June 04, Colombo (LNW): During the recent National Mosquito Control Week, conducted by the Epidemiology unit of the Health Ministry from May 26 to June 1, concerning revelations emerged regarding mosquito breeding in private institutions.

This has sparked a cascade of legal actions and raising profound concerns regarding public health standards.

Out of a total of 4,599 private establishments inspected, a substantial 1,220 were flagged for harbouring mosquito breeding grounds.

This flagrant disregard for mosquito control protocols has ignited public outcry, leading to legal proceedings against 981 of these entities, with an additional 3,121 receiving official notices to rectify the situation.

Simultaneously, across the nation, from a comprehensive inspection of 93,874 premises, close to 5,000 were found to host mosquito larvae, with over 25,000 households being identified as potential breeding sites.

The inspection efforts during the week extended across 15 districts in Sri Lanka, including prominent areas such as Colombo, Kalutara, Kandy, Gampaha, Jaffna, and Ratnapura.

The gravity of the situation is underscored by the alarming report from the Epidemiology unit, which indicates a total of 25,095 reported dengue cases island-wide as of June 3.

This concerning trend highlights the urgent need for stringent mosquito control measures to safeguard public health across Sri Lanka. The adverse weather conditions are attributed to the spreading of seasonal diseases, including Dengue, and the public, therefore, is urged by the health authorities and medical specialists to exercise caution.

June 04, Colombo (LNW): Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena today (04) announced that the Supreme Court has ruled the Electricity Amendment Bill to be inconsistent with the Constitution.

However, the Court suggested that this inconsistency could be rectified through amendments aligning with its proposals.

The Supreme Court’s determination led to a parliamentary standoff, with the Opposition advocating for the debate’s postponement.

Meanwhile, the ruling party pressed for the scheduled debate on Thursday, vowing to incorporate necessary amendments.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella urged for a delay in the debate and the submission of the Bill to the Sectoral Oversight Committee, citing the need for thorough examination.

Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera assured that amendments would be made in accordance with the Supreme Court’s ruling, advocating for proceeding with the debate as scheduled.

In the midst of discussions, MP Harsha de Silva proposed extending the debate to two days instead of one.

June 04, Colombo (LNW): The Cabinet has approved a proposal aimed at offering assistance to victims of adverse weather conditions, including the reconstruction of completely destroyed homes, funded by the government and with support from Tri-Forces personnel.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe submitted the proposal to the Cabinet of Ministers on the previous day (03), which received approval.

Additionally, it was suggested to provide immediate aid to affected individuals without bureaucratic delays and to enhance financial support for them.

Wickremesinghe has directed the allocation of funds initially intended for World Environment Day celebrations towards providing relief to those impacted by recent severe weather.

State Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government of Sri Lanka, Janaka Wakkumbura, also confirmed the cancellation of the national World Environment Day celebrations scheduled for the following day.

June 04, Colombo (LNW): The University Trade Union Joint Committee (UTUJC) has announced that today (04) marks a crucial juncture for deciding on potential trade union actions by the university’s non-academic staff.

UTUJC Co-Chairman, Dhammika S. Priyantha, underscored the significance of recent developments following a dedicated meeting held with the Minister of State for Higher Education on the preceding day (03).

During this session, pertinent issues including the staff’s demands and broader professional concerns were addressed comprehensively.

Priyantha further elaborated on the next steps, stating that deliberations with trade union representatives will ensue to discuss the outcomes of the aforementioned meeting.

It is anticipated that these discussions will centre on the agreements reached and the strategies to be implemented moving forward.

UTUJC aims to provide an update on the decisions made and outline the prospective course of action by the end of today.

June 04, Colombo (LNW): Discussions were conducted with the tariff division of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) yesterday to conclude the proposal for revising electricity consumer tariffs, Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera disclosed.

In a statement shared on ‘X’, he highlighted that the Government had established a policy mandate last year to enforce a cost-reflective tariff system, with tariffs scheduled for quarterly revision annually.

Subsequently, the tariff proposal for July will be presented to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) this week, the Minister noted.

June 04, Colombo (LNW): The Chairman of Litro Gas, Muditha Peiris, has announced a reduction in the prices of domestic LP gas cylinders effective from midnight today (04).

As per the announcement, the price of the 12.5 kg cylinder will decrease by Rs. 150 to Rs. 3,790.

Similarly, the 05 kg cylinder will see a reduction of Rs. 60, now priced at Rs. 1,522.

Furthermore, the price of the 2.3 kg cylinder will be reduced by Rs. 28, bringing the new price to Rs. 712.

