News
President wants everyone over 30 in WP vaccinated by 30 July
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday instructed the Special Committee on Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak to allocate 200,000 out of the two million Sinopharm vaccine doses to be received tomorrow (11) for the Colombo District, 500,000 for Gampaha and 300,000 for Kalutara to vaccinate all persons over the age of 30 in the Western Province before 30 July.
About 100,000 vaccines, each, have been allocated for Galle, Matara, Hambantota, Anuradhapura, Nuwara Eliya, Ratnapura, Badulla and Matale Districts and 200,000 vaccines have been allocated for the Kurunegala District.
Moreover, 1.47 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine would arrive in Sri Lanka within the next two weeks, the President said. Out of them, 600,000 doses would be allocated to the Colombo District for the people who have received the first dose. The balance should be given as the first and second doses for the people in the Kegalle District.
Plans have been made to administer the Pfizer vaccine to the people in Mannar and Vavuniya Districts while the Moderna vaccine which is to be received will be used in the Kandy District.
President Rajapaksa also instructed that steps be taken to encourage the resumption of economic activities as a significant number of people have been vaccinated. The President added that there was a need to brief the foreign diplomatic missions in Sri Lanka on the local vaccination drive and the current situation in the country.
Ministers Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Bandula Gunawardana, Keheliya Rambukwella, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Prasanna Ranatunga, Namal Rajapaksa, State Ministers Sudarshini Fernandopulle, Channa Jayasumana, Sisira Jayakody, MP Madhura Withanage, Senior Advisor to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to Health Ministry Major General (rtd.) Sanjeewa Munasinghe, Commanders of the three Armed Forces, the Inspector-General of Police and the Heads of health sector were also present at the meeting.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) relating to the project to provide technological solutions to prevent wild elephants from being hit by trains was signed yesterday (01) afternoon at the President’s Media Centre, under the patronage of Secretary to the President Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.
Coordinated through the “Clean Sri Lanka” programme, the project is being implemented as a public-private partnership, with the Railway Department, the Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Forest Conservation Department working together, with full financial support from People’s Bank.
The system consists of three-beam detection, passive infrared (PIR) sensors, automatic temperature sensors and a tamper alarm system to detect animals weighing more than 20 kilogrammes and unauthorised interference. Signal lights (red/yellow/green) installed on either side of the railway tracks, together with a special screen installed inside the locomotive cab, will alert the driver in advance to the exact location of an elephant.
A demonstration test of the system was successfully conducted at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage premises in the presence of the relevant officials, following which a report on the system was prepared.
The system will be implemented as a pilot project from next month at 13 locations where wild elephant accidents are frequent. A newly developed website is also scheduled to be launched to enable the progress of the project to be viewed live.
Additional General Manager of Railways P.D.S.B. Chandrasena, Director General of Wildlife Conservation M.S.L.R.P. Marasinghe, Conservator General of Forests S.C. Palamakuumbura and Chairman of People’s Bank Chandana Guniyangoda signed the relevant MoU. Officials from the Clean Sri Lanka Secretariat, including Presidential Additional Secretary (Clean Sri Lanka) Engineer S.P.C. Sugeeshwara, as well as senior officials from the Railway Department, Department of Wildlife Conservation, Forest Conservation Department and People’s Bank, were also present.
[President’s Media Division]
The Commissioner General of Examinations has announced that the results of the 2026 Grade 5 Scholarship Examination have been released online, and can be viewed on the department’s official website: www.doenets.lk
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya departed Sri Lanka on Monday, 31 August, to undertake an official visit to Bhutan to participate in the Global Conscious Food Systems Summit, scheduled to be held in Bhutan.
During her visit, Prime Minister Dr Amarasuriya participated in the opening plenary of the Summit on 1 September, where she delivered a keynote address under the theme “Rising to the Moment: Igniting Consciousness to Address the Polycrisis.”
The Prime Minister will also engage in discussions with international leaders and representatives on strengthening cooperation towards sustainable food systems, food security and resilient communities.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
MoU signed for technology to prevent wild elephant-train collisions
Grade 5 scholarship exam results released
Prime Minister participates in Global Conscious Food Systems Summit in Bhutan
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