News
CEB to submit proposal for lowering power tariffs soon
By Rathindra Kuruwita and Ifham Nizam
Minister of Power and Energy, Kanchana Wijesekera said yesterday (03) that the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) would submit to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) a proposal to reduce electricity tariffs soon. Hydrop power generation has increased during the past several months. The cost of a unit of hydropower is only three rupees.
Minister Wijesekera said that he would also present the proposal to reform the CEB to Parliament soon.
The Minister said he had instructed the CEB management to suspend and take appropriate disciplinary action against any employee that disrupts the services or acts in violation of the guidelines issued by the CEB management.
The proposed reforms would be presented to Parliament with amendments for approval shortly, the Minister said.
The minister said the reforms were aimed at streamlining operations, optimising resource allocation, and enhancing the CEB’s overall performance.
The Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers Union (CEBEU), however, has said that reforms should be transparent.
CEBEU has already pointed out to the authorities that despite the ambitious timeline of the government, the reform committee and the Ministry of Power have not adopted an open and transparent approach or had any consultation with the employees of the CEB.
The union said that CEB employees were the main stakeholders in the restructuring process. “It would be unfair to identify previous meetings trade unions had with the Minister as proper “Stakeholder Consultations” as trade unions didn’t have a proper understanding of the Ministry’s plans for reforms. The draft Bill was not shared with any party until publication on December 08, 2023,” a Senior Electrical Engineer said.
Members of the South Asian Journalists Forum have gathered at the University of New Delhi for a two day conference themed ‘Peace and Co-operation’.
Journalists from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India are attending the conference hosted by the University of Delhi in collaboration with the India Chapter of SJF, and will deliberate on how the media can act as a catalyst for regional stability and mutual coexsistence.
A tree plantation campaign was also held at the Ghandi Bhawan premises of the University to mark the event and symbolize growing regional ties.
The Sri Lanka delegation is led by President of SJF’s Sri Lanka Chapter Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi.
The Governor of the of Gujarat, Acharya Devvrat, along with the Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat, Harsh Sanghvi, met with Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya on Thursdy [February 05] at the Parliamentary Complex to discuss the arrangements related to the exposition of the Devnimori Sacred Relics of Lord Buddha, which have been brought to Sri Lanka under the patronage of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Government of India.
These sacred relics of Lord Buddha were discovered during archaeological excavations conducted in the 1960s at the historic Devnimori site in Gujarat, the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Until now, these relics had never been taken outside India. As a result of discussions held between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Sri Lanka, the people of Sri Lanka have been granted this rare opportunity to venerate these sacred relics.
The exposition of the relics is being held for a period of seven days, from February 05 to February 11, at the Gangaramaya Temple in Hunupitiya, Colombo. Discussions were held between both parties regarding the arrangements related to this event.
The discussion was attended by Samar Nanda, Joint Secretary of the Indian Ministry of Culture; Dr. Satyanjal Pandey, Acting High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka; Abhijit Halder, Director General of the International Buddhist Confederation; along with several others.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
The Indian Naval Ship (INS) GHARIAL made a port call in Colombo for operational turnarounds on 04 Feb 26. The Sri Lanka Navy welcomed the visiting ship in compliance with naval traditions.
Commanded by Commander Gaurav Tewari, INS GHARIAL is a vessel with a length of 124.8 meters.
During this visit, ten (10) Bailey Bridges, brought by ship, through the coordination of the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka, will be handed over to the Disaster Management Center. These bridges will provide temporary transportation links while bridges damaged across the island by adverse weather conditions are repaired.
The crew’s itinerary features scheduled goodwill activities with the Sri Lanka Navy, alongside visits to several tourist attractions across the island.
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