July 03, Colombo (LNW): India is to provide an additional grant of Rs.100 million to complete the Low Cost Transit Housing Construction Project at Madhu Shrine, Mannar increasing its total grant to Rs 400 million, Indian High Commission announced today. 

High Commissioner of India Santosh Jha and Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development and Housing MW.S. Sathyananda signed and exchanged diplomatic letters on 02 July 2024 to formalize modalities related to the housing project at Madhu Shrine, Mannar.

 Responding to the challenges that arose in the economic landscape of Sri Lanka, Indian government had decided to infuse additional funds into nine ongoing grant projects in order to expeditiously complete them, while also minimizing the impact of the significant rise in cost of construction materials on the original scope of the projects. 

The Low Cost Transit Housing Construction Project at Madhu Shrine, Mannar, is among the said nine projects.  

 A total of 96 transit houses shall now be constructed with the Indian grant at Madhu Shrine that could be used by pilgrims visiting the shrine. The project is currently underway and the proposed transit houses are at various stages of construction.

 Former Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay laid the foundation stone on March 12  2021   for the construction of 144 transit housing units for pilgrims at the Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu in Mannar under an Indian grant assistance of Rs 300 million,

Pilgrims welcomed the project as many visit the Marian shrine two or three times a year. This, they told AsiaNews, is a significant step” and “a help of great value”.

The Indian High Commissioner also announced that more initiatives will be undertaken in the future to strengthen the longstanding friendship and bonds between the two neighbouring nations.

Minister Prasanna Ranatunga added that the Sri Lankan government is preparing to restore direct links between Jaffna and Chennai, suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“India is the largest source market for tourist traffic in Sri Lanka,” he explained. “However, due to the pandemic, tourists from India have stopped coming.”

This has led to the proposal of creating an ‘air travel bubble’ to revive tourism. “We look forward to launching this programme in the near future,” the Tourism Minister added.

Madhu, in the north-western Sri Lanka, was directly impacted by the country’s civil war and was, for a while, under the control of Tamil Tigers.

Since 1990 the Church has helped house thousands of people until the area near the shrine became a virtual refugee camp.

Despite being a non-military zone, the area was bombed in 2008, forcing the Church to close the shrine and move the statue of Our Lady to a safer place.

The latter returned on 15 August 2010, the feast of the Assumption day and of the historic pilgrimage to Madhu, welcomed by thousands of faithful, including non-Christians.

July 03, Colombo (LNW): The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) has announced its newly elected office-bearers for the year 2024/2025, committed to making positive interventions to protect the medical profession and health service in Sri Lanka.

In a statement, the GMOA highlighted its ongoing efforts to strengthen the health service and address various issues such as medicine shortages, doctors’ salary concerns, and the issue of doctors leaving the country. The association also pledged to improve the quality of medical degrees offered in Sri Lanka and to ensure the provision of quality education.

Dr. Sajeewa Tennekone has been elected as the President of the GMOA, while Dr. Prabath Sugathadasa has been appointed as the Secretary. The newly elected Executive Committee consists of 16 members, and the Central Working Committee comprises 35 members.

July 03, Colombo (LNW): The All Ceylon Health Trade Union Federation has declared Wednesday (03) as a national protest day. Chairman Samantha Koralearachchi announced that protests will be held at all hospitals nationwide at noon on Wednesday (03).

The protests are centered around six key demands: a five-day workweek for hospital staff, a stringent process for promotions and transfers, and a transport allowance. Koralearachchi stated that repeated requests for a discussion with Minister of Health Dr. Ramesh Pathirana over the past month have gone unanswered.

He urged authorities to address the issues faced by hospital staff, emphasizing the need for immediate attention to their demands.

July 03, Colombo (LNW): Kathiravelu Sanmugam Kuhadasan has been nominated to fill the parliamentary seat left vacant following the passing of former Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader Rajavarothiam Sampanthan. According to the Election Commission, Kuhadasan will represent the Trincomalee electoral division in the 9th Parliament. The relevant gazette notification has been issued confirming his appointment.

Meanwhile, the remains of the late R. Sampanthan currently lie at a private funeral parlour in Colombo and will remain there until noon today (03). The remains will then be transported to Parliament in the afternoon and placed there from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. for public representatives and parliament staff to pay their respects.

Tomorrow (04), the remains will be moved to Trincomalee, where the public can pay their final respects until Sunday. The funeral is scheduled for Sunday.

July 03, Colombo (LNW): Cabinet approval has been granted to sign the proposed agreement on the Global Textiles and Apparel Program between the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs.

The government has proposed entering into a project agreement with the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs and the EDB for the implementation of the second phase of the Global Textile and Apparel Program. This initiative aims to support the transformation of Sri Lanka’s textile and apparel industry by promoting digitization and moving towards quality green products.

The proposal, presented by the President in his capacity as Minister of Investment Promotion, was approved by the Cabinet, paving the way for Sri Lanka to seek support from the Global Textiles and Apparel Program for industry advancements.

July 03, Colombo (LNW): State Minister for Finance Shehan Semasinghe announced that all uncertainties surrounding Sri Lanka’s debt sustainability have been resolved. He highlighted that while the international community has shown optimism about Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring efforts, some local parties remain skeptical for political reasons.

State Minister Semasinghe made these remarks during a press briefing titled “Collective Path to a Stable Country” held at the Presidential Media Centre.

1. The Cabinet approved the proposal presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to implement a special loan scheme to remove obstacles for women to engage in economic activities by using Rs. 2 billion out of the Rs. 20 billion previously allocated to implement an investment scheme to re-strengthen the enterprise sector. It is observed that women’s participation in Sri Lanka’s economic affairs is at a lower level than other regional and Asian countries. There are various reasons for this and according to the 2022 survey of Sri Lanka’s workforce, 35 percent of the economically active population are women.
2. Opposition and SJB leader Sajith Premadasa told Parliament yesterday (02) that the government had failed to secure the optimal deal in the debt restructuring process. Soon after the President made a special statement to the House, Premadasa said that the government haD failed to secure the best possible deal in the debt restructuring process.
3. The Minister of Power and Energy, Kanchana Wijesekera, stated that Lanka IOC will be launching a 100 Octane premium petrol to the market.
4. This order was issued by the two-member Appeals Court bench comprising President of the Court of Appeal Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne and Justice Shashi Mahendran following an extensive consideration of the facts presented related to the petition. Accordingly, the judge bench also ordered the related parties to file written submissions related to the case, if any, before July 15, 2024.
5. The Findings and Preliminary Recommendations Report from the recently concluded National Symposium on ‘Catalysing Change: Making Local Governance Future Fit’ carried out by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been handed over to Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena. The report was officially handed over by Ms. Azusa Kubota, Resident Representative, UNDP in Sri Lanka and Mr. Johann Hesse, Head of Cooperation at the European Union (EU) Delegation to Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
6. Two 15-year-old students, a male and a female, have reportedly died after falling from the Altair building in Colombo. The students are believed to have fallen from the 67th floor of the building, with their bodies being discovered on the 3rd floor by the police.
7. The price of Laugfs domestic LP gas cylinders will remain unchanged, despite price reductions made by Litro Gas PLC, the company announced. Accordingly, the current prices of Laugfs domestic LP gas cylinders are as follows; 12.5 kg cylinder – Rs. 3,680: 05 kg cylinder – Rs. 1,477
8. The Election Commission states that despite the deferral of the 2023 Local Government (LG) elections, the local government election law remains in effect as the polls have not been completed. It highlighted that accordingly, the local government election law is still effective as per the Article 104 (a) of the Constitution.
9. The Colombo District Court issued an interim order, preventing the removal of Dayasiri Jayasekara from his position as General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and his expulsion from party membership. This decision comes in response to a petition filed by Jayasekara.
10. Sri Lankan athletes Tharushi Karunaratne and Dilhani Lekamge have qualified to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Tharushi Karunaratne has qualified for the Women’s 800m event while Nadeesha Lekamge qualified for Women’s Javelin Throw events at the Paris Olympics.

July 03, Colombo (LNW): The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), endorsed by the Green Environment Fund, has granted US$ 1.09 million to implement a sustainable and efficient e-mobility system in Sri Lanka.

Cabinet Spokesman and Transport, Highways and Mass Media Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardhana announced that the Cabinet of Ministers approved his proposal to designate the Transport and Highways Ministry as the project implementing agency.

“Although the Environment Ministry was initially identified as the national entity for the project, the Transport and Highways Ministry can initiate the project more efficiently with all relevant parties since the project scope falls under its purview,” said Minister Gunawardhana.

July 03, Colombo (LNW): Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha and Secretary of the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing W.S. Sathyananda signed and exchanged diplomatic letters on July 2 to formalize the modalities related to the Low Cost Transit Housing Construction Project at Madhu Shrine, Mannar. This follows the Government of India’s (GOI) decision to provide an additional grant of around LKR 100 million for the project, bringing GOI’s total commitment to over LKR 400 million.

In response to the economic challenges faced by Sri Lanka, GOI has decided to increase funding for nine ongoing grant projects to expedite their completion and mitigate the impact of rising construction material costs. The Low Cost Transit Housing Construction Project at Madhu Shrine is one of these initiatives.

With the additional funding, a total of 96 transit houses will be constructed at the Madhu Shrine to accommodate pilgrims. The project is currently in progress, with the proposed transit houses at various stages of construction.

July 03, Colombo (LNW): Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena recently emphasized that the government has laid the foundation for the economy to move forward. He made this statement during a ceremony at Arangala Sanasa Hall on June 30, where egg incubators from the Chinese government and coffee machines from the Decentralised Fund were distributed to societies in the Kaduwela electorate.

During his speech, the Prime Minister acknowledged the country’s resilience in the face of crises, comparing the current economic challenges to the hardships faced during the Second World War. He praised the commitment of the public, especially retired public servants, and highlighted the government’s efforts to maintain pensions and salaries even in difficult times.

Gunawardena noted that Colombo district had borne the brunt of recent economic difficulties, but he expressed confidence in the nation’s progress. He pointed out the government’s success in restoring international trust and the ability to conduct international transactions, despite the challenges faced.

He emphasized the importance of cooperatives, such as Sanasa, in providing security and support to their members, and highlighted the government’s allocation of funds for relief and development projects. He also mentioned the need to prepare for an aging population by starting various services to meet their needs.

Gunawardena highlighted the potential of egg incubators to provide income and nutrition to low-income households, with the support of the Chinese government. He also mentioned that China and Japan have pledged support to help Sri Lanka’s economic development and to resume suspended projects.

The event was attended by Colombo District Coordinating Committee Chairman, Members of Parliament Pradeep Udugoda and Yadamini Gunawardena, Kaduwela Divisional Secretary Sampath Idamgodage, Kaduwela Municipal Secretary, Executive Committee member of the MEP youth organization Chandana Pushpakumara, and representatives of community organizations.