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High Commissioner Moragoda pays farewell call on Indian Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari
High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India Milinda Moragoda paid the farewell call on Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India Shri Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi.At the outset, High Commissioner Moragoda thanked the Indian Road Transport and Highways Minster for the cooperation that the latter extended to him during his tenure in New Delhi.
He also apprised the Minister of the references to connectivity, particularly those that are on road connectivity, in the Indo-Lanka joint document “Promoting Connectivity, Catalysing Prosperity: India-Sri Lanka Economic Partnership Vision”, which was issued following bilateral talks between the President of Sri Lanka and the Prime Minister of India in July. The High Commissioner and the Minister discussed ways and means through which the connectivity goals stipulated in the joint Vision document could be materialized.
The discussion also focussed on the cooperation in promoting alternatives to fossil fuels such as electricity and bio-fuels in the transport sector. These alternatives were seen as highly cost-effective and environment friendly, suitable to a country like Sri Lanka. The Minister spoke on the Indian experience in alternative fuels and expressed his willingness to share the relevant expertise with Sri Lanka.
High Commissioner Moragoda invited Minister Gadkari to visit Sri Lanka at a mutually convenient time, which the Minister accepted.
High Commissioner Moragoda also presented to Minister Gadkari a stone obtained from the stream flowing besides the Seetha Amman Temple in Seetha Eliya (Ashoka Vatika) in Sri Lanka, which is believed to be the site where Seetha was held captive according to the Ramayana.
Hailing from the State of Maharashtra, Shri Nitin Gadkari is the longest serving Minister for Road Transport and Highways of India currently running his tenure for over eight years since 2014. He also served as the President of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) from 2009 to 2013. Previously, he has held the ministerial portfolios of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises; Shipping; Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation; and Rural Development & Panchayati Raj. He has authored several books as well.
Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers has been granted at their meeting held on 19.05.2025 in order to introduce amendments to the Inland Revenue Act No. 24 of 2017 including the proposed tax revisions to enhance the tax structure paving way for state financial integrity based on revenue.
Accordingly, the revised draft bill has been prepared by the legal draftsman and clearance of the Attorney General has been received.
Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval for
the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Policy Planning and Economic Development to publish the aforementioned draft bill in the government gazette notification and subsequently, forward the same to the Parliament for its concurrence.
The National Mineral Policy was prepared for the first time in the year 1999, and the aforementioned policy has been amended in 2023 to cover matters such as preparing an updated data system related to mineral resources, adding value to the export of minerals, encouraging mineral-related industrialists, extracting mineral resources and managing the environment sustainably, and resolving the issues related to the ownership of the land arising in extracting mineral resources.
The revised National Mineral Policy has been reupdated in line with the manifesto “A Sustainable Resource Utilization – Generation of the Highest Benefit” under the policy statement of the current government” A Thriving Nation – A Beautiful Life.”
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution presented by the Minister of Industries and
Entrepreneurship to implement the so-formulated “National Mineral Policy—2026.”
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