News

President orders bureaucrats with decision-making powers to attend meetings without fail

Published

6 years ago

2021/02/22

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Saturday ordered officials with decision-making powers to attend District and Regional Development Committee meetings without fail.

Rajapaksa said this during a “Discussion with the Village” programme at the Nelumwewa Community Hall in the Paligama Grama Niladhari Division of the Karuwalagaswewa Divisional Secretariat, Puttalam District.

The President said he had realised that the lack of involvement of senior officials was the main reason for the delay in implementing useful projects and the delay of benefits to the people.

The people were suffering due to the endless tug of war among officials, respective institutions and the people’s representatives, the President said. The President reiterated the need for the responsible officials of all key institutions including wildlife, forest conservation, environment and road development to make collective decisions in the implementation of projects.

“Absence of proper land use planning is not the fault of the people. It is important that officials go to the grassroots to witness the real situation, before implementing projects that impact people for many years. Some people misinterpret policy decisions that were taken for the benefit of the people. I will never allow the real issues of the people to be swept under the carpet by using misinterpretations as an excuse,” he said.

The poorest and most off the grid villages were selected as the venue for the “Discussion with the Village” programme, the President said. The people living in those villages had been suffering from numerous unresolved issues for a long period of time. Those problems could not be solved by looking at them from an official’s or any other party’s perspective alone, he said.

“Therefore, the officials and the villagers can make the right decisions by meeting each other,” the President said addressing the gathering.

The “Discussion with the Village” programme commenced on September 25, 2020 from Badulla district. Thereafter programmes were organized covering Matale, Ratnapura, Anuradhapura, Ampara, Polonnaruwa, Kalutara, Moneragala, Kegalle and Kandy districts.

All News Advertisement

News

“Rathuwewi Mihimadala” Book Launched with the Participation of the Prime Minister

Published

2 hours ago

2026/08/30

Priyan

The book “Rathuwewi Mihimadala”, written based on the life story of Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Leader of the Democratic Left Front, was launched on Friday [August 28] at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo, with the participation of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.

Speaking to the media afterwards about Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated:

“Vasudeva Nanayakkara is a prominent figure in Sri Lankan politics, particularly within the left-wing political movement. There were several influential figures within the left movement, and that left-wing influence also contributed to bringing the country to where it is today. Politically, there were areas where we agreed and areas where we did not. However, I have great respect for the contribution made by Vasudeva Nanayakkara to left-wing politics. When I entered Parliament in 2020, Vasudeva Nanayakkara was also in Parliament. We sat in the same row, and we spoke about many important as well as interesting moments in his political career. I believe some of these experiences have also been included in this book.”

The event was attended by members of the Maha Sangha, Minister of Justice Harshana Nanayakkara, former President Maithripala Sirisena, former Speakers Karu Jayasuriya and Chamal Rajapaksa, as well as party members, family members and friends.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

Latest News

Sun directly overhead Mannar, Periyamadu, Puliyankulam, Welioya and Pulmoddai about 12.11 noon today (30)

Published

12 hours ago

2026/08/30

Priyan

The sun is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka from 28th of August to 07th of September due to its apparent southward relative motion.

The nearest places of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (30) are Mannar, Periyamadu, Puliyankulam, Welioya and
Pulmoddai about 12.11 noon.

News

Lanka tracks 11 US-sanctioned Iranian tankers off coast

Published

14 hours ago

2026/08/30

Thilina Walpola

(AFP) Sri Lanka’s maritime authorities were monitoring a fleet of 11 US-sanctioned Iranian oil tankers just off the island’s southern coast, the foreign minister said Wednesday.

The tankers were spotted close to the Galle harbour where an Iranian frigate, IRIS Dena, was sunk by a US submarine in March, killing 104 sailors. Sri Lanka’s navy rescued 32 Iranian sailors from that frigate.

Iranian vessels have been in limbo, unable to return to their home port because of a US blockade.

Sri Lanka’s Foreign minister Vijitha Herath said the tankers were in international waters where they had freedom of navigation.

“These ships are away from our territorial waters… we have no hold on them, nor have we facilitated them,” Herath told AFP.

The military deployed reconnaissance aircraft and patrol boats to monitor the vessels outside Sri Lanka’s 12-nautical-mile territorial waters, a military official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

“There is no indication of any ship-to-ship transfer of oil or illegal discharge of pollutants, so there is no basis for Sri Lankan authorities to take action against them,” the official said.

Many Iranian merchant vessels moved east towards the Strait of Malacca and Singapore due to US sanctions, while several remained near Sri Lankan waters, authorities said.

Sri Lankan officials said Washington had not formally notified Colombo about sanctioned Iranian-flagged vessels