The Institute of Allergology and Immunology at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura will organise the Allergy Avengers Walk & Run 2026 at Independence Square, in Colombo, on July 19, to raise awareness of severe allergies and anaphylaxis and support patients across Sri Lanka.

Participants can take part in a two-kilometre awareness walk or a five-kilometre run. The registration fee includes an official event T-shirt, a bottle of water and morning refreshments.

Organisers said all funds raised through the event would be used to purchase adrenaline auto-injectors for people at risk of anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction that can become fatal without immediate treatment.

Adrenaline auto-injectors are not provided free of charge to patients in Sri Lanka, making access difficult for many families.

The Institute is organising the event in partnership with the Save a Life Project. Since its launch in 2016, the project has supported more than 2,000 Sri Lankans living with anaphylaxis.

Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers has been granted at their meeting held on 09.02.2025 to carry out the procurement process to construct a new building for 36 check – in counters and 06 corridors from the passenger terminal to access area to flights under the project to develop infrastructure facilities for
expanding the capacity of the terminal where departing  passengers are waiting.

Thereby, bids have been called to select a suitable contractor in the regard under International Competitive Procurement
Methodology and three (03) bids have been received in relation to that.

Subsequent to evaluation of those bids and based on the recommendations submitted by the higher – level standing procurement committee, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the Minister of
Ports and Civil Aviation to award the contract, to a sum of United States Dollar 7.26 million (exclusive of value added tax) and to a sum of Rupees 3.77 billion (exclusive of value added tax) to M/s Maga Engineering (Pvt.) Ltd. who has submitted the minimum substantially responsive bid

The cinnamon industry in Sri Lanka maintained focusing the small – scale cultivators in Matara and Galle districts are confronting numerous common issues constantly such as the higher processing cost, sanitary standards and minimum consumption of biomass waste.

As a remedy to these obstacles, the Industrial Technology Institute has planned to establish a Centralized Zero Waste Biomass Cinnamon Processing Centre within the Mapalana Agri Faculty of the University of Ruhuna in collaboration  with the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the University of Ruhuna.

The project is planned to be carried out  as a development project with four phases within a period of 27 months.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Science and Technology to establish the Centralized Zero Waste Biomass Cinnamon Processing Centre as a joint  project of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Industrial Technology Institute and the University of Ruhuna at the Mapalana Agri Faculty of the University of Ruhuna