“Increasing women’s representation in the national human resource force is important. This will be a vital factor in future growth of foreign investments, new technological development and growth of the ICT sector. I am confident that national development can be accelerated by empowering youth with new skills and new opportunities needed for the modern era” : Sajith Premadasa Leader of the Opposition

Mr Premadasa made these remarks at a discussion he had yesterday (22/9/2022) with Graduates and Project Officers who had been terminated from employment in an unfair manner.

Mr Premadasa explained that it is important to conduct needs assessment and support individuals based on real needs, instead of providing hand outs free of charge.

He pointed out that Sri Lanka can be developed by a result – oriented and committed workforce. For this, it is necessary to think and step out of the box and take decisions focusing on priorities.

Mr Premadasa maintained that he will personally stand up for the rights of those who had lost their jobs unfairly. He gave an assurance that the Samagi Janabalawegaya will ensure that all are treated fairly and justice will be metted towards those who lost their jobs due to political revenge.

Sri Lanka is set to face a serious energy crisis pushing the country into a power crisis  with countrywide ten hour power cuts if the government fails to import required stock of coal to run the Norochcholai power plant soon in double quick time, the Ministry of Energy said. 

Currently, the stock of coal in the plant is sufficient only till October 25th, 2022.After October 25th, sufficient coal stocks should be provided for power generation at the Norochcholai coal-fired power plant.

The government will be calling for an immediate tender on Tuesday (Sep. 27) to procure coal for the Lakvijaya power plant in Norochcholai after the coal tender that was awarded on August 25 was cancelled, says General Manager of Lanka Coal Company, Namal Hewage.

This follows the stock market disclosure that Black Sands LLC has not managed to submit the performance bond before the stipulated timeline of September 8.

The time given to the company to deposit the performance bond related to the transaction lapsed recently and they have not deposited that bond either. Thus, the long-term tender for the supply of coal is now in serious crisis.

On Sep. 23, Minister of Power & Energy Kanchana Wijesekera announced that the selected supplier has pulled out after communicating the inability to perform the tender, while citing concerns about the impact on legal cases filed and payment guarantee risk.

Accordingly, the Lanka Coal Company will publish a new International Open Competitive Tender that will allow any suitable supplier that has the ability to provide Coal on a long-term credit basis.

Sri Lanka’s Cabinet Spokesperson on Friday (23) revealed that a conspiracy is taking place to deprive the country of on-time coal imports.

Minister Bandula Gunawardena, the country’s cabinet spokesperson, said that a conspiratorial plan is afoot to deny the on-time coal delivery and to extend the power cuts.

Recently, bids were invited to contract a long-term supplier of Coal for Sri Lanka. Several companies submitted bids during the formal tender process and another company submitted bids outside the tender process.

After opening and evaluating the bids submitted outside the tender process, the proposals submitted in the formal tender process have been evaluated.

Ultimately, it was decided to award the long-term supply to the company that submitted bids via the proper tender process.

But the company that submitted bids outside the tender process had again submitted a bid at a lower price.

The Minister of Power and Energy recently revealed in Parliament that the said bidder also influenced the company that offered the tender.

The company that was awarded the tender has imposed several conditions for the supply of coal and they have not been able to fulfill those conditions as they agreed.

Currently, the company that supplies coal has to supply 21 more shipments.But the supply of those stocks is now in crisis due to the delay in payment.

But it was reported that the company has agreed to provide 50 percent of these 21 shipments on a pre-paid system.

In order to receive a stock of coal to the Norochcholai power plant before October 25th, a certain amount of money should be paid at least by next Monday.At least 95 million dollars is needed for 5 coal ships.

Accordingly, if the concerned company is not paid this amount or part of it by Monday, the country’s electricity supply will be in danger from the 25th of October 2022.

The Police Media Division issued a statement on the recent arrest of protesters who marched at the Colombo Lipton Circle yesterday afternoon (24) in the form of a demonstration organised by the Socialist Youth Union (SYU) against the recently decreed High-Security Zones, calling the movement ‘illegal’ and revealing that 83 persons were taken into custody.

Among the arrestees are 77 men, 04 women and 02 Buddhist monks, Police said.

The demonstrators avoided repeated warnings by the Police to dissolve themselves and marched forward, and the arrests were made given the protest’s illegal nature, because it obstructed traffic and the public walking on the road, and to avoid the risk of them entering the High-Security Zones, and accordingly, the march was dissolved by force and 83 persons were arrested, the statement said.

MIAP

Aeroflot plans to resume flights from Moscow to Colombo, Sri Lanka, beginning on October 9, the Russian flagship carrier said in a statement. The company will operate flights twice per week initially.

Flights to Bangkok, Thailand, will resume on October 30, and there will be seven flights per week, the statement said. Moreover, the airline will operate up to three flights per week to Goa, India, beginning on November 2.

Flights will be carried out on a wide-body Airbus A330. Aeroflot suspended flights to Shri-Lanka in June after one of its airplanes was seized in Colombo.

