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Committee on High Posts approves appointments of 04 Ambassadors, 02 Permanent Representatives

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Committee on High Posts approves appointments of 04 Ambassadors, 02 Permanent Representatives

The Committee on High Posts has approved the appointment of four Ambassadors and two Permanent Representatives recently (13) revealed Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake.

Accordingly, the Committee granted its approval for the appointment of Niroshani Manisha Dias Abeywickrama Gunasekara as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the French Republic and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in Paris, France.

The appointment of Himalee Subhashini De Silva Arunatilaka as the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland was also approved.

In addition, the Committee approved the appointments of Lanka Varuni Muthukumarana as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Federal Republic of Germany, J.A.D.S Priyangika Wijegunasekara as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and Sajeewa Umayanga Mendis as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

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Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill enacted!

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Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill enacted!

The Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill recently approved in Parliament with a majority vote has been enacted by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena yesterday (19). With his signature, the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill has been enacted.

The Bill was subject to debate during its second reading on December 09 and was favoured by 83 votes, with 41 votes in objection.

During the debate for its third reading, 79 votes were cast in favour and 36 in objection.

Conclusively, the new Amendment Bill will be enacted as the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Act No. 45 of 2022, with the signature of the Speaker.

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‘Sakwala’ Initiative donates 44th bus to Maharagama Central College (PHOTOS)

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‘Sakwala’ Initiative donates 44th bus to Maharagama Central College (PHOTOS)

The ‘Sakwala’ Initiative introduced by Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa yesterday (19) donated a bus to Maharagama Central College, the 44th donation of its kind, as part of the corporate social responsibilities undertaken by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB).

The bus worth around Rs. 05 million was handed over to the students of Maharagama Central College yesterday.

The ‘Sakwala’ Initiative is undertaken with a vision to accomplish the sustainable goal of perfecting the livelihoods of the future generations of Sri Lanka with knowledge, skills and facilities.

Up to this point, the ‘Sakwala’ Initiative has donated buses to schools around the country worth over Rs. 200 million.

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President’s Secretary vows to give young officers a greater role in the implementation of gov-led initiatives

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President’s Secretary vows to give young officers a greater role in the implementation of gov-led initiatives

Presidential Secretary Mr Saman Ekanayake said that he is ready to give more opportunities to young government officers in the implementation of government development programs.

In addition, the President’s Secretary pointed out that the government officers can have a great influence in advancing the development programs of the government and requested the government officers to give an active contribution to it.

The President’s Secretary Mr Saman Ekanayake said this while addressing the annual meeting of the 2012 team of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service held at Kollupitiya Samudra Hotel recently.

The President’s Secretary pointed out that President Wickremesinghe has accepted the responsibility of the country amid many challenges and is currently taking the necessary steps to create a developed country by systematically building the economy.

The President’s Secretary also appreciated the service rendered by the 2012 group towards the country’s betterment.

Its president Mr Suranga Ranasinghe and high-ranking government officials of the 2012 group scattered throughout the island attended the annual meeting of the 2012 group of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service held under the theme “Be the impact”.

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Northeast monsoon gradually establishing over SL!

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Northeast monsoon gradually establishing over SL!

Northeast monsoon condition is gradually establishing over the island, revealed the Department of Meteorology in a statement today (20).

Showers will occur at times in Northern, Eastern, Uva and North-Central provinces, and showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in the Western, Central and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle and Matara districts during the afternoon or night.

Fairly heavy showers above 50mm are likely at some places in Northern, Eastern and Uva provinces and in Polonnaruwa and Matale districts.

General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimise damages caused by temporary localised strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

Marine Weather:

The low-pressure area over South Bay of Bengal is likely to move slowly West-northwestward towards the coast of Sri Lanka during next two days. Wind speed will increase up to (50-60) kmph at times and showers or thundershowers can be expected at times in deep sea areas of Central and South West Bay of Bengal. Therefore, Naval and fishing communities are requested to be vigilant while engaging in marine activities in the above sea areas. Fishing and naval community are requested to be attentive to future forecasts issued by the Department of Meteorology in this regard.
Condition of Rain:
Showers or thundershowers may occur at several places in the sea areas off the coast extending from Kankasanthurai to Pottuvil via Trincomalee and Batticaloa. Showers or thundershowers may occur at several places in other sea areas around the island during the afternoon or night.
Winds:
Winds will be north-easterly and wind speed will be (30-40) kmph. Wind speed may increase up to (50-55) kmph at times in the sea areas off the coast extending from Colombo to Hambantota via Puttalam, Kankasanthurai, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Pottuvil.
State of Sea:
The sea areas off the coast extending from Colombo to Hambantota via Puttalam, Kankasanthurai, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Pottuvil will be rough at times. Other sea areas around the Island will be fairly rough at times. Temporarily strong gusty winds and very rough seas can be expected during thundershowers.

