News
President: Those who run orphanages have to be trained
President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday called for a report on the education of children in orphanages and protection of their rights. He also asked officials to identify immediate needs of orphanages.The President said most people in charge of orphanages were not professionals and that there was a need to provide formal training to those in charge of these children’s homes to minimise problems in them.
The President said that there had to be better laws to protect children’s fundamental rights. He advised officials to discuss the creation of a new act to protect children with the Attorney General.The President said that a number of children found among the people who were arrested for illegally migrating to India had been detained. They have been separated from their parents. He said arrangements had to be made to return the children to their parents.
The President also said that some people were using children as shields in demonstrations and that this is a serious offence according to the law of the country, He advised the Sri Lanka Police to take immediate measures to prevent the use of children in protests.
The President highlighted the sub-section 13 of Article 27 of the Constitution, “The State shall promote with special care the interests of children and youth, so as to ensure their full development, physical, mental, moral, religious and social, and to protect them from exploitation and discrimination,” and emphasized that protecting children is the prime responsibility of a government.
Steps were also taken to assign the responsibilities of child protection to the Sri Lanka Police and related government institutions.President Wickremesinghe issued these instructions during a discussion held at the Presidential Secretariat on 12 October on the protection of children’s rights.
News
Cabinet nod to accept Japanese government grant of 08 used low floorboard buses
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development to accept 08 used low floorboard buses offered as a grant by the Government of Japan.
News
Payment of the financial subsidy for fertilizer to farmers cultivating paddy lands for the Yala season 2026.
While approval has been granted at the Cabinet meeting held on 18.08.2025 to pay the financial subsidy for fertilizer to farmers cultivating paddy lands for the Maha season 2025/26, the programme is planned to be continued for the Yala season 2026 as well.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation to pay a financial subsidy of Rupees 25,000/- per hectare and for a maximum of 02 hectares per farmer for paddy cultivation and to pay Rupees 15,000/- per hectare for field crops cultivated in paddy lands[maximum of 02 hectares per farmer]
News
Ministerial Committee appointed to submit recommendations on proposed program to mitigate loss of crops to wild animals
The rural agricultural livelihood and food security have been severely impacted due to the damage caused by wild animals such as elephants, wild boars, monkeys, toque macaque, squirrels, and peacocks roaming around human habitats and cultivated lands.
Animal-human conflicts and property destruction have mostly been reported around these areas, and serious social and economic issues have also arisen.
Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation has prepared a comprehensive program based on the opinions of all stakeholders, including the public, university community, farmers’ organizations, environmentalists, non-governmental organizations which work for environmental issues, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Agrarian Development, and other relevant organizations.
Taking into consideration the report submitted by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation, the Cabinet of Ministers has decided to appoint a ministerial committee with the participation of other relevant ministers, chaired by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation, to submit appropriate recommendations on how the aforementioned program should be implemented by further reviewing the proposals included in the said program and incorporating new proposals.
-
Features3 days agoBrilliant Navy officer no more
-
Opinion6 days agoJamming and re-setting the world: What is the role of Donald Trump?
-
Features6 days agoAn innocent bystander or a passive onlooker?
-
Features7 days agoRatmalana Airport: The Truth, The Whole Truth, And Nothing But The Truth
-
Opinion3 days agoSri Lanka – world’s worst facilities for cricket fans
-
Business7 days agoIRCSL transforms Sri Lanka’s insurance industry with first-ever Centralized Insurance Data Repository
-
Business6 days agoAn efficacious strategy to boost exports of Sri Lanka in medium term
-
Features4 days agoOverseas visits to drum up foreign assistance for Sri Lanka