An Airbus A330 arrived in Shri-Lanka to collect passengers and return to Moscow, but was unable to take off due to an order issued by a local court that had received an appeal filed by an Irish company linked to the aircraft’s lessor. The plane was able to leave Shri-Lanka after several days when the court reversed its decision.

Aeroflot General Director Sergei Alexandrovsky earlier announced plans to open flights from Moscow to Bangkok and Goa on the winter timetable. Other destinations considered included Egypt’s Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada, as well as Dubai, Alexandrovsky said.

Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited said  that Aeroflot Airlines recommenced its flight operations last year to Colombo from Moscow with a flight frequency of 2 flights a week between Moscow and Colombo after one year due to Covid19 out break in the island before the suspension of its flights this year.

The first flight, (SU284) with a total number of 240 passengers arrived at 10.50 hrs at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) on 21^st November 2021.

Aeroflot-Russian Airlines will initially operate flights every Friday and Sunday and it will increase the frequency up to five times a week in the near future.

Aeroflot-Russian Airlines is the oldest international airline that operated international flights to Colombo and it has been operating the Moscow-Colombo route since 1964. Aeroflot had to stop operations to Colombo in 2020 due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

This route development will boost the tourism industry in Sri Lanka especially in the post-pandemic period.

Russia has been one of the most reliable and friendly destinations for Sri Lanka to attract tourists and for many decades.

Russian inbound tourism has been showing its great potential as an important source market for the development of the travel and tourism industry in Sri Lanka.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka is steadily becoming one of the emerging popular destinations for Russian tourists.

Therefore, the recommencement of the Aeroflot airlines to Sri Lanka will immensely contribute to the booming aviation, travel, and tourism industry in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka’s loss-making state-run retail store chain Lanka Sathosa, which has made billions of rupees of losses amid allegations of mismanagement and corruption is to be restructured soon.

The retail store network registered an annual loss of around Rs.779 million in 2020, significantly lower than the Rs.1.9 billion lose recorded in 2019 while the net loss from 2015 – 2019 amounts to Rs. 11.9 billion and accumulated debt was around Rs.28 billion, finance ministry data shows.

But in 2021 it has recorded trade turnover of Rs. 41 billion as a result of increasing sales of essential commodities at control prices imposed by the Consumer Affairs Authority.

The Sathosa restructuring process will be carried out following the establishment of State-Owned Enterprise Restructuring Unit” with the allocation Rs. 200 million proposed in interim budget 2022.

This will be given priority in accordance with the government’s food security programme under the social security net proposed in interim budget 2022, a senior Trade Ministry official said.

He noted that Sathosa retail outlets numbering around 420 countrywide will be transformed in to profit making entities to sell fast moving food products for the benefit of urban and rural consumers at reasonable prices.

“We have to sell essential goods below cost because as a state enterprise we are required to do so, “he said adding that by restructuring it, the ministry hopes to reduce overhead costs passing its benefit to consumers.

“We have a duty to provide a service to the people to provide food items easing the cost of living, but it is essential to tackle a mismatch via restructuring to make it profitable, “he said.

It has been proposed to introduce modern technology such as an enterprise resource planning system, and controls to cut waste, staff and logistics costs, he disclosed.

Lanka Sathosa is planning to expand the retail chain by another 100 countrywide including the North and East.

20 ‘mega stores’ to sell a wide range of consumer goods and provide banking and provide dining facilities will be opened to meet the competition of super market chains like Arpico, Cargills and Keells Super.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe is set to leave for Japan tonight (25) for a three-day official tour.

The Sri Lankan President is also set to attend the funeral of former Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in July.

Wickremesinghe is also expected to meet with current Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and a group of high officials of the Japanese government, to hold bilateral discussions.

The Japanese government will also be invited to intervene in talks with major states including India and China for the restructuring of Sri Lanka’s debt, in view of the IMF’s requirements.

MIAP

The anti-democratic repression unleashed by President Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Rajapaksa-led regime must immediately be stopped, urged Leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the National People’s Power (NPP) MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake, speaking to reporters after his visit to the Maradana Police Station to look into the protesters who were arrested at yesterday’s (24) protest against the President’s decree on designating high-security zones.

“Those who should be locked-up are outside, and those who should be outside are locked-up. These protests were very peaceful protests. Nobody acted for sabotage. This is the plan unleashed by Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Rajapaksas by completely scrapping democracy off the country in their bid to live in bunkers in fear of the public,” Dissanayake told the reporters.

The JVP/NPP Leader went on: “Therefore, we urge Ranil Wickremesinghe and the regime led by Mahinda Rajapaksa that this very monstrous, anti-democratic and authoritarian fury must immediately be stopped. Today, they may be successful in doing so. But tomorrow, the swarming in of hundred thousands of people to Colombo cannot be stopped by Ranil Wickremesinghe. 85 have been arrested, 05 injured hospitalised. Therefore, the people of this country will be aligned against this monstrous assaults by Ranil Wickremesinghe. So, we tell Ranil and those who navigate these attacks, may you find places to hide from the people in fear. Therefore, we urge Ranil Wickremesinghe that this repression be immediately stopped.”

MIAP