News

Mano warns govt. over Adani pullout

Published

1 year ago

2025/03/4

Mano

Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) leader and SJB MP Mano Ganesan has said that the sudden exit of Adani Green Energy may discourage investments, particularly in the renewable energy and infrastructure sectors.

Claiming that Adani’s withdrawal as a major setback, Ganeshan said that it had sent the wrong signal to the world.

Speaking in Parliament during the Budget debate on Saturday, Ganesan accused the government of mishandling the project and asserted that it was not the NPP government that dropped Adani, but rather the Indian conglomerate that abandoned the government.

“You didn’t drop Adani. The truth is Adani dropped you,” the MP said, criticising the government and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake over its handling of the project.

The Opposition MP also argued that the Adani project was not just about supplying energy to Sri Lanka’s domestic grid but also aimed at exporting power to India, a move that could have generated revenue for the country.

“Our concerns over pricing, if any, could have been negotiated. Instead, this government failed to recognise the long-term economic benefits of energy exports to India,” Ganesan said.

The MP also questioned President Anura Dissanayake’s recent visit to the United Arab Emirates, questioning its outcome.

“President went to the UAE and returned. What happened there? Is any investment coming in? International investors, especially from the Middle East and Europe, would only consider Sri Lanka if Indian partnerships were in place,” he said.

Taking to social media, Ganesan reiterated his concerns and said, “The prospective energy export through grid connectivity with India would have brought revenue to Sri Lanka. You failed to understand this with an eye on the future. The exit of Adani has sent wrong signals to potential foreign investors looking at Sri Lanka”.

Last month, Adani Green Energy announced its withdrawal from two proposed wind power projects in Sri Lanka, following the new government’s decision to renegotiate tariffs. The decision was conveyed in a letter sent by the company to Sri Lanka’s Board of Investment.

Adani’s renewable energy arm had planned a USD 442 million investment in Sri Lanka’s wind power sector, covering both generation and transmission. However, the newly-elected government, under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, aimed to cut electricity costs tied to Indian conglomerate’s energy projects in the country.

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News

Animal Welfare Draft Bill to be Gazetted

Published

10 hours ago

2026/06/24

Priyan

A specialists committee has been appointed by the Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation adhering to the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers dated 29.12.2025 for submitting appropriate recommendations analyzing the provisions of the draft bill formulation in regard to Animal Welfare.

Based on the recommendations of the said Committee, the Legal Draftsman has been instructed at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers held on 18.05.2026 to prepare the final bill on the animal welfare.

Wherefore, the Legal Draftsman has formulated the draft bill and the clearance of the Attorney General has been received in the connection.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation to publish the said draft bill in the
Government Gazette Notification and subsequently forward the same to the Parliament for its concurrence.

News

Legal provisions on marking voters using indelible ink during elections removed

Published

10 hours ago

2026/06/24

Priyan

Under the legal provisions for elections in this country since 2004, it is mandatory for voters who come to mark their votes to verify their identity through a valid identity card, and it is also mandatory for all such voters to be marked with an appropriate mark using indelible ink. The dual purpose of these two functions is to prevent a voter from voting more than once in a single election.

It has been observed that having to follow two different
methods at the same time to achieve the same objective hinders the efficiency of the duties performed at the polling stations and also incurs additional costs to the government.

Therefore, it has been deemed appropriate to remove the legal provisions regarding the use of indelible ink and marking the voter with the appropriate mark from all election acts.

Accordingly, the development activities of the province, as well as national security, will benefit. Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the
President to take necessary steps to remove the legal provisions

• Section 36 of the presidential Election Act, No 15 of 1981
• Section 38 of the Parliamentary Election Act, No 01 of 1981
• Section 36 of the Provincial Council Election Act, No 02 of 1988
• Section 53 A of the Local Government Elections Ordinance (262 Authority)
• Section 21 of the Referendum Act No 7 of 1981

News

Showers will occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts

Published

11 hours ago

2026/06/24

Priyan

WEATHER FORECAST FOR 24 JUNE 2026
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 24 June 2026 by the Department of Meteorology

Several spells of showers will occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts. Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in the Uva province and in Ampara and Batticaloa districts after 2.00 p.m.

Fairly strong winds about (30-40) kmph can be expectedat times over the Western slopes of the central hills, the Northern, North-central, North-western and Southern provinces and in Trincomalee district.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damage caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.