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Celebration of 159th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda in Sri Lanka

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Celebration of 159th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda in Sri Lanka

Acting High Commissioner of India, Shri Vinod K. Jacob, together with the Chief Priest of Ramakrishna Mission in Colombo, Swami Aksharatmananda and other officials of the High Commission of India, paid floral tributes to Swami Vivekananda on his 159th Birth Anniversary, in a special event organized at the High Commission of India today (January 12, 2022). Earlier in the day, a special prayer ceremony was held at the Ramakrishna Mission which was attended by Dr. Rewant Vikram Singh, Director, Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC), the cultural arm of the High Commission of India. SVCC has also organized online film and documentary screenings to commemorate the Swami Vivekananda Jayanti.

2.      Swamiji’s teachings and philosophy have inspired people, particularly the youth, to contribute towards nation building and his birthday is, therefore, also celebrated as the ‘National Youth Day’ in India. To commemorate this day, the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports of India has organized the 25th National Youth Festival in a virtual mode from 12th-13th January 2022, which has been inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India.

3.       Swami Vivekananda was greatly influenced by the teachings of Lord Buddha. Soon after being initiated into Sannyas, Swami Vivekananda visited the holy city of Bodh Gaya to offer his prayers to the Bodhi tree, under which Lord Buddha had attained Enlightenment. Swami Vivekananda, along with Shrimad Anagarika Dharmapala, attended the World’s Parliament of Religions at Chicago in 1893, where both of them gave historic speeches.

4.       Sri Lanka had a special place in Swami Vivekananda’s heart. Swami Vivekananda visited Sri Lanka in January, 1897 and during his 11-day stay travelled to different parts of the country including Colombo, Kandy, Matale, Dambulla, Anuradhapura, Vavuniya, Chavakachcheri, Jaffna, and gave multiple spiritual discourses. This year, commemorating the 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s arrival in Sri Lanka, a number of events are being organized by the High Commission of India in collaboration with Ramakrishna Mission and other spiritual organizations and leaders.

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Colombo
12th January, 2022

Why afraid of polls if right? Sajith questions government

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Why afraid of polls if right? Sajith questions government

The present government has transformed the country into a land full of darkness, said Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa, addressing the occasion of providing medical equipment to the Point Pedro Hospital under the ‘Samagi Jana Balawegayen Husmak’ initiative undertaken by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya yesterday (11).

In the occurrence of poor governance and poor economic management, the era of queues has reemerged, the Opposition Leader pointed out.

“The government is afraid of reaching out to the people. The postponement of the local government election by one year proves it. If there is proper governance, the rulers should not be afraid of reaching out to the people. We as a country cannot move forward this way,” Premadasa noted.

He added: “Change should occur in a manner in which the country is served well, with people-oriented and people-friendly treatment. We the Samagi Jana Balawegaya promise to give a fresh solution to the burning issues of this country, to rebuild this country. We have set aside tradition and proven by action. We are ready to build, sharpen, develop and take responsibility for the country.”

A Dialysis Machine with Portable RO System worth Rs. 2,457,000.00 was donated to the Point Pedro Hospital under the 39th phase of the ‘Jana Suwaya’ project undertaken to build a healthy country as part of the Samagi Jana Balawegayen Husmak initiative.

The Jana Suwaya Project together with the Samagi Jana Balawegayen Husmak initiative is undertaken by the Parliamentary group of the SJB, party organisers, members and local and foreign branches of the SJB and funded by local and foreign donors.

Earlier, essential hospital equipment worth Rs. 110,339,500.00 were donated to the national hospital scheme in Sri Lanka at 38 phases.

Deltacron: Health specialists urge not to be afraid of new Covid variant

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Deltacron: Health specialists urge not to be afraid of new Covid variant

There is no need to be unduly apprehensive about the newly identified ‘deltacron’ variant of Covid-19, said Dr. Jude Jayamaha, a medical specialist at the Borella Medical Research Institute.

He noted that many of the reports about the new Covid variant, which was first discovered in Cyprus, were unscientific and speculative, adding that there is no data to substantiate that the variant is a hybrid of delta and omicron.

Revealing that there is no risk of infection to proceed for a lockdown, Dr. Jayamaha added that it is not possible to make predictions at this stage as to whether the country will have to be locked down again.

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Welikada Prison Riot: Lamahewa sentenced to death, Rangajeewa acquitted

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Welikada Prison Riot: Lamahewa sentenced to death, Rangajeewa acquitted

Former Prisons Commissioner Emil Ranjan Lamahewa was convicted guilty and sentenced to death over the massacre in Welikada Prison in 2012.

The verdict was made by the Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar.

Lamahewa was found guilty of one charge and released from four charges.

Former Inspector Neomal Rangajeewa who was also charged in the case was acquitted.

This was when the case was taken up before a Special Three-member Bench comprising Justices Gihan Kulatunga, Pradeep Hettiarachchi and Manjula Thilakarathna today.

SL will be able sell oil to Maldives, if oil tanks repaired (VIDEO)

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SL will be able sell oil to Maldives, if oil tanks repaired (VIDEO)

Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Political Bureau member former MP Sunil Handunnetti speaking to the press conference held in the Party Head Office today (12) revealed that Sri Lanka will be able to sell oil to Maldives, were the claims made by engineers of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) on repairing oil tanks in Trincomalee in their reports true.

Such a repairing process costs about US$45 million, for which debts should be obtained, Handunnetti pointed out.

