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Expensive mobile phone found near Ranjan’s cell

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by Norman Palihawadane

A smartphone, found buried near the Special Section ‘Y’, where MP Ranjan Ramanayake and several other inmates are held in the Angunakolapelessa Prison, is worth over Rs 500,000, says Prisons Reforms State Minister Lohan Ratwatte.

Minister Ratwatte told The Island yesterday that the find was a confirmation of the suspicion that prison officers had taken bribes from the contacts of inmates to smuggle phones into the jail.

The phone was recovered following a tip-off received by the Prison Intelligence Unit

The mobile phone with no IMEI number mentioned on it had been found buried between the section ‘Y’ and the parapet wall around 11.40 a.m. during a raid, the minister said. “A Samsung J2 mobile phone was found buried between the Y ward and the prison wall. Some prison officers are believed to have helped smuggle in mobile phones for a fee from the contacts of inmates. Thereafter, we fixed CCTV cameras in the area. There is information that the prison officers are taking money to help inmates to get mobile phones at Mahara, Kalutara, Boossa, Nogembo and Welikada prisons. This racket will be brought to an end soon.”

Further investigations were being carried out and the mobile phone had been handed over to the CID for inquiries, the minister said.

 

 



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Payment of Compensation to the people who have lost their cultivable lands in implementing the Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project

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Approval has been granted at the Cabinet meeting held on 27-06-2012 to provide cultivable agricultural lands from the lower Uma Oya valley to 276 farming families in Hali-Ela, Walimada, and Uva Paranagama Divisional Secretariat Divisions who have lost their cultivable lands due to the acquisition of lands for the
Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project.

However, the aforementioned proposal could not be implemented due to the encroachment of a large portion of the identified lands by unauthorized persons, heavy forest cover, the threats posed by wild elephants, remoteness from their original settlements, and difficulties in adapting to other environmental conditions and social anomalies.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation to pay an estimated compensation of Rs. 12 lakhs for each of these 276 farming families, based on the
recommendations submitted by the Cabinet Sub-Committee appointed to provide solutions for the issues arising in the implementation of the Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project.

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Draft Bill of the Chartered Institute of Media Professionals of Sri Lanka to be Gazzated

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Policy approval was granted at the Cabinet meeting held on 07.04.2025 to prepare a draft bill to establish the Chartered Institute of Media Professionals of Sri Lanka in order to accomplish the requirement of a training institution to carry out studies in order to create chartered media professionals and mould intelligent media personalities with skills in order to enhance the quality and standard of the media society.

Clearance of the Attorney General has been received for the final draft prepared by the Legal Draftsman for the purpose.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the Minister of Health and Mass Media to publish the draft bill of Chartered Institute of Media Professionals of Sri Lanka in the Government Gazette Notification and thereafter submit the same for the concurrence of the House.

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Telecommunication Levy Act No. 21 of 2011 to be amended

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The Telecommunication Levy Act No. 21 of 2011 has enabled provisions to impose telecommunication levy. The budget 2026 has proposed to introduce amendments for the act including changes imposed from time to time regarding the telecommunication levy.

Accordingly, the Legal Draftsman has formulated a draft bill for
amending the Telecommunication Levy Act No. 21 of 2011 including provisions to extend applicable to envisage all the tax amounts applicable from the year 2015 along with the telecommunication levy existing at present, applicable of taxes on unrecovered revenue (bad debts) and to extend the provisions of that act to cater the telecommunication suppliers.

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the  President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to publish the said draft bill in the Government Gazette Notification and subsequently to submit the same for the concurrence of the House.

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