News
Aeroflot to resume flights next week giving ray of hope to battered tourism industry
By Harischandra Gunaratna
With the Russian airline Aeroflot announcing resumption of flights to Colombo thismonth, following a four month suspension by the Russian authorities due to bureaucratic/legal bungling at this end, the country’s ailing tourism industry will have a sigh of relief.
A leading travel agent told The Island that the Russian national carrier Aeroflot plans to operate three flights a week to Colombo commencing October 10 while the Russian charter operator Azur Air will commence flights to Colombo on November 3 with six flights per week with each flight transporting around 300 holidaymakers to Sri Lanka.
However, he cautioned that those flight schedules were subject to change depending on how the principles look at the situation in Sri Lanka if chaotic shortages, protests and violence reignite here.
Source said that the Russian tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka might also be hampered by the Russian government’s mobilisation programme in operation and the countrymen and women fleeing to neighbouring countries to avoid being conscripted.
He lamented that though the Russians will begin to visit the country at least in small numbers, there is nothing much we could say about the other European countries with a sharp drop in tourist arrivals from that part of the world.
He said, prior to the suspension of Aeroflot flights, Russian tourist arrivals recorded around 46,000 up to June this year.
When contacted, a senior travel agent said the tourist arrivals from the European countries for the next few months are bleak and the winter season starts in November with not many bookings probably as most economies there are in recession.
Latest News
Food Policy and Security Committee recommends importation of rice to ensure an uninterrupted supply
The Food Policy and Security Committee has recommended the importation of rice in the near future to ensure an uninterrupted supply for consumers.
A notable increase in rice prices has been observed in the market, along with reports of shortages of certain rice varieties, despite the current harvest season.
Given this situation, discussions were held regarding the need for the Cabinet to prioritize the maintenance of sufficient stock, through rice imports.
The Committee, chaired by Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation K.D. Lalkantha and Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Vasantha Samarasinghe, convened for the fifth time at the Presidential Secretariat on Tuesday (01). The meeting aimed to formulate policy decisions to ensure food security.
During the discussions, it was revealed that due to excessive rainfall this year, crop damage occurred on two occasions, leading to a significant reduction in the expected harvest.
Furthermore, during the meeting it was stated that the improper use of rice for animal feed is another major reason contributing to the rice shortage. As a result, the Committee also focused on the importation of broken rice for animal feed and the use of alternative feeds to mitigate the impact on livestock production.
Accordingly, the Food Policy and Security Committee approved the formation of a Committee, led by the Director General of Agriculture, to oversee the importation of the required quantity of broken rice through proper mechanisms.
Secretary to the Prime Minister Pradeep Saputhanthri, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Kapila Janaka Bandara, and other members of the Food Policy and Security Committee, including Ministry Secretaries, participated in the discussions.
The People of Myanmar are facing immense hardships caused by the devastating earthquake on 28th March and as reported by the international media reports the death toll is over 2,700. Furthermore, it has been reported that many people are missing while, a large number of individuals have been injured and are receiving treatment.
Considering the long – term close relationship between the two nations as two Buddhist states, the Cabinet of Ministers has decided to provide,
• A sum of United States Dollars One Million
• Transportation for the dry rations collected by Buddhist clergy and other donors
• To have a group of medical officers and health staff on standby for immediate departure to Myanmar if necessary
Latest News
Cabinet appoints ministerial committee to submit report on sanctions imposed on 04 Sri Lankans by the United Kingdom
Attention of the Cabinet of Ministers have been drawn on the decisions taken by the United Kingdom to impose sanctions on four Sri Lankan individuals recently, and have decided to appoint a committee comprised of three ministers to submit a report with recommendations on the further measures to be taken after studying the facts in the regard and to empower the committee to obtain the service of any officer/intellect deemed to have subject expertise in the relevant field and considered essential.
The committee will comprise of :
– Vijitha Herath Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism
– Attorney – at – Law Harshana Nanayakkara Minister of Justice and National Integrity
– Aruna Jayasekara Deputy Minister of Defence
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