Connect with us

News

CEB to submit proposal for lowering power tariffs soon

Published

on

Wijesekera

By Rathindra Kuruwita and Ifham Nizam

Minister of Power and Energy, Kanchana Wijesekera said yesterday (03) that the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) would submit to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) a proposal to reduce electricity tariffs soon. Hydrop power generation has increased during the past several months. The cost of a unit of hydropower is only three rupees.

Minister Wijesekera said that he would also present the proposal to reform the CEB to Parliament soon.

The Minister said he had instructed the CEB management to suspend and take appropriate disciplinary action against any employee that disrupts the services or acts in violation of the guidelines issued by the CEB management.

The proposed reforms would be presented to Parliament with amendments for approval shortly, the Minister said.

The minister said the reforms were aimed at streamlining operations, optimising resource allocation, and enhancing the CEB’s overall performance.

The Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers Union (CEBEU), however, has said that reforms should be transparent.

CEBEU has already pointed out to the authorities that despite the ambitious timeline of the government, the reform committee and the Ministry of Power have not adopted an open and transparent approach or had any consultation with the employees of the CEB.

The union said that CEB employees were the main stakeholders in the restructuring process. “It would be unfair to identify previous meetings trade unions had with the Minister as proper “Stakeholder Consultations” as trade unions didn’t have a proper understanding of the Ministry’s plans for reforms. The draft Bill was not shared with any party until publication on December 08, 2023,” a Senior Electrical Engineer said.



Latest News

President and representatives of IMF discuss progress of EFF

Published

on

By

A comprehensive discussion regarding the progress of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) took place on Thursday (06) at the Presidential Secretariat, between President Anura Kumara Disanayake and the IMF delegation.

The current government has already reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF on the third review regarding the extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of USD3 billion.

The details of this review are expected to be presented to the International Monetary Fund’s Board of Directors by the end of this month. In this regard, discussions were held regarding the progress and the government’s involvement in continuing the program moving forward.

Once the approval is granted by the IMF Executive Board, Sri Lanka is expected to release the fourth tranche of the extended loan, amounting to 333 million dollars.

The discussion was also attended by IMF Executive Director Dr. Krishnamurthy Subramanian, Alternate Executive Director Dr. P. K. G. Harischandra, Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwadana, and Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe.

Continue Reading

News

New Commanders of the Tri-Forces meet the President

Published

on

By

The newly appointed Commander of the Tri-Forces met with Commander-in-Chief, President Anura Kumara Disanayake on Thursday (6th)  afternoon  at the Presidential Secretariat.

The meeting was attended by Lieutenant General Lasantha Rodrigo, the new Army Commander; Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda, the new Navy Commander and Air Marshal Vasu Bandu Edirisinghe, the new Air Force Commander.

Following tradition, the new commanders formally met with the President after assuming their duties. During the meeting, they also presented the President with a commemorative token.

Continue Reading

News

Musk reveals ