News
Import Control License requirement removed for certain grains
Taking in to account the recommendations of the Committee chaired by the Secretary to the President and comprised of members including Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Secretary to the Treasury, and Senior Economic Adviser to the President of Sri Lanka, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies to remove the requirement of obtaining import control license for the import of Mung bean, Black Gram, Cowpea, Finger millet, Soy flour and peanut subject to submission of National Phyto-sanitary License issued by National Plant Quarantine Service and taking necessary measures to protect local producers based on the recommendation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Plantation Industries.
[As on 01.05.2024 selected food grains and commodities classified under 126 Combined Classification Codes are subject to import control permit requirement. Issuance of import control licenses related to 53 combined classification codes has also been suspended. It has been found desirable to remove the requirement of import control license for import of food grains in order to achieve the multiple objectives of eradicating illegal profiteering (Black Market) , preventing illegal importation of grains, preventing unfair increase in retail prices and ensuring an affordable price for the consumer and protecting the domestic producer by imposing appropriate tax rates and quarantine methods.]
The United Nations has pledged US$4.5 million (LKR 1.38 billion) from its Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to strengthen Sri Lanka’s response to Cyclone Ditwah, which made landfall on 28 November.
The funds will enable the UN to rapidly scale up emergency food assistance, shelter support, and water, sanitation and hygiene services for the communities most severely affected by the floods and landslides that have impacted the country, the UN stated.
“This funding comes at a critical moment for Sri Lanka,” said Marc-André Franche, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka. “Cyclone Ditwah has upended lives across the country, and many families are still struggling to meet their basic daily needs. The UN was quick to provide support with urgent relief items and equipment.
We are working closely with the Government, civil society partners and the humanitarian community in Sri Lanka to ensure a coordinated response, guided by evidence and priority needs. This emergency funding will help us reach those most severely affected with the support they urgently need”, he said.
Communities across Sri Lanka are continuing to grapple with the widespread impacts of the cyclone,with thousands of families still displaced after extensive damage to housing and infrastructure.
Even as response efforts are underway, latest assessments indicate that the effects of the cyclone are broader and more severe than initially understood, leaving many communities in urgent need of sustained support to fully recover from Cyclone Ditwah.
The UN’s global emergency fund CERF enables rapid funding to humanitarian responders to help support life-saving, humanitarian activities in the initial stages of a sudden-onset crisis.
As the full scale of the devastation becomes clearer, the UN will expand its life-saving assistance to the hardest-hit communities through a broader Humanitarian Priorities Plan, expected to be announced this week.
The Navy headquarters yesterday announced that 2,086 personnel, including 17 officers and 2,069 senior and junior sailors, had been promoted and advanced to their next respective ranks and rates, on the occasion of the Sri Lanka Navy’s 75th anniversary, which fell yesterday (09 December).
The Navy said the promotions had been made on the recommendation of the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda, in recognition of the dedication and service of those personnel.
The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said yesterday deaths due to Cyclone Ditwah had reached 638, and 191 disaster victims had gone missing.
Showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Northern, North-Central and Eastern provinces
UN pledges US$4.5 mn for post-Ditwah relief
Over 2,000 SLN officers and men promoted to mark 75th anniversarymark 75th anniversary
Disaster death toll rises to 638
COPF examines NMRA regulations, NAO annual work programme, etc.
India-based Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre issued weather warning on 13 Nov.
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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