June 04, Colombo (LNW): A temporary decrease in the heavy rain conditions in the southwestern part of the island is expected from today (04, the Department of Meteorology said.

Several spells of showers will occur in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern and North-western provinces.

Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places elsewhere of the island in the evening or night.

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

Marine Weather:

By: Staff Writer

June 03, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka construction sector has been further contracted following the seasonal pattern where activities across many sectors slowdown during the traditional New Year celebrations, Central Bank report revealed.

Sri Lanka Purchasing Managers’ Index for Construction (PMI- Construction) compiled by the Central Bank decreased to an index value of 31.9 in April 2024.

“This indicates a contraction in construction activities compared to the previous month,” PMI- Construction compiler CBSL said.

As per the respondents, most construction sites were temporarily closed during the month due to the extended New Year holidays, leading to this month-on-month decline.

New orders decreased in April with the fewer working days. However, most respondents were confident that the increasing trend in tender opportunities will continue in the upcoming months.

Moreover, the participatory firms widely highlighted the intense competition in the market. The employment and quantity of purchases declined during the month, in line with the decline in total activities and new orders.

Further, the decreasing trend of the overall price levels continued in April as well. Meanwhile, suppliers’ delivery time lengthened at a comparatively slower rate during the month.

The industry outlook for the next three months is positive, mainly due to the expected increase in new construction projects, CBSL added.

Sri Lanka stands on the verge of losing a major industry – its construction sector, which notably contributes approximately 9.6% to the GDP and involves nearly 2.6 million stakeholders.

The industry has already seen a significant contraction by 60%, resulting in over 500,000 job losses and the emigration of more than 10,000 professionals.

In response, the government has established a task force, producing a 51-point report, from which 11 critical points were selected for action. Despite these measures, progress has stalled, necessitating urgent intervention to rejuvenate the industry.

The plight of contractors, particularly in the SME sector, is alarming. They face immense hardships from halted projects, non-payment, and financial pressures, often risking personal assets.

The competitive nature of acquiring projects, with minimal profit margins, exacerbates their vulnerability, leading to a detrimental cycle affecting their entire business operation.

As the industry contends with these challenges, the proposal is for a high-powered committee to address contractor grievances, improve contract terms, and establish fair compensation mechanisms.

Additionally, strategies include restarting halted projects, resuming donor-funded initiatives, maintaining and upgrading deteriorating infrastructure, managing construction costs and VAT effectively, and ensuring equitable work distribution among companies.

These steps are essential to prevent further decline and promote recovery in the construction sector, vital for Sri Lanka’s economic stability and growth in 2024.

By: Staff Writer

June 03, Colombo (LNW): New loan relief package amounting to Rs 5 billion will be unlocked this week for Sri Lanka’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and economic crisis, Secretary to the Ministry of Industries Shantha Weerasinghe said.

The finance ministry in collaboration with ministry of industries will provide credit facilities of Rs 5 million each to 1000 selected existing MSMEs for further expansion and recovery of their businesses via licensed commercial banks and licensed specialised banks at concessional interest rate if seven percent.

The special feature of this loan scheme is that people who are blacklisted (CRIB) too could get the loans. Loans up to Rs. 5 million can be obtained under the scheme and settled in five years with a grace period of six months.

Loans will be given on personal guarantees up to Rs. 200,000 and a property collateral must be submitted for loans above that amount.

The final work on the loan scheme was completed last Wednesday and these loans will be provided through 10 State and private banks.

These loans can be applied for through the Regional Development Bank, People’s Bank, Bank of Ceylon, Sampath Bank, Seylan Bank, Commercial Bank, Cargills Bank, Sanasa Development Bank, Hatton National Bank and Nations Trust Bank.

Another aspect of this scheme is that loans up to Rs.15 million can be applied for investment purposes. For that too, the interest rate is seven percent and the repayment period is 10 years with a grace period of one year

Moreover special loan scheme amounting to Rs.3 billion will be implemented with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in addition to the 2024 budgetary support.

The government is also considering the possibility of upgrading the Sri Lanka Savings Bank a subsidiary of the National Savings Bank to a MSME Bank or to set up a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to disburse loans easing the burden on the banking sector.

MSMEs are to be empowered by introducing digital literacy programs and providing affordable access to technology to compete in the global marketplace.

The micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) sector in Sri Lanka accounts for 90 percent of all businesses in the country, provides 45percent of employment, and contributes 52percent to the GDP.

A recent ILO study revealed that 79.8 percent of the one million MSMEs that operated in 2018 were still in operation Among the 20.2 percent businesses either permanently or temporarily closed, 8.3percent of closures were reported to be due to economic crisis while 11.9percent were due to reasons other than economic crisis.