News
SJB confident its members won’t join UNP
By Shamindra Ferdinando
The SJB says it is confident that none of its members will join the UNP at its 76th annual convention to be held on 10 Sep., at the Lake House vehicle park.
Gampaha District MP Harshana Rajakaruna said so in response to the UNP’s claim that some SJB MPs would switch their allegiance to President Ranil Wickremesinghe soon.
“The truth is only Harin Fernando and Manusha Nanayakkara accepted the UNP leader’s invitation. That was well over a year ago, soon after Wickremesinghe accepted the premiership from the then President Gotabaya Rajapakasa. Diana Gamage switched her allegiance to the Rajapaksas soon after the last parliamentary election in Aug. 2020,” MP Rajakaruna said.
Responding to another query, the MP said that the UNP was engaged in a futile propaganda exercise. “The reality is the UNP has been reduced to just one National List MP. At the previous Parliament we had 106 elected on the UNP ticket,” the former UNP MP said, adding that by joining the Rajapaksas, Wickremesinghe has committed an irrevocable blunder.
The SJB secured 54 seats, including seven National List slots, at the last general election. The UNP feared the electorate, MP Rajakaruna said, pointing out that the once great party was not in a position to contest Local Government polls. Regardless of bombastic declarations made by the President and former MPs with him, the party lacked a grassroots level mechanism to organize supporters.
Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers has been granted at their meeting held on 19.05.2025 in order to introduce amendments to the Inland Revenue Act No. 24 of 2017 including the proposed tax revisions to enhance the tax structure paving way for state financial integrity based on revenue.
Accordingly, the revised draft bill has been prepared by the legal draftsman and clearance of the Attorney General has been received.
Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval for
the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Policy Planning and Economic Development to publish the aforementioned draft bill in the government gazette notification and subsequently, forward the same to the Parliament for its concurrence.
The National Mineral Policy was prepared for the first time in the year 1999, and the aforementioned policy has been amended in 2023 to cover matters such as preparing an updated data system related to mineral resources, adding value to the export of minerals, encouraging mineral-related industrialists, extracting mineral resources and managing the environment sustainably, and resolving the issues related to the ownership of the land arising in extracting mineral resources.
The revised National Mineral Policy has been reupdated in line with the manifesto “A Sustainable Resource Utilization – Generation of the Highest Benefit” under the policy statement of the current government” A Thriving Nation – A Beautiful Life.”
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution presented by the Minister of Industries and
Entrepreneurship to implement the so-formulated “National Mineral Policy—2026.”
The Gampaha High Court has sentenced Twelve (12) individuals to death over the 2022 murder of former Polonnaruwa District Member of Parliament Amarakeerthi Athukorala and his security officer.
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Amendment of the Inland Revenue Act No. 24 of 2017
Cabinet nod for “National Mineral Policy” – 2026
Twelve sentenced to death by Gampaha High Court
Ten new buses with facilities for people with special needs
Ghosts of 2016 writ large as England, West Indies meet again
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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