A meeting between President Anura Kumara Disanayake and officials of the Excise Department was held on Tuesday (11) at the Presidential Secretariat.

The discussion focused on addressing the current challenges faced by the Excise Department and achieving this year’s revenue targets.

A key point of the discussion was the integration of the department’s operations with the Inland Revenue Department to enhance efficiency and fairness in tax collection.

Attention was drawn to the efficient and effective regulation of alcohol and other approved intoxicants within the country to support economic growth. This includes increasing state revenue through proper regulation of the alcohol and tobacco industries, facilitating legal revenue generation, enforcing compliance with laws and regulations, implementing strong awareness programs against illegal alcohol, hazardous drugs, and psychoactive substances, preventing health risks associated with unregulated alcohol consumption, and ensuring public safety.

Discussions were held on revenue collection and protection through an effective decision-making and management mechanism in strategic and operational activities.

The necessity of formulating a human resource and technological development plan to enhance the efficiency of the Excise Department was also discussed.

The meeting was attended by Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardana, Commissioner General of Excise Udaya Kumara Perera, and a group of Excise Department officials.

[PMD]

By Saman Indrajith

Leader of the House and Transport Minister Bimal Ratanayake has acknowledged that those whose land had been taken over by the government for the Ruwanpura Expressway project were still paying rates.

Minister Ratnayake told parliament on Monday (10) that the MPS should help the Divisional Secretariats and Pradeshiya Sabhas to address the issue at hand.

The Minister said so when Colombo District NPP MP Aruna Panagoda asked why people had to pay rates for lands earmarked for acquisition by the state.

The Minister said that the government intended to compensate everyone by the end of this year.

Panagoda said that for the past decade, landowners, whose properties had been earmarked for takeover for the construction of the expressway, had been required to pay rates.

Matara Chief Magistrate Aruna Indrajith Buddhasasa yesterday (11) issued an open arrest warrant on IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon following the representations made by the CID regarding the Weligama hotel shooting case on 31 Dec., 2023.

The order was issued in the wake of counsel for Deshabandu Tennakoon moving the Appeals Court to prevent his arrest as ordered by Matara Magistrate on 28 February. The Court has declared that a petition filed on behalf of IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon to prevent his arrest would be considered today (12).

Meanwhile, Cabinet spokesman and Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa yesterday told the post-Cabinet media briefing that Deshabandu Tennakoon would be arrested soon.

Asked whether the residence of former Public Security Minister Tiran Alles had been searched by police, Dr. Jayatissa said that he was not aware of any such thing and it was normal for the police to conduct searches.

Responding to another question, the Cabinet spokesman denied plans to interdict Deshbandu Tennakoon.