The Sri Lankan authorities continue negotiations with Russia on the provision of a credit facility to purchase Russian fuel, disclosed Minister of Transport and Highways Bandula Gunawardena.

Speaking to Russian news agency Sputnik, Minister Gunawardena added that the affair can be managed in the event that Sri Lanka is slowly recovering from the economic crisis befallen it, and that the Government of Sri Lanka is expecting some ‘big support’ from Russia. The discussions are going very well, the Transport and Highways Minister added.

He further told Russian media that ex President Rajapaksa appealed to the Russian President to provide Sri Lanka a credit facility to purchase fuel from the ex Soviet country and ease the fuel crisis in Sri Lanka.

The political protests that existed in the last few months have now been finished, Gunawardena went on responding to a query on the island nation being safe as a tourist destination, adding that as Parliament voted in favour of Wickremesinghe as the President, political stability has been established in the country.

MIAP

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has reportedly opposed the welcoming of two well-known figures from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) to his Cabinet, following the reception of a list of 11 SLPP MPs on his table expecting ministries, political sources disclosed.

These two SLPPers, among others, are reportedly former Ministers Rohitha Abeygunawardena and Johnston Fernando, whose anointments as Cabinet Ministers in the new RW-regime are strongly opposed by the President himself, according to sources.

Meanwhile, another group of MPs are set to be sworn in as Cabinet Ministers, but the appointment of new ministers have been dragged in throughout the course of time on several occasions, mainly due to the aforementioned opposition raised by Wickremesinghe.

The Ruling Party SLPP, on the other hand, is of the strong opinion that every MP mentioned in the list should be given Cabinet Ministries.

MIAP

The long-argued ‘system change’ demanded by the people’s struggle is far from reach given the double standards of the government, where on one hand the National Water Supply and Drainage Board in August acted on disconnecting the water supply of 21,000 people with overdue payments, and on the other, it granted a grace period of two months for ministers and MPs of the same conduct, under the instructions of the Speaker.

Correspondents told LNW that 76 public representatives who sit and have sat in the current Parliament of Sri Lanka have failed to settle their water bills to the Board, and 15 of them have already died. The amount overdue is a staggering figure of over Rs. 3.2 million.

Among the default are 34 public representatives who are in the Cabinet and the pool of State Ministries belonging to the current Ranil Wickremesinghe-led regime, owing the National Water Supply and Drainage Board more than Rs. 4.4 million, they disclosed.

The political humour comes to play in the event that these figures are also the ones who build various arguments for the privatisation of loss-incurring public institutions by going on public record that these bodies are losing their coins because of their servants and the provision of various subsidies to the people of the country.

MIAP

Although Norway will close down its embassy in Colombo next year, the development assistance under NORAD and NorFund and other forms of aid will continue, Norwegian Ambassador Trine Jøranli Eskedal assured Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

The Norwegian Ambassador had called on PM Dinesh Gunawardena at the Prime Minister’s Office recently.

The Prime Minister thanked the envoy for Norwegian support to Sri Lanka for a period of over 60 years, which began in the 1960s through NGO cooperation in the fisheries sector.

In 1976, Norway initiated a government-to-government development cooperation in which an integrated rural development programme in the southern district of Hambantota became the flagship.

Ambassador Eskedal said the NorFund would provide more assistance once further collaborative programmes have been worked out.

An estimate of the Private Sector Development (PSD) portfolio in Sri Lanka indicates an average grant funding of about NOK 25 million per annum during the 2000s, or about 10-15% of the total Norwegian development assistance during the period.

The Prime Minister urged Norway to consider investments in fisheries, renewable energy and agriculture in addition to the information technology and marine and ocean sciences.

The Norwegian Government is providing Norwegian Krone NOK 13 million or US$ 1.3 million (Rs. 490 million) to the World Food Programme (WFP), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in Sri Lanka.

This financial aid goven to the country to address food, nutrition and protection needs of the most vulnerable children and women.

. Norwegian support and assistance to Sri Lanka started in 1965. In total Norway has contributed

in a statement issued from the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, a spokesman of the ministry said, ‘he is concerned about the food and nutrition crisis Sri Lanka is now witnessing.

The grave humanitarian situation is having a severe impact on women and children.

‘The UN fears that the situation could deteriorate due to failed harvests and the ongoing economic and political crisis in the country, and could evolve into a full-scale humanitarian crisis.

Unless rapid action is taken, the situation could become even worse in the coming months. In light of this, the UN has developed a humanitarian response plan.

Norway will provide NOK 5 million to WFP, targeted towards vulnerable groups. Additionally, NOK 5 million and NOK 3 million will be provided to UNICEF and UNFPA, respectively, for their work to protect children and women.

