Business
Bairaha recognized for reaching visually disabled with braille chicken recipe book
Bairaha Farms PLC, the pioneer chicken processor in Sri Lanka for over four decades, shone bright at the FMCG Asia Awards, being honored as the winner of the Environmental Social Governance Initiative of the Year in Sri Lanka for 2021, a company news release said.
“For the first time in Sri Lanka, a recipe book of chicken recipes written in braille was launched to help the blind people in the country enjoy a zest for reading and cooking in a format they can understand,” it said. “Through promoting the book and its mission to reach the blind, the company achieved great results during this campaign. Their social media pages also gained considerable attention from the local market.”
The release explained, apart from being the first braille recipe book launched in the country, it boasts of being able to promote the joys of cooking in a more inclusive way. This initiative was a success since its launch in Sri Lanka.
Bairaha Farms PLC also went the extra mile by donating braille books to all 18 schools for the blind across the country.
Due to the pandemic, it was not able to personally deliver the books. Instead, it was sent via courier in branded gift-wrapped boxes with notes written in braille.
The project focused on how to ensure that the entire country’s population enjoyed the benefit of making tasty meals with its products—and that included people who cannot see.
For this remarkable effort, Bairaha Farms PLC received the ESG Initiative of the Year – Sri Lanka award in the recently concluded FMCG Asia Awards hosted by Retail Asia.
The awards programme celebrates the most outstanding companies in Asia Pacific’s FMCG industry that have shown exemplary performance with their innovative products and initiatives.
The first highlighted achievement noted by the judging panel was that a total of 96,000 people were reached by the social media campaign. In addition, it was able to tally a total of 97,000 video views during the campaign and attained 53,842 post clicks from its social media sites.
“Lastly, the company sealed the award by being able to reach 0.5% of the total population of Sri Lanka,” the release concluded.
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka today (07) presented its flagship publication, the Annual Economic Review for 2024 (AER 2024), to President and Minister of Finance, Anura Kumara Disanayake, highlighting the steady progress of Sri Lanka’s economic recovery following the country’s most severe downturn in recent history.
The report was officially handed over by Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of the Central Bank, during a special ceremony held at the Presidential Secretariat.
AER 2024 comprises four main chapters: Macroeconomic Developments, Conditions of the Financial System, Review of Central Bank’s Policies and Macroeconomic Outlook.
According to the Review, the Sri Lankan economy showed significant signs of recovery in 2024, following the deep economic crisis experienced two years ago. The recovery trajectory, though challenging, has been notably faster than that of many other debt-distressed countries.
Improvements in economic activity, a partial resurgence in purchasing power and reduced uncertainty are among the key positive indicators noted in the report.
The event was attended by Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the President, K. M. Mahinda Siriwardena, Secretary to the Treasury, Mrs. K. M. A. N. Daulagala, Senior Deputy Governor, Dr. C. Amarasekara, Assistant Governor, Dr. (Mrs.) S. Jegajeevan, Director of Economic Research and Dr. L. R. C. Pathberiya and Additional Director of Economic Research at the Central Bank Dr. V. D. Wickramarachchi.
[PMD]
Business
IceWarp expands into Sri Lanka, fostering European innovation in collaboration with FentonsIT
IceWarp, a global leader in business communication solutions, has officially launched its cutting-edge platform in Sri Lanka, bringing European expertise in email and collaboration solutions to support the country’s evolving business landscape.
This expansion is driven by a strategic partnership with Fentons Information Technology (FIT), the Information Technology arm of Hayleys Fentons Limited.
The grand launch event held at The Kingsbury Colombo on 4th April, 2025, was graced by several distinguished guests, including Chief Guest Mohan Pandithage, Chairman and Chief Executive of Hayleys PLC.
The presence of Adam Paclt, Global CEO of IceWarp, and Pramod Sharda, CEO for India and the Middle East of IceWarp, along with their global team, highlighted the significance of this expansion. Industry experts, government officials, corporate leaders, and CIOs from the banking, financial services and insurance sectors were in attendance as well, reflecting strong local interest in IceWarp’s European expertise.
With this launch, Sri Lankan businesses now have access to an affordable, scalable and secure alternative to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. IceWarp’s advanced Collaboration Suite integrates a wide range of tools into a single, unified platform designed to streamline communication and boost productivity. Offering flexible hybrid deployment options and cost-efficient solution, IceWarp enables organisations to optimise their operations without compromising security or functionality.
Ceylon Energy and HJT China have successfully completed the Mahiyangana-Kappalthurei 33kV power distribution lines and the Uhana Gantry as part of Sri Lanka’s Supporting Electricity Supply Reliability Improvement Project (SESRIP). Funded by the Asian Development Bank ($42 million), SESRIP aims to expand energy access in underserved regions, including conflict-affected areas and provinces like Uva and North Central.
The project’s infrastructure spans over 270 km of 33kV lines, 13 switching gantries, and 2,372 km of low-voltage extensions.
The projects connect 35,000+ households and improve reliability for 493,000+ consumers; integrates renewables to reduce losses.
The projects’ notable components include: Mahiyangana-Bibila Line: 36 km with 147 steel towers and Kappalthurei-Sixth Mile Post Line: 14 km with 58 towers.
Ceylon Energy Chairman Madushanka Fernando hailed it as a ‘new beginning of a brighter era’, emphasising the project’s role in uplifting rural communities and driving sustainable development.
The initiative underscores Sri Lanka’s commitment to inclusive, reliable energy and climate resilience.
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