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Sri Lanka Original Narrative Summary: 20/12

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Sri Lanka Original Narrative Summary: 20/12

  1. President Ranil Wickremesinghe requests Mahanayake Theras of Malwatta and Asgiriya to hold an exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic to mark the 75th anniversary of Independence.
  2. Construction sector activities slump in 3Q22 by 33.2%: private and public developments at near standstill: almost all Forex funded projects discontinued after debt default: almost all locally funded projects discontinued after interest rate hike, exchange rate spike, and inflation rise.
  3. Catholic Bishops Conference President Bishop Winston Fernando urges Catholics to maintain the spirit of Christmas beyond the festive Season and show compassion to everyone: asks Catholics search for those in suffering and give relief.
  4. Upcountry Tamil Party courts President’s “International Climate Advisor” Eric Solheim (previous “peace facilitator” between the Govt and LTTE) to play a role in “achieving a lasting solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka”.
  5. SJB MP and COPF Chairman Dr Harsha Silva says Sri Lanka is directionless: points out it is the first time since 2008 that the Central Bank has not laid out a roadmap for the coming year: expresses concern that some factions of Govt say the IMF bailout will come in January ’23, while others say June: analysts say Govt and CB are now following many proposals previously enunciated by MP Silva.
  6. Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa says he came last in the class when he was reading for his Ordinary Level exams in England.
  7. SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne questions as to whether a Parliamentary Select Committee could investigate financial crimes, as proposed by President Wickremesinghe: says Govt should instead initiate investigations into financial crimes, gather related evidence, and allow bodies such as COPE to forward findings to the Attorney General’s Dept.
  8. Ports Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva says Sri Lanka will sell 4 plots of land in Colombo Port City for an investor to establish a bunkering facility: asserts expressions of interest have been called to start an aviation fuel storage facility: also says Port City can bring in over USD 5 bn as FDI in its first 5 years of operations.
  9. Prisoners to be trained in modern agricultural practices with international support amid government’s efforts to bring in new food security laws: Prisons Dept to get FAO assistance in this regard.
  10. Tourism Minister Harin Fernando says the Tourism Authority has transformed the ‘Aragalaya site’ near the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo into a festive area.

Public Security Minister recovers lost promotions entitled to 9,400 Police officers

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Public Security Minister recovers lost promotions entitled to 9,400 Police officers

Promotions entitled to 9,417 Police officers of lower ranks that had been on hold have been recovered by Public Security Minister Tiran Alles, following a Cabinet paper he tabled in this regard.

Accordingly, the Cabinet paper suggesting the granting of promotions to these Police officers has been approved by the Cabinet this afternoon (19).

Following the Cabinet approval, 8,312 men Police Constables will be promoted to the post of Police Inspector, and 1,105 women Police officers to their respective higher rankings.

The promotions entitled to these officers had been on hold for many years due to various circumstances and the above Cabinet move will finally relieve them from the stagnation of not being able to climb up their career ladder.

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The Population of India’s States Compared with Countries

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The Population of India’s States Compared with Countries

In a world with eight billion people, even the numbers of the largest population centers like China and India can start to lose their impact.

The visualization above looks to give people a different frame of reference to think about the country’s massive population figures.

The Population Breakdown

Similar to other big countries, the gap between India’s largest and smallest states is quite wide.

Uttar Pradesh is the most populous country subdivision in the world at 232 million people, while Sikkim, in the northeast of the country, is the least populated state in India (0.7 million).

Here are India’s 28 states and 8 union territories compared to other countries and territories with comparable sizes:

Hypothetically, if India’s states were to all became countries today, they would take up half the spots in a ranking of the world’s top 20 most populous countries.

A number of Indian states match up evenly against some very large countries, including Maharashtra (Japan), West Bengal (Egypt), Andhra Pradesh (DRC) and Tamil Nadu (Germany). Of course, the largest is Uttar Pradesh (Brazil+Chile), which also happens to measure up to neighboring Pakistan.

