News
Tea Board has spent Rs 4.6 billion on advertising campaign, but no results
The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE), on Tuesday (19), instructed the Sri Lanka Tea Board to submit a report within three months detailing the outcomes of all the money they spend on promoting tea.
Chairman of COPE, Prof. Ranjith Bandara made this directive when it was revealed that the Tea Board had spent about Rs 4.6 billion on an advertising campaign which had yielded no results.
It was also revealed that the Tea Board was operating without filling four key vacancies.
Chairman of the Board Niraj de Mel said that they were not able to recruit new people due to the recent economic crisis.
However, COPE Chairman pointed out that it was in 2016 that the Cabinet of Ministers authorized the recruitment of a Deputy Director General – Marketing. Prof. Bandara: “This was before the crisis. There is a vacancy for the post of Director HR & Administration.”
Assistant Director, HR & Administration Sajini de Silva: “The board of directors decided that there was no need to hire anyone for the post. We have informed this to COPE in 2018. We didn’t ask for this post, it was the Cabinet of Ministers that decided to create this post.
Ranjith Bandara – “So you didn’t recruit?”
Sajini de Silva- “We decided not to.”
MP Anura Priyadharshana Yapa – “So you have ignored a decision by the Cabinet. How can you decide to ignore Cabinet directives?”
Sajini de Silva: “The former Chairman informed this to COPE in 2018.”
Anura Priyadharshana Yapa – “Don’t tell this to COPE. Tell this to the Cabinet of Ministers.”
MP S.M. Marikkar: “You say there is no need for this post but the Tea Board has decided to carry out an advertising campaign amounting to 4.6 billion rupees. A lot of advance payments had been made. But not a single advert has been aired or published.”
Tea Board Director Promotion Pavithri Peiris: “We have spent 1.4 million US Dollars on the campaign for creative content.”
Prof. Bandara: “Mr. Chairman, we have spent billions but we have not been able to capture the market. We will give you three months. Within this time, we want you to give us a report on what are the outcomes of all the money you spent.”
A discussion with the Catholic Council was held on Thursday (21) afternoon at the Presidential Secretariat under the co-chairmanship of Minister of Science and Technology, Chrishantha Abeysena and Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.
Discussions focused on administrative issues relating to Catholic schools taken over by the Government, the formulation of a structured teacher cadre system for Catholic religious education, the need to recruit Catholic nuns and priests into the teaching profession and the establishment of a mechanism to obtain the support of the Ministry of Education for the administration of Government-acquired Catholic schools.
It was also decided that discussions with the Catholic Council would be held three times annually, while Senior Additional Secretary to the President Roshan Gamage would serve as Secretary to the forum.
Expressing appreciation on behalf of the Catholic Council, His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith thanked President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the Government for facilitating the discussion.
His Eminence further stated that the expectation was to ensure every student, without discrimination, is given the opportunity to learn his or her own religion and stressed the importance of resolving the prevailing issues within the education sector.
Also present at the occasion were Most Rev. Bishop Harold Anthony Perera, Most Rev. Bishop Christy Noel Emmanuel, Most Rev. Bishop Anton Ranjith, Most Rev. Bishop Wimal Siri Jayasuriya, other clergy representing the Catholic Council, Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Nalaka Kaluwewa and senior officials of the Ministry of Education.
(PMD)
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has decided to broaden the Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy, which was launched last year. Unlike the inaugural edition held in November 2025 that featured eight Associate teams, the second edition will comprise 10 teams, including five Test-playing nations. The tournament is scheduled to be held in November this year.
Italian Navy’s ITS GIOVANNI DELLE BANDE NERE, which arrived in Colombo (21 May 2026) on a replenishment visit, departed the island today (22 May).
The Sri Lanka Navy bade a customary farewell to the departing ship in compliance with naval traditions at the port of Colombo.
During her brief stay in Colombo, the Commanding Officer of the ship, Commander Antonio BUFIS called on the Commander Western Naval Area at the Western Naval Command Headquarters.
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Italian Navy’s ITS GIOVANNI DELLE BANDE NERE departs following replenishment visit
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Landslide early warnings issued to the Districts of Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Kegalle, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura
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