Norway gives priority to providing protection for children and combating sexual and gender-based violence. These efforts are sorely needed in Sri Lanka to prevent the situation from deteriorating further

Despite the recently introduced fuel price formula being implemented in compliance with the crude oil price hikes in the global market, no such implementation is taken place in response to the price slashes, paving the way for the government to commit a ‘deliberate’ fraud, alleged, Lalith Dharmasekara, President of the All Ceylon Three Wheeler Drivers’ Association, a trade union responding to the three wheeler drivers’ community in Sri Lanka, speaking to media yesterday (17).

“The global mart claims of the crude oil price being hiked or slashed. A price formula is introduced, but no such formula is implemented for price slashes. So, it will be a formula ‘eating’ us, if there is any. The formula comes into play when the prices are increased, but that formula is not implemented for us when the global crude oil price is slashed. We feel very regretful to inform you that in the backdrop, the government deliberately commits a serious fraud. We feel that they exploit us in the process,” Dharmasekara told media.

By August this year, the price of a barrel ‘Brent’ crude oil, which sold for US $ 103.81 in the global market, dropped to US $ 91.35, but there has not been any revision of fuel price in Sri Lanka since August 01, 2022.

MIAP

The Sri Lankan authorities are discussing with Moscow the possibility of joining Russian payment system MIR, the discussion is underway between the Central Banks, Sri Lankan Minister of Transport and Highways and Minister of Mass Media Bandula Gunawardena has told Sputnik.

“Yes, yes, our embassy tried to do that because you want to [have] easy payment system… We will try to do that, we can get Central Bank’s approval. After that it will be a success,” Gunawardena said when asked whether the Mir payment system would be launched in Sri Lanka.

The minister added that the discussion is underway between the Central Banks of the two countries, adding that “we must get Central Bank’s approval. After that, we will announce that.”

He noted that the Sri Lankan authorities would like Russian tourists to be able to pay by card while visiting the country.

Visa and Mastercard suspended operations in Russia on March 6 against the backdrop of Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine. Since then, the holders of Visa and Mastercard bank cards issued in Russia can no longer pay for goods and services outside Russia.

Connecting Sri Lanka to the financial remittance system of the Bank of Russia and introducing the MIR payment system on the island would allow direct financial communication and currency exchange, cut transactional losses, and makes the process of bank transfers secure and stable, asenior official of the Finance Ministry said.

He npted that implementation of these mechanisms in Sri Lanka would have a boosting impact on the tourism industry. There are many opportunities for the Sri Lankan business in Russia as well. Russia remains one of the top export markets for the Sri Lankan tea industry.

There are prospects in IT services and coconut based products can be used in the Russian agricultural sector.”

. Sri Lankan Ambassador to Russia Prof Janitha Liyanage said her aim is to promote local SME sector products to Russia which currently contributes a negligible share (5%) to National export volume.

Secretary General/CEO of FCCISL stressed that despite long-standing political and economic relations trade volumes have not substantially grown up.

“This clearly shows that there has been a need to develop a strategic business plan at the government level between two countries and requested to resume the third session of the inter-governmental commission at an early date.”

He noted that the objective of this forum was also to break the negative sentiments promoted by social media all around them.

1. New Commissioner General of Inland Revenue Department D R S Hapuarachchi says the Department will improve revenue collection and get back the forex lying outside the country.
   
2. Ports Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva says the Colombo West and East Deep-water Terminals will be fully operational by 2024-2025.
   
3. Bloomberg reports that debt default and widespread protests shrank Sri Lanka’s economy to it’s worst levels in two years: the economy contracted by 8.4% in the 3 months up to 30 June 2022.
   
4. President Ranil Wickremesinghe transfers Sri Lanka Export Development Board, Board of Investment of Sri Lanka and Colombo Port City Economic Commission to the Ministry of Investment Promotion.
   
5. Public Security Ministry Secretary S Hettiarachchi says steps being taken to extradite 13 wanted underworld criminals who are hiding in Dubai: among them are notorious underworld gang leaders Harak Kata, Ganemulle Sanjeewa and Kudu Dharme.
   
6. Prisons Spokesman Chandana Ekanayake says that the maximum capacity of all prisons in the country is 13,200, but around 24,000 inmates are cramped into them currently.
   
7. Hundreds of thousands of people queue up at Galle Road to face interviews for jobs at Qatar Airways.
   
8. Police summon “Black Cap Movement” Convenor Vimukthi Dushantha, whose organisation actively participated in the Galle Face Aragalaya (struggle).
   
9. National Dengue Control Unit says that by the 36th week of this year, a total of 55,012 dengue cases have been reported in Sri Lanka: corresponding number last year was 18,265.
   
10. Cases of snatching gold chains, mobile phone, bracelets, pendants and cash from women walking on roads, increase.