For people living in countries such as Canada or Australia, it may be humbling to know that these countries are equal to a smallish Indian state.

The Big Get Bigger

According to United Nations projections, India is on track to become the most populous country in the world in 2023.

The population of India’s growth is fueled by several factors, including declining mortality rates, increased life expectancy, and high birth rates. While India’s population growth has slowed in recent years due to factors such as urbanization and increasing access to contraception, the country’s population is still expected to continue growing at a significant rate for the foreseeable future.

VISUAL CAPITALIST

Sandhya Ekneligoda vows her fight will continue until justice is served! (VIDEO)

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Sandhya Ekneligoda vows her fight will continue until justice is served! (VIDEO)

Activist Sandhya Ekneligoda vowed that her struggle seeking justice will not stop, speaking to a briefing held marking the passing of 4,712 days since the disappearance of her husband, Prageeth Ekneligoda, who was abducted on January 24, 2010 during the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime and is missing ever since.

Mrs. Ekneligoda, who has recently been recognised as one of the most influential women in the world by ‘BBC 100 Women,’ stressed that the curse of her sacrificial devotion in January, 2022 will chase the Rajapaksas, whom she described as the reason behind her struggle to begin with, until justice is served for her husband, and anyone who’s loved ones were subjected to abduction and disappearance.

Mrs. Ekneligoda also spoke of those who had supported her in her journey to serve justice for Prageeth, those who had abandoned her and her experience along the way.

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Former Health Minister says he never changed his policies despite decisions to switch parties

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Former Health Minister says he never changed his policies despite decisions to switch parties

Former Health Minister MP Dr. Rajitha Senaratne joining the ‘Salakuna’ political programme aired on Hiru TV said he never changed his policies involving the National Crisis, Economy and other fields in Sri Lanka despite the decisions throughout the course of time to switch parties in politics contributing to elections.

“Now, even the journalists in Sri Lanka have begun to talk about switching parties, haven’t they? How many times have you talked about changing people’s policies? Look at my policy. Have I, a person who has been stepping forward through bomb blasts since the 80s, ever changed my solution to the National Crisis? Why am I breaking myself out from the Mahinda Rajapaksa group? The friendship between me and Mahinda runs back to the school days. Basil was my best friend at class, at school. Back in the day, Basil was always in our house in the evening. It was me and Basil who did everything for the Students Movement.

Back then, Basil was an unforgettable character in my life. Because he was my childhood friend, we read the handbook of politics together. I find Mahinda as the elder brother of Basil. When Mahinda first entered Parliament, he was accompanied by our group of classmates, not those from Beliatta. But why did I, someone who used to be so close, conflict, why did I drop myself out? Ask from those who were in the SLFP back then. The first crisis was the National Crisis. We took a promise from him that a fair solution must be sought after the war. When he failed to do so, we left,” Senaratne said.

The former Minister added: “When it comes to the National Crisis, I stood unshaken regardless of who’s side I was on. I was able to stay with Ranil Wickremesinghe for a long time because both he and I are in a strong position on that matter. Even with Mr. Sajith Premadasa, there is no problem.

Speaking of the second issue, it is the Economic Crisis. I was in the Leftist Faction, wasn’t I? Ranil was in another. When that economy collapsed — not only within a country but within the entire world — only countries like China walked towards the direction of Capitalism while keeping their political structure intact and walked out from that socialist economy we craved for, didn’t they? If Karl Marx was alive, even he would’ve added a new volume to Das Capita. Unlike those from around here who like to brag about the same old parchments over and over again, they were really creative people. So, I dropped myself out and joined for the cause of Open Economy. UNP was the best party for Open Economy. On the other hand, UNP was the party that was not feudal.”

“The other matter was the Executive Presidency, which I am against now and then,” Senaratne went on. “It was me who brought in the suggestion in 2000 that the Executive Presidency must be abolished during the UNP Anniversary event in Hambantota. Another matter is the Parliament Election System. I managed to win so far because of this Election System. Had there been the old System, I could’ve been sent home when the UNP lost Beruwala. I have been in Parliament for 28 years because of JR’s Election System. But even today, I say that this Election System must be abolished. Abolishing this, a Parliament Seat System should be established. Having that established, Rajitha Senaratne may lose. But if I am to, I will stay at home for five years. Someone good who has no famous name, or money, cannot enter Parliament today. This was why that a slogan was born rejecting the 225 MPs at ‘Aragalaya.’ I haven’t changed my policies.”

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