2030.

The expenditure on salaries and wages of public servants including Provincial Councils declined by 4.0 percent to Rs. 303.3 billionin the first four months of 2023, compared to Rs. 316.1 billion in the same period of 2022, finance ministry data shows. 

This drop was due to the increased number of retirees at the end of 2022, the suspension of recruitment to public sector together with the revision of the compulsory retirement age to 60 years. 

However, the expenditure on pensions increased by 6.3 percent to Rs. 105.9 billion in the first four months of 2023, compared to Rs. 99.7 billion in the same period of 2022.

The Government incurred Rs. 264.39 billion on household subsidies including Samurdhi payments, elder’s allowance, assistance to differently-abled soldiers, food packages for pregnant mothers, and fertilizer subsidy and school uniforms and text books in the first four months of 2023.

Expenditure on Samurdhi cash grant provided to low-income families for the first four month of year 2023 has increased to Rs. 55,593 million from Rs. 20,679 million in correspondence period of 2022 due to the Government decision to provide allowances.

The Sri Lankan Rupee experienced a depreciation against the US Dollar at commercial banks in Sri Lanka today (July 20) compared to the previous day.

At Peoples Bank, the buying and selling rates of the US Dollar rose from Rs. 314.34 to Rs. 315.80 and from Rs. 329.80 to Rs. 331.34, respectively.

Commercial Bank reported an increase in the buying rate of the US Dollar from Rs. 315.22 to Rs. 317.20, and the selling rate also rose from Rs. 327.50 to Rs. 328.50.

At Sampath Bank, the buying and selling rates of the US Dollar increased from Rs. 315 to Rs. 317 and from Rs. 328 to Rs. 330, respectively.

On Friday (July 20), the revered business tycoon Merrill J. Fernando, who founded and formerly served as the CEO of the esteemed Sri Lankan exporter ‘Dilmah Tea,’ passed away at the age of 93.

A murder suspect, sought in connection with a homicide in Homagama, met his demise in a dramatic shootout with the Police Special Task Force (STF).

The confrontation occurred in Minuwangoda during the early hours of this morning (July 20), as reported by the police.

1. Parliament passes the Anti-Corruption Bill without a division, but with amendments.
2. Supreme Court dismisses a Fundamental Rights petition, filed against the Minister of Public Security, members of the Police Commission and Senior Police Officers, which alleged that they did not take necessary action pertaining to the incidents that took place on May 9, 2022.
3. IMF Executive Director for Sri Lanka Professor K Subramanian says Sri Lanka’s forthcoming review of the USD 3 bn IMF package “should go through” given the falling inflation, appreciation of the rupee and build-up of foreign reserves: analysts however point out that Sri Lanka’s economic growth has been hugely negative in all 4 quarters since seeking IMF help, the LKR has depreciated over 10% in the last one & a half months, Cost of living has soared since April 2022, and reserves have been buttressed mainly by highly expensive borrowed “hot-money” and not genuine forex inflows.
4. Central Bank’s T-Bill auction yesterday fails miserably: out of the total of Rs.160 bn offered, only Rs.64 bn accepted, even with higher interest: the huge shortfall of Rs 96 bn likely to warrant further “money-printing” by the CB: CB had to resort to Rs.105 bn in “money-printing” last week to keep interest rates in check: serious crisis looms.
5. Attorney General files a preliminary objection before the Supreme Court, seeking the dismissal of the FR petitions filed by the former Chairman of PUCSL Janaka Ratnayake & others, challenging the electricity tariff hike which took place in February 2023.
6. European Commission to grant a 4-year extension to the current GSP+ scheme until December 31, 2027 so that countries like SL don’t lose preferential access in the interim, as negotiations for new GSP+ arrangement continue: as a result, SL will enjoy the current access to the EU market with the same obligations.
7. Sri Lanka’s Passport ranks 95th in the Henley Passport Index along with Libya: 41 countries grant visa-free travel or visa-on-arrival to holders of Sri Lankan passports: Singapore replaces Japan as the most powerful passport as it allows visa-free access to 192 global destinations.
8. World Bank Country Director for the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka Faris Hadad-zervos says the Govt’s decision to go for a Domesric Debt Re-structuring and Parliament’s approval of that decision were welcome steps in Sri Lanka’s path towards debt sustainability.
9. President Ranil Wickremasinghe finds fault with Parliament for the developing financial crisis: asserts that one of the major reasons for the crisis was the failure on the part of the Parliament to ensure financial discipline: also blames Parliament for not appropriately exercising its power.
10. Cricket Men’s Asia Cup (50 overs) scheduled to be held from 30 August to 17 September in Lahore & Multan in Pakistan and Pallekele & Colombo in Sri Lanka: Pakistan vs India match to be played on 2 September at Pallekele: Final at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on 17 September.