News
Govt. loses Rs13 Mn as private firm deletes critical medicine data
A recent audit has revealed that the government suffered a loss of Rs. 13 million after a private company allegedly deleted critical data from the National Medicines Regulatory Authority’s automated system.
The five-year contract, valued at Rs. 29 million, was awarded to the company to digitize the Authority’s data. However, after nearly Rs. 12 million had been paid, key information reportedly vanished from the system, leaving it irrecoverable, the audit notes.
A special committee appointed to investigate confirmed that the lost data could not be retrieved. The report also criticizes the authorities for failing to recover the financial loss or take any action against the company, even five years after the incident.
Health professional associations have condemned the slow pace of investigations, accusing the Ministry of Health of inaction and failing to hold anyone accountable for the data fraud.
by Sujeewa Thathsara ✍️
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
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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.
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Cabinet approves sale of Paddy stocks held by the Paddy Marketing Board
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