He added that Sri Lanka could be made into a lending country instead of a borrowing one, depending on the resources available, so that the people should not have to wait in oil and gas queues.

However, should the resources be sold via agreements, the citizens of Sri Lanka will have to wait in queues in 2072 as well, the former MP warned.

Reminding that fertiliser, electricity and gas are not available in the country due to the ongoing dollar deficit, Handunnetti alleged that the country has not fallen into such a situation but was driven into.

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Easter Sunday Massacre: Case against Naufer Moulavi dragged in till March

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Easter Sunday Massacre: Case against Naufer Moulavi dragged in till March

The case filed against 25 suspects including Naufer Moulavi for allegedly aiding the Easter Sunday Genocide was taken up before the Colombo Three-member Special High Court today (12).

One of the suspects to the case had requested that his charge sheet be produced in Tamil, while another in English. However, the charge sheets were not produced today.

Accordingly, the Court concluded that the case be adjourned till March 03, 2022.

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Application of renewable energy for power generation in doldrums due to CEB engineers’ conduct (VIDEO)

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Application of renewable energy for power generation in doldrums due to CEB engineers’ conduct (VIDEO)

The failure of application of renewable energy on power supply was due to the actions of some electrical engineers in the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), divulged Engineer Noel Priyantha, Chairman of the Workers’ Union of the CEB, speaking to a briefing held today (12).

With the existing power crisis, the fact that the CEB can no longer depend of fossil fuels has become clear, Priyantha pointed out.

The President’s solution to the existing power crisis, which would be adaptation of renewable energy for the generation of power for 70 per cent of power supply by 2030, is the most ideal solution at this moment, he noted.

Priyantha added that the problem was not the lack of power plants in the country but the absence of dollars to import oil.

Hearing petitions against Yugadanavi Deal further dragged in

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Hearing petitions against Yugadanavi Deal further dragged in

The hearing of petitions against the controversial deal made on selling shares of the Yugadanavi Power Plant in Kerawalapitiya has been adjourned as per the order of the Supreme Court.

Accordingly, the Supreme Court today (12) declared that the petitions against the Yugadanavi Deal be heard on January 19, 20 and 21.

These petitions were taken up for hearing for the fourth day today, before a Five-member Bench comprising Justices Buwaneka Aluvihare, Priyantha Jayawardena, Vijith Malalgoda and L.T.B. Dehideniya led by Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya.

The petitions have been filed by Venerable Elle Gunawansa Thero, Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Secretary General MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara, former MPs of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Sunil Handunnetti and Wasantha Samarasinghe and trade unions, saying that the Cabinet’s conclusion on selling 40 per cent of the government shares of the Plant to a US company is not just.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Board of Ministers, West Coast Power Private Limited, the company owning the Yugadanavi Plant, New Fortress Energy the US Company and the Attorney General have been cited as respondents to the petitions.

Revealing that the handing over of the shares followed an irregular tender criterion, the petitioners alleged that the Cabinet failed to address issues such as the national economy and national security before making such a decision and that the gas monopoly of Sri Lanka has been handed over on a silver plate to the said US company, thereby violating the fundamental rights of the Sri Lankan citizens.

The petitioners also requested the Court to issue an order nullifying the decision taken by the Cabinet to hand over the government shares of the plant.

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Finance Minister’s Special Goods and Services Tax opposed by Excise Department! (VIDEO)

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Finance Minister’s Special Goods and Services Tax opposed by Excise Department! (VIDEO)

The Excise Department has expressed its objection to the Finance Ministry’s attempt of fusing several income taxes as Special Goods and Service Tax and taking them over.

Speaking to media, Secretary of the All Ceylon Association of Excise Sergeants and Regulators W.M. Ranura Najith Singh stated that attempts were made to set up a revenue authority in 2002 and 2016 and that the current Special Goods and Services Tax seems to be one of its facets.

The Excise Department, the Customs Department and the Inland Revenue Department are the main sources of government revenue and the special tax introduced by the Ministry will stop the collection of revenue from these departments.

These departments, nevertheless, went on alleging that there is no clarity regarding the receipt of revenue to the Consolidated Revenue Fund through this new tax.

The Excise Department managed to collect over Rs. 140 billion of taxes during the Covid-19 pandemic last year, making it the highest amount of tax revenue in the history of the Department, Singh said.

In the backdrop, introduction of such tax policies would be problematic, he noted.

Revealing that discussions have been requested from the President, the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister in this regard, Singh warned that attention would be drawn to take trade union actions, should the government fail to listen to the voices of the trade unions.

Meanwhile, the trade unions of the Inland Revenue Department have also expressed their objection against this new tax scheme.

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Health Minister calls for report on medicine shortage

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Health Minister calls for report on medicine shortage

Chairman of the Health Professionals’ Association Ravi Kumudesh recently divulged that there is a shortage of about 80 essential medicines in the country, due to the negligence of the Subject Minister and the non-issuance of dollars.

Kumudesh revealed that although US$40 million is required to import the required amount of medicines for 2022, the government agreed to release only US$05 million, making it impossible to import even one type of medicines.

In response to these reports, Subject Minister Keheliya Rambukwella has called for a comprehensive report on the amount of medicines required for the first two quarters of 2022.

Accordingly, Dr. Saman Rathnayake, Secretary of the State Ministry of Drug Production, Supply and Regulation, has been instructed to provide information on the medicines that are being imported and those manufactured locally.

Despite any ongoing crisis, the Ministry has a responsibility to distribute medicines to the people without any shortage, as it is a priority of the government, Rambukwella added.

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