News
Govt. to hear out CEB unions before embarking on urgently needed reforms
By Ifham Nizam
The Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers’ Union (CEBEU) and other CEB trade unions would be given an opportunity to make representations once the Reform Office was set up shortly, a senior engineer said yesterday.
Responding to queries, CEBEU Vice President Dhanushka Parakramasinghe told The Island that the Restructuring of the CEB by the ‘Reform Office’ would take place once necessary laws were made, and unions would be part and parcel of it.
Parakramasinghe said that the unions had met Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera on Sunday.
While agreeing to four of the five demands of the CEBEU, Minister Wijesekera stated that when it came to tax reforms, it was beyond his control, but he requested the unions to continue power supply today –March 14- without any interruptions due to the planned protest campaign.
The CEB unions are against the increase in personal income tax.
The government has raised taxes up to a maximum of 36%.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe has, in his capacity as the finance minister, raised corporate taxes to 30 percent from 24 from this year, after almost doubling the value added tax (VAT) last year.
The higher taxes come as the inflation is hovering around 57 percent while borrowing cost is running around 30 percent.
In addition, the collective agreement with the CEB trade unions, electricity tariffs, the government’s tax policy, and other related matters were taken up for discussion during the meeting.
The progress of the CEB restructuring programme was reviewed last Friday.
Assistance will be obtained for financial audits, human resource audits, assets audits and legal expertise under the assistance offered by donor banks / agencies.
Roadmap and timeline will be submitted to the Cabinet on the process, Minister Wijesekera said, adding that the reforms that can be implemented before the final Act, will be initiated next week.
As part of the reforms, the existing collective agreements will be terminated and new policy decisions related to management of CEB accounts to reduce cost taken, the minister said.
The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sahyadri which arrived at the Port of Colombo on a formal visit on 04 Apr 25, departed the island today (07 Apr). The Sri Lanka Navy bade customary farewell to the departing ship at the Port of Colombo, following naval traditions.
During the ship’s stay in Colombo, crew members of INS Sahyadri took part in several programmes organized by the Sri Lanka Navy, aimed at enhancing mutual cooperation. In addition, they also explored some tourist attractions in the country. Further, personnel of Sri Lanka Navy had the opportunity to visit INS Sahyadri, gaining insights into her operational capabilities.
Latest News
Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
The Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre has issued an Advisory for Severe Lightning for the Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district.
The advisory issued at 02.00 p.m. today [07 April 2025] is valid for the period until 11.00 p.m. 07 April 2025
The public are warned that thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambantota district. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.
ACTION REQUIRED:
The Department of Meteorology advises that people should:
Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
• Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.
The report of the “Census of Population and Housing 2024,” conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics, was officially handed over to President Anura Kumara Disanayake this morning (07) at the Presidential Secretariat.
This preliminary report has been prepared based on island wide data collected between October and December 2024.
The report provides details on Sri Lanka’s population, its growth and the distribution of the population across districts.
The information gathered through the census is vital not only for the government but also for other institutions in formulating policies and development plans essential for the country’s progress. Significantly, for the first time in the history of census-collecting in Sri Lanka, data collection was carried out using tablet computers and user-friendly mobile devices.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning, Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardana, Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics D.D.G.A. Senevirathne and several other officials.
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Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
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