News
CEB facing massive loss demands fuel subsidy from Treasury to break even
By Ifham Nizam
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) top management projects a loss of Rs. 280 billion for next year and even to go for a break even they urge the Treasury to give them a subsidy on fuel, including for Independent Power Purchases (IPPs) from outside producers.A senior official told The Sunday Island that they don’t want to burden the consumers with another tariff hike though they have no choice other than Treasury intervention.
The official also said that though Ven. Omalpe Sobitha Thera said that the CEB does not follow the instructions of the regulator, the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) for providing relief on electricity bills to places of worship.
Ven. Omalpe on Thursday said that the recent revision of electricity tariff had left the consumers extremely uncomfortable and resulted in a 510% increase in the electricity bill of some places of worship.He said a complaint was lodged with the PUCSL chairman, and he had agreed to provide relief from the electricity consumption charges.
According to PUCSL the annual revenue requirement as filed by CEB is Rs. 505 billion (excluding LECO costs) requiring 82.4% increase in revenue to recover the projected costs for 2022. When the proposed tariff revision is applied, the overall revenue increase is forecast at 512 billion (including LECO sales) meaning a 79% increase.
The tariff revision has been submitted in terms of Section 30(2) of Sri Lanka Electricity Act No. 20 of 2009 and the tariff methodology approved by the PUCSL. The regulator stated that it rejected the CEB’s proposal to increase electricity tariffs by 229%, capping the hike at 75%, after taking all public and other stakeholder comments into account.
Nestle has issued a global recall of some baby formula products over concerns they contain a toxin which can cause food poisoning.
The food and drink giant said specific batches of its SMA infant formula and follow-on formula were not safe to be fed to babies.
The batches were sold across the world, Nestle said, and they potentially contain cereulide, which can trigger nausea and vomiting when consumed.
The company said there had been no confirmed reports of illness associated with the products, but was recalling them “out of an abundance of caution”.
“The safety and wellbeing of babies is our absolute priority,” Nestle said. “We sincerely apologise for any concern or inconvenience caused to parents, caregivers, and customers.”
The company confirmed to the BBC that the recall was global. Affected products were sold in several European countries, including France, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Italy and Sweden.
It stressed that all other Nestle products and batches of the same products that have not been recalled are safe to consume.
Nestle promised refunds for customers and said the problem was caused by an ingredient provided by one of its suppliers.
Nestle France said it was carrying out a “preventive and voluntary recall” of certain batches of its Guigoz and Nidal infant formulas.
In Germany, the formula products are called Beba and Alfamino.
Batch numbers of the affected products in the UK can be found on Nestle’s UK website, or through food.gov.uk.
Customers are advised to look for the corresponding code on the base of the tin or box for powdered formulas or the base of the outer box and on the side or top of the container for ready-to-feed formulas.
Cereulide is a toxin produced by some strains of the Bacillus cereus bacteria that can cause food poisoning symptoms, which can be quick to develop and include vomiting and stomach cramps.
It is unlikely to be deactivated or destroyed by cooking, using boiling water or when making the infant milk, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) warned.
The FSA’s head of incidents, Jane Rawling, said parents, guardians and caregivers should not feed infants or young children the affected products.
She added: “I want to reassure parents, guardians and caregivers that we are taking urgent action, helping to ensure all of the affected product is removed from sale as a precaution.
“If you have fed this product to a baby and have any concerns about potential health impact, you should seek advice from healthcare professionals by contacting your GP or calling NHS 111.”
[BBC]
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Transport, Highways, and Urban Development to award the contract for printing and supplying vehicle number plates for the Department of Motor Traffic for a period of five (5) years to M/s South Asian Technologies based on the recommendations of the High-Level Standing Procurement Committee and the Procurement Appeal Board.
The National Lotteries board has been established subject to the Finance Act No. 11 of 1963. Having identified the requirement of amending that act which was imposed around 62 years to cater the current requirements of the lottery market, the Cabinet of Mnisters at their meeting held on 14.02.2017 granted approval to draft a new bill for the purpose.
Accordingly, the National Lotteries Board has recognized further amendments to be performed to the fundamental draft bill prepared by the Legal Draftsmen.
Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval for the
resolution furnished by the President in his office as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to direct the Legal Draftsmen to finalize the formulation of the draft bill for the National Lotteries Board as soon as possible including the proposed new amendments as well.
Selfies and smiles: South Korea seeks ‘new phase’ in ties with China
Nestle issues global recall of some baby formula products over toxin fears
M/s South Asian Technologies awarded contract to supply vehicle number plates
A new act for National Lotteries Board to be introduced
Motor Vehicles (Driving License Levy) Regulations No. 3 of 2022 to be amended
Mrs. P. K. L. S. Panduwawala appointed to the post of Surveyor General
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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