News
KOICA ICT Laboratory for students from vulnerable community in Matara Technical College area
The Republic of Korea through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), has initiated a small scale project to establish an ICT Laboratory at Matara for students in the vulnerable community of that area, to ensure affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education along with increasing the number of youth who have necessary ICT skills for employment and entrepreneurship, KOICA said in a media release.
It said: The ceremony was held with the participation of Country Director of the KOICA Sri Lanka office Mrs. KIM MYUNGJIN, Principal of the Matara Technical College S.J. Basnayake, KOICA Volunteer for Korean Language Kang Jung Hoon, Co-worker for KOICA Volunteer Program at Technical College Matara Ruwanmalee Jayaweera, along with beneficiaries, instructors and academic staff on 10th November 2023 at Matara.
The targeted beneficiaries of this project were students within the ICT stream at the Technical College and prospective students unable to participate in education due to a lack of educational equipment. In addition to this, the project is conducting special courses to enhance the digital literacy for people with disabilities and the elderly in Matara. In consideration of the common mandates on and interests in the Sustainable Development, Goal No. 4. Ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for both quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities.
The Principal of the Matara Technical College stated that “KOICA Sri Lanka and Technical College Matara have a fruitful relationship and projects of this scope are necessary for the upliftment of quality education and development. There are many students who do not have access to ICT equipment and KOICA’s assistance towards access to quality education is invaluable and greatly appreciated”. Korea’s various development assistance programs helped in many ways to develop the living condition of the citizens of Matara area and expressed his gratitude to KOICA and the people of the Republic of Korea.”
The Country Director of KOICA Sri Lanka office KIM MYUNGJIN expressed her best wishes to the beneficiary citizens of the Matara Technical College area and stated that Korea will continue its ODA programs towards Sri Lanka; which will further strengthen the relationship between the two countries.”
The KOICA, the grant aid division of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea is the Korean government agency for grant aids under the mission of “mutual development cooperation leaving no one behind.”
KOICA Sri Lanka Office has been implementing a variety of development projects and fellowship programmes since 1991 and currently supporting various grant projects including COVID-19 response projects to fight against COVID-19 in Sri Lanka in conjunction with the Sri Lankan Government, Korean NGOs, and International Organisations.
During an operation conducted in the dark hours of 01 Jan 26, the Sri Lanka Navy seized an Indian fishing boat and apprehended 11 Indian fishermen while they were poaching in Sri Lankan waters, off Kovilan of Kareinagar, Jaffna.
The Northern Naval Command spotted a group of Indian fishing boats engaging in illegal fishing, trespassing into Sri Lankan waters. In response, naval craft of the Northern Naval Command were deployed to drive away those Indian fishing boats from island waters off Kovilan.
Meanwhile, compliant boarding made by naval personnel resulted in the seizure of one Indian fishing boat and apprehension of 11 Indian fishermen who continued to engage in illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters.
The seized boat (01) and Indian fishermen (11) were handed over to the Fisheries Inspector of Myliddy, Jaffna for onward legal proceedings.
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Tri-Forces donate LKR. 372 million, a day’s pay of all ranks to ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund
Members of all ranks from the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy and Sri Lanka Air Force have collectively donated a day’s basic salary to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund, which was established to restore livelihoods and rebuild the country following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah.
Accordingly, the total contribution made by the Tri-Forces amounts to LKR. 372,776,918.28.
The cheques representing the financial contributions were handed over on Wednesday (31 December) at the Presidential Secretariat to the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.
The donations comprised LKR. 250 million from the Commander of the Army, Major General Lasantha Rodrigo; LKR. 73,963,879.71 from the Commander of the Navy, Rear Admiral Kanchana Banagoda and LKR. 48,813,038.97 from the Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Vasu Bandu Edirisinghe.
Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha, was also present on the occasion.
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has submitted a proposal to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) seeking an 11.57 percent increase in electricity tariffs for the first quarter of 2026, citing an estimated revenue shortfall and additional financial pressures, including cyclone-related damages.
According to documents issued by the PUCSL, the proposed tariff revision would apply to electricity consumption from January to March 2026 and includes changes to both energy charges and fixed monthly charges across all consumer categories, including domestic, religious, industrial, commercial and other users.
Under the proposal, domestic electricity consumers would face increases in unit rates as well as fixed monthly charges across all consumption blocks.
The CEB has estimated a deficit of Rs. 13,094 million for the first quarter of 2026, which it says necessitates the proposed 11.57 per cent tariff hike. The utility has noted that any deviation from this estimate whether a surplus or a shortfall will be adjusted through the Bulk Supply Tariff Adjustment (BSTA) mechanism and taken into account in the next tariff revision.
In its submission, the CEB said the proposed revision is aimed at ensuring the financial and operational stability of the power sector and mitigating potential risks to the reliability of electricity supply. The board-approved tariff structure for the first quarter of 2026 has been submitted to the PUCSL for approval and subsequent implementation, as outlined in Annex II of the proposal.
The CEB has also highlighted the financial impact of Cyclone Ditwah, which it said caused extensive damage to electricity infrastructure, with total losses estimated at around Rs. 20 billion. Of this amount, Rs. 7,016.52 million has been attributed to the first quarter of 2026, which the utility said has a direct bearing on electricity tariffs.
The CEB warned that if external funding is not secured to cover the cyclone-related expenditure, the costs incurred would need to be recovered through electricity tariffs in the second-quarter revision of 2026.
Meanwhile, the PUCSL has said that a decision on whether to approve the proposed tariff increase will be made only after following due regulatory procedures and holding discussions on the matter.
By Sujeewa Thathsara ✍️
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