General Shavendra Silva’s term as the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army is due to end on June 01, 2022.
Following his retirement, General Silva thereafter is set to continue his role as the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
As his successor, Major General Vikum Liyanage of the Gajaba Regiment is set to become the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, according to sources.
MIAP
There is a risk that the fuel supply to the aircraft will be disrupted due to the fuel crisis. According to the Director of Operations at the airport and the airline, the remaining jet fuel will be sufficient for another five days only.
Shehan Sumanasekera, Director of Operations, says that aircraft arriving in Sri Lanka for refueling will have to be diverted to airports in India, Maldives, Singapore and other countries in the region.
Due to this crisis, there is a risk of foreign airlines operating flights with Sri Lanka moving to other countries to obtain jet fuel.
Laugfs Gas will be released in the next six days, said its chairman K.H. Wegapitiya.
He says that it will be possible to release gas to the market as it has been able to open letters of credit.
Laugfs Gas has not been released to the market for a long period of time and consumers who have purchased the gas cylinders have been severely inconvenienced.
The CID has recorded a statement from former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa regarding the May 9 attack on the Golf Face protest site.
It is said that the CID has recorded statements from the former Prime Minister for nearly three hours last evening (25).
Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe says it is impossible for anyone to bring inflation below 30% – 40% in the next six months.
“There will be only a limited amount of economic activity in the country within the next three to six months. That means the economy is shrinking. Our forecast for this year is that the economy will shrink at a rate higher than any year we have ever experienced in history. No one can bring inflation below 30% – 40% in the next six months. This is an issue that severely affects the poor and vulnerable. Especially if the government does not provide assistance, it will be difficult for the low-income poor to live on their income. You will see poverty levels rising in this country. Most will fall below the poverty line. As the economy shrinks, more and more people will lose their jobs. This is because small and medium scale industries cannot function normally. ”
Nandalal Weerasinghe said this while participating in a discussion organized by the Press Club of the Sri Lanka Press Institute yesterday (25).
Russia is considering Sri Lanka’s request for fuel from Russia, said Anastasia Haklova, First Secretary of the Russian Embassy in Sri Lanka.
The Russian Embassy in Sri Lanka will provide the necessary assistance in this regard, she said.
However, the first secretary has told the media that reports that a meeting had been held between the Russian ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan Minister of Energy in this regard were untrue.
Director General of Agriculture Ajantha de Silva says that people should be interested in producing food crops at home. He says that this will bring some relief to the economic crisis faced by the country.
A program called ‘Ratama Wawamu – Ekwa Dinamu’ has been launched for this purpose and the Director General of Agriculture stated this while participating in this program in Kandy today.
Ajantha de Silva says that the program of cultivating the required food items in own homes will be started in the backyards of the officers of the Department of Agriculture and to set an example, home gardening will be started in the office premises.
He also stated that the Department of Agriculture is responsible for supplying grains such as cowpea, green gram, undu and sesame seeds as well as low country vegetables such as pumpkin, potato and okra without any shortage of seeds.
The All Ceylon Multi-Day Fishing Vessel Owners’ Association says that if the government does not take action to provide a fuel subsidy, the entire country’s multi-day fishing vessels will have to be removed from fishing activities.
They stated that it has become very difficult for them to continue their work in the face of rising fuel prices.
They said it was unfortunate that the government did not pay attention to the fisheries sector, which is a major source of income for the country, adding that if the multi-day fishing vessels were stopped, the country would lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue as well.
They made this statement at a press conference held by the association yesterday (25).
President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has said that language and vocational training programs should be launched in Japan, Poland and Romania as there are many vacancies for skilled workers in various fields.
The President made this observation addressing a progress review meeting of the program to direct skilled workers to foreign employment markets yesterday (25).
Sri Lanka’s plastic recycling capabilities and infrastructure are set to soar with BPPL Holdings PLC, the country’s pioneer in the field, securing long-term funding of US$ 15 million from the International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) of the United States of America.
The funds raised from DFC, the development finance agency of the United States Government, will enable BPPL to expand its monofilament and polyester yarn operations, which use plastic waste as its primary raw material.
This will generate greater export earnings for Sri Lanka whilst addressing the hazardous practices of plastic disposal – one of the country’s critical environmental problems.
BPPL is one of Southeast Asia’s largest brush manufacturers and Sri Lanka’s only polyester yarn producer, driven by state-of-the-art production technology and an unwavering commitment to sustainability.
They collect and convert waste plastic to produce brush ware, monofilaments and recycled polyester yarn, almost all of which are exported. The company’s recent efforts have won them several accolades, such as from Forbes Asia, ranking them amongst the top 200 companies under US$1 billion in revenue in Asia in 2021.
The new funding will be used to expand operations to double the number of PET plastic bottle collection centres and the company’s bottle washing capacity, and to enhance monofilament and polyester yarn production by 40% and 55% per annum, respectively, over the next 4-5 years.
Currently, BPPL has approximately 480 waste plastic collection entities that will benefit from this development, enhancing livelihood and income.
Through DFC’s support, BPPL is poised to expand this network, creating greater employment within and beyond the company.
On the environmental front, this funding will increase the share of waste plastic collected in the country to approximately 6,000 tons per annum, the company noted.
This would increase the productive use of waste plastic while reducing the environmental damage caused by plastics ending up in landfills or water bodies.
“BPPL’s success in securing this funding from one of the world’s leading providers of development finance is a testament to our strength and stability, as well as an endorsement of our mission,” BPPL Holdings PLC Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Anush Amarasinghe said.
“This serves as a timely boost, assisting BPPL to further enhance many key aspects of our operations. The development that will come about through this initiative will positively impact the country economically, socially and environmentally.”he added.
“DFC’s investment in BPPL will promote transformative and sustainable development in Sri Lanka,” said DFC Chief Climate Officer Jake Levine. “Together, DFC’s financing and BPPL’s proven track record will boost economic growth while helping to advance a vision for a circular economy, which is ultimately a critical part of the work to address the climate crisis.”
The loan provided by DFC has a 10-year tenure with a three-year grace period and is subject to regulatory approvals.
