News
Sri Lanka donates ten more corneas to restore sight of victims of IED blasts in Pakistan
Sri Lanka High Commissioner in Pakistan Admiral (retd.) Ravi Wijegunaratne recently donated ten more eye corneas to Brigadier (Dr.) Waquar, the Director of Pakistan Military Eye Hospital, Rawalpindi recently (12th July 2024).
These eye corneas were gifted by deceased persons in Sri Lanka with noble intentions of restoring sight of needy persons. This donation marks 26,215th eye corneas gifted by Sri Lankan people to people of Pakistan.
These corneas will be transplanted on gallant Pakistan Army personnel who lost their sight due to terrorist activities, especially due to Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) explosions on a priority basis and others to retired Pakistan Military personnel and also to their family members.
High Commissioner Wijegunaratne indicated that he is extremely happy and proud that Lankan people could help Pakistan people and specially Pakistan Military.
He said: “Pakistan gave us unconditional support both in Military hardware and training to fight against LTTE terrorists in Sri Lanka. Pakistan support in critical times of our recent history helped us to eradicate the terrorist menace in the country. This is a small gesture by Sri Lankan people to say THANK YOU to Pakistan people in general and Pakistan Military in particular”.
High Commissioner was accompanied by Brigadier Kaminda Silva, the Defence Advisor of the Sri Lanka High Commission in Islamabad and later they witnessed Pakistan Military Eye Specialist transplanting eye corneas to patients at state-of- the- art Operation theaters at Military Eye Hospital, Rawalpindi.
The coordination and funding for transferring these ten eye corneas by air was undertaken by President of Sri Lanka-Pakistan Friendship Society Idris Admani with the liaison of the Eye Donation Society of Sri Lanka.
News
Report on the Final Budgetary Condition (Annual Report) – 2025 submited to parliament
As per the provisions of section 51 of the Public Finance Managaement Act No. 44 of 2024, the public should be issued with a report on the final budgetary situation for each year and, the report is then published in the official website of the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.
Thereby the report has to be submitted to the Parliament. The final budgetary situation report (Annual Report) – 2025 has been prepared by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and published. The report contains the Public Finance Policy, strategies and challenges, economic trends in 2025, macro – economic and socio – economic indicators covering all sectors of the economy as well as description on the global economic growth.
Furthermore, it accompanies a detailed description government revenue and expenditure, cash flow management, financing the budget deficit and the loan structure.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to submit the Report on the Final Budgetary Condition (Annual Report) – 2025 to Parliament.
Business
Cabinet nod to accept increased Loan Grant provided by the Asian Development Bank under Policy Based Loan Facilities – 2026
Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was granted at their meeting held on 16.03.2026 to obtain United States Dollars 380 million from the policy – based loan facilities of the Asian Development Bank in the year 2026.
United States Dollars 100 million out of it is allocated for Trade, Investment and Industries Development Programme – Sub Programme 1. However, amidst the economic uncertainty resulting from the current Middle East crisis and the climatic tragedies, the Asian Development Bank has agreed to assist
by increasing a supplementary financing package of United States Dollars 100 million so that it will beMincreased up to United States Dollars 200 million.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to take further measures to obtain the said loan grant.
News
Submission of Revenue Protection Order Prepared under the Provisions of the Revenue Protection Act No. 19 of 1962 to the Parliament for its approval.
Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was given at the meeting held on 23.02.2026 to impose the custom import duty amounts under four (04) categories as 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30% which had been executed only under three (03) categories in order to increase the target export income of the country, to execute the
recommendations of the national customs duty policies committee, and to implement new national sub division customs codes for promoting the local agricultural and industrial sector.
Imposing provisions in relation to the above, the Revenue Protection Order – No. 01/2026 under the Revenue Protection Act No. 19 of 1962 has been published in the extraordinary gazette notification No. 2478/03 of 03.03.2026.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to submit the said revenue protection order to Parliament for its concurrence.
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