The price of milk powder may have to be increased from tomorrow (30), said the Milk Powder Importers Association said. Accordingly, the increased prices will be announced tomorrow, said Union Spokesman Ashoka Bandara.
Following the last revision of the milk powder price, a 400 gram packet of milk powder was sold for Rs. 470 and a 01 kilogram packet for Rs. 1170.
The Public Sector has dramatically lost control over the prices of many commodities, including milk powder now. As of now, the price of milk powder is determined by the importers.
The spontaneous surge of the foreign reserve position to US$3.1 billion claimed by the CBSL Governor is merely a media showoff resembling the ‘Cobra appeared out of the Kelani River,’ said Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Dr. Harsha De Silva speaking to a briefing today (29).
The SJB MP emphasised that a responsible institution like the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has deliberately refrained from disclosing the modes by which such a spontaneous surge has occurred.
At a time when the public image of the current regime is being tarnished on a daily basis, the CBSL and its Governor are concealing the truth thereby picturing a false image, Dr. Silva pointed out.
Stressing that the country is suffering from a severe forex crisis, the SJB economist added that there are no dollars to import essential commodities including gas, milk powder and medicines.
Despite many experts’ advice on seeking the support of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to resolve the ongoing forex crisis, the government did not heed such an option, Dr. Silva claimed.
In the backdrop, the CBSL Chief is behaving a like a ‘Superman,’ demonstrating an increased reserve position without disclosing the modes, he went on, questioning whether all the problems will be solved from tomorrow.
The SJB MP citing sources further noted that the reserve position was supposedly increased via 10 billion yuan obtained from China subjugated to certain restrictions.
Suggesting that the country has been driven into an abyss in this manner due to the politicians’ conduct of concealing the truth about the country for a long time satisfying the people for political purposes, Dr. Silva added that the abyss is being dug deeper by concealing the real forex crisis via the government’s media showoff.
High Commissioner H.E. Gopal Baglay felicitated several Sri Lankan nationals working at High Commission of India in recognition of their longstanding and dedicated services at a special event organized at the High Commission. Two of the longest serving personnel – Mrs.Mala Gamage and Mr. Neil Joseph Regis- with a service of more than 30 years each, were offered return air tickets to India and special cash support for visiting India. Mrs.Shirani Sritharan, Mrs.Sujatha Hettiarachchi, Mrs.Niranjala Manori Joseph and Mrs.Lakshi Samarawickrema were accorded promotions for their services recently.
The High Commissioner thanked the Sri Lankan staff for their outstanding work at the High Commission. He stressed that their contribution to the High Commission helped the objective of strengthening India-Sri Lanka relations, especially in aspects directly related to the people, such as development cooperation in Sri Lanka, travel, trade & commerce.
Around 50% of the High Commission’s staff comprises Sri Lankan nationals. Similarly, a considerable proportion of personnel in India’s Consulate Generals in Hambantota and Jaffna and Assistant High Commission in Kandy are also recruited locally. They come from diverse social, linguistic and cultural backgrounds, reflecting pluralistic nature of both India and Sri Lanka.
The Mass Media Ministry has reportedly informed the heads of the Independent Television Network (ITN) and the Selacine Television Institute to resign from their posts.
Sudath Rohana, the ITN Chairman, has already left his chair as the announcement was being made, according to sources.
Amila Muremada serves as the Chairman of the Selacine Television Institute.
Meanwhile, top posts of a number of other state media bodies are to be reshuffled, sources further added.
25 per cent of dollar reserves possessed by commercial banks in Sri Lanka must be transferred to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), said CBSL Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal.
The CBSL Governor’s order comes in effect from December 27, 2021 and all commercial banks in Sri Lanka will be able to possess only 75 per cent of their dollar reserves.
The commercial banks in Sri Lanka have restricted the issuance of dollars for imported goods leading to a serious problem suffered by the importers.
Last week it was reported that over 1,500 containers of imported items were stalled in Port warehouses. Following the latest directive by the CBSL, further restrictions will be imposed on the issuance of dollars, driving the importers deeper into the abyss, according to analysts.
The mode in which the foreign reserves amounting to US$ 1.6 billion have surged up to US$ 3.1 billion must be disclosed before the country, urged the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), following the announcement made by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) this morning.
Speaking to a briefing held in the Opposition Leader’s Office today (29), SJB MP Nalin Bandara pointed out that the people have a right to know about the mode in which these foreign reserves have spontaneously surged.
Foreign reserves were rising in US dollars as well as in other currencies, as well as gold reserves, the MP reminded, stressing that how an additional amount of US$ 1.5 billion was included to the reserves must be explained.
The SJB MP went on saying that if the reserves were surged in gold or yuan, they could not be used to settle dollar expenses or settle foreign debts and that the yuan currency could only be used for goods imported from China.
The ongoing dollar deficit can be resolved temporarily only in an event of a reserve position surge in US dollars, Bandara added.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to pay for the Sinopharm vaccine doses purchased from China, said State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals Channa Jayasumana.
Accordingly, Sri Lanka is set to receive an amount of US$ 85 million from the ADB to settle the payments for the Covid vaccine.
The gazette notification issued in connection with the Prohibition of Obscene Publications Bill has been canceled. It is reported that the Secretary to the Ministry of Justice Ali Sabri has instructed to cancel the relevant gazette notification.
The gazette notification was issued on the 24th and it was opposed by many parties. Taking into consideration the objections and proposals, amendments are to be made to the Bill which has been prepared so far and the Ministry of Justice has decided to submit the amended Bill to the Cabinet for approval. The Minister of Justice has instructed the Secretary to cancel the gazette notification issued until then.
The Secretary to the Ministry said in a statement that the purpose of enacting a law to ban Obscene Publications was to protect the welfare of minors and the privacy of abused women, not to impede freedom of speech.
At present Sri Lanka’s official foreign exchange reserves have increased to US $ 3.1 billion. The Governor of the Central Bank Ajith Nivard Cabraal has stated this in a Tweet.
In recent days, foreign reserves have plummeted to close to $ 1 billion, and even the importation of essential goods has been blocked.
However, the Governor of the Central Bank stated that the foreign exchange reserves will exceed 03 billion by the end of the year. Confirming that statement, two days before the end of the year, foreign reserves rose to 3.1 billion.
In keeping with our previous announcements, the official #reserve position of the @CBSL has today reached appox USD 3.1 billion and will remain around that level by end 2021 as well. #RoadMap#SriLanka#GoSL
A two-year-old boy who chain-smoked 40 cigarettes a day now looks unrecognisable after ditching the habit years on.
Ardi Rizal, from Sumatra, Indonesia, was just a tot when he was shown smashing his head against a wall if he couldn’t smoke.
The chubby little boy made global headlines when shocking pictures showing him puffing on cigarettes circulated around the world in 2010.
But despite a sour and dizzying process to get off them, Ardi has successfully quit and shed the pounds by replacing his unhealthy diet with fruit and veg.
Ardi told CNN in 2017: “It was hard for me to stop. If I am not smoking, my mouth taste is sour and my head feel dizzy.”
Shocking pictures of Ardi circled the globe(AFP via Getty Images)Aldi in 2010(Barcroft Media)
He added: “I am happy now. I feel more enthusiastic, and my body is feeling fresh.
Shockingly, Ardi became hooked when his own father passed him a cigarette at 18 months old.
But concerned about how Ardi might hurt himself if he couldn’t get a hit of nicotine, his mum, Diane, sought help from a Government intensive care specialist.
At the time the unhealthy youngster was guzzling three cans of fatty condensed milk a day, weighing a stone over the healthy average for a boy his age.
Ardi now enjoys a healthy diet and lives cigarette free(Barcroft Media via Getty Images)
Diane told the Daily Mail in 2013: “When Ardi first quit smoking he would demand a lot of toys.
“He (would) start to smash his head to the wall. He was crazy, hurting himself if he didn’t get a cigarette.
“That’s why I get him cigarettes in the first place – because of his temper and his crying.
“Now I don’t give him cigarettes but he eats a lot.
“With so many people living in the house it’s hard to stop him from getting food.”
Ardi holds up photos of himself as a tot when he smoked 40 a day(Barcroft Media via Getty Images)
Once his smoking days were behind him, Ardi swapped one addiction for another and developed a love for junk food which led for him parents to recruit a nutritionist.
Now he survives on a healthy diet of fresh fish, fruit and vegetables to help him keep a trimmer shape.
