News
President directs District Secretaries & District Development Committee Chairpersons to provide relief without financial constraints
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake instructed District Secretaries to proceed with rescue and relief operations for affected communities without allowing financial constraints to hinder their work. The President emphasized that Rs. 1.2 billion has already been allocated for disaster relief activities and a further Rs. 30 billion has been set aside in the 2025 Budget for emergency needs. Accordingly, the President advised officials to carry out all necessary rescue and relief measures promptly, without hesitation over funding availability.
The President conveyed these directives during a special virtual meeting held on Friday (28) morning via Zoom with District Secretaries and Chairpersons of District Coordination Committees.
President Dissanayake further instructed District and Divisional Secretaries to utilize the funds currently available to them for immediate rescue and relief operations and to request additional funds if further financial support is required.
To avoid administrative delays caused by circular restrictions, the President directed the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration to issue a new circular immediately. He also instructed that the management of relief centres accommodating displaced families be handed over to the Sri Lanka Army.
The President requested District Secretaries to report urgently on requirements such as boats, helicopters, vehicles and other equipment needed for rescue operations. He announced that a dedicated Coordination Unit would be established at the Defence Headquarters to support these efforts, along with the introduction of ten special hotline numbers for communication during emergencies.
President Dissanayake also instructed District Secretaries to document the damage caused to infrastructure by floods, landslides and falling trees and to submit these reports to the Ministry of Public Administration. The President added that once the disaster situation stabilizes, necessary restoration work will commence using the tri-forces based on these reports.
The meeting was attended by Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Defence Ministry Secretary Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha, Treasury Secretary Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government S. Aloka Bandara, Secretary of the Ministry of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs D.W.R.B. Seneviratne, Director General of Irrigation Eng. Ajith Gunasekara, Director General of the Department of Meteorology Athula Karunanayake, the Commanders of the Tri-Forces, the Inspector General of Police and senior officials of the defence and disaster management agencies.
The Colombo Stock Exchange (GL 12) has contributed LKR 25 million to the Rebuilding Sri Lanka Fund.
The cheque was handed over to the Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake by the Chairman of the Colombo Stock Exchange, Dimuthu Abeyesekera, the Chief Executive Officer Rajeeva Bandaranaike and Senior Vice Chairman Kusal Nissanka at the Presidential Secretariat.
News
Karu argues against scrapping MPs’ pension as many less fortunate members entered Parliament after ’56
Former Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya has written to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressing concerns over the proposed abolition of MPs’ pensions.The letter was sent in his capacity as Patron of the Former Parliamentarians’ Caucus.
In his letter, Jayasuriya noted that at the time of Sri Lanka’s independence, political participation was largely limited to an educated, affluent land-owning elite. However, he said a significant social transformation took place after 1956, enabling ordinary citizens to enter politics.
He warned that under current conditions, removing parliamentary pensions would effectively confine politics to the wealthy, business interests, individuals engaged in illicit income-generating activities, and well-funded political parties. Such a move, he said, would discourage honest social workers and individuals of modest means from entering public life.
Jayasuriya also pointed out that while a small number of former MPs, including himself, use their pensions for social and charitable purposes, the majority rely on the pension as a primary source of income.
He urged the President to give due consideration to the matter and take appropriate action, particularly as the government prepares to draft a new constitution.The Bill seeking to abolish pensions for Members of Parliament was presented to Parliament on 07 January by Minister of Justice and National Integration Dr. Harshana Nanayakkara.
Five suspects, including former Minister Johnston Fernando and his two sons, who were arrested by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID), were further remanded until 30 January by the Wattala Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
The former Minister’s , sons Johan Fernando and Jerome Kenneth Fernando, and two others, were arrested in connection with the alleged misuse of a Sathosa vehicle during Fernando’s tenure as Minister.
Investigations are currently underway into the alleged misuse of state property, including a lorry belonging to Lanka Sathosa, which reportedly caused a significant financial loss to the state.
In connection with the same incident, Indika Ratnamalala, who served as the Transport Manager of Sathosa during
Fernando’s tenure as Minister of Co-operatives and Internal Trade, was arrested on 04 January.
After being produced before the Wattala Magistrate’s Court, he was ordered to be remanded in custody until 09 January.The former Sathosa Transport Manager was remanded on charges of falsifying documents.
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