News
Floods claim three lives
More than 158,000 affected in 12 districts
Floods have claimed at least three lives and affected more than 158,000 people in 12 districts, as of yesterday evening, according to the Disaster Management Centre.
Heavy rains over the weekend wreaked havoc, flooding homes, fields and roads and damaged 240 houses and forced nearly 7,000 people out of their home.
Rainfall above 100mm was expected in Sabaragamuwa, Western, Northwestern and Northern Provinces as well as in the Galle, Matara and Trincomalee districts today (15), the Met Department said, warning that showers or thundershowers would occur at several places elsewhere during the evening or night. It requested the public to take adequate precautions to minimise damag caused by temporary localised strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
The Ministry of Education has instructed the Provincial Chief Secretaries, Provincial Secretaries and the Directors of Education to decide whether to open schools in areas affected by the prevailing adverse weather.
The Education Ministry communicated this in a statement issued pertaining to the matter yesterday afternoon (14).
All government schools in the Gampaha, Kelaniya, Kolonnawa and Kaduwela educational zones will remain closed today (15).
Emergency situations can be reported by contacting the Disaster Management Centre’s hotline 117 or by calling 0112136136, 0112136222, and 0112670002.
The Paddy Marketing Board has approximately 115,000 metric tonnes of paddy stocks purchased from farmers, which are currently stored in the Board’s warehouses, and it has been planned to retain a sufficient buffer stock from these reserves and sell the remaining quantity in order to provide the necessary storage space and financial resources for the purchase of paddy from farmers during the upcoming Yala season.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation to sell the aforementioned paddy stocks
following a formal tender procedure.
The Promotion of Export Agriculture Act, No. 46 of 1992 provides the legal provisions for regulating and promoting the export agriculture sector in this country.
Taking into consideration administrative changes and sectoral developments that have taken place over time, approval was granted at the Cabinet Meetings held on 2023-09-04 and 2025-08-11 to amend the said Act, which has not been updated for over 30 years.
The proposed amendments are intended to amend the designations of the Head of the Department of Export Agriculture and other officials, and to provide a clearer definition of the term “the export agricultural crop.”
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation to publish in the Government Gazette the Draft Export Agriculture Promotion (Amendment) Bill, prepared in all three languages by the Legal Draftsman to amend the Export Agriculture Promotion Act, No. 46 of 1992, and thereafter submit the same to Parliament for its concurrence
Latest News
Ms. M.K.D.N. Madampe, appointed as Director General of the Department of Management Services
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, to appoint Ms. M.K.D.N. Madampe, an officer of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service in the Special Grade who is currently serving as an Additional Director General of the Department of Management Services, to the post of Director General of the Department of Management Services with immediate effect.
Cabinet approves sale of Paddy stocks held by the Paddy Marketing Board
Amendment to the Promotion of Export Agriculture Act, No. 46 of 1992 to be gazatted
Ms. M.K.D.N. Madampe, appointed as Director General of the Department of Management Services
Cabinet approves collaboration agreement between Sri Lanka and Brazil for the implementation of the “Sugarcane Project in Sri Lanka”
Cabinet approval for Implementation of a Project for the Joint Exchange of Genetic Resources between Sri Lanka and Vietnam and the Development of High-Yielding and Salinity-resilient Rice Varieties.
Landslide Early Warnings issued to the Districts of Kalutara, Kegalle, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura extended till1600 hrs on Wednesday [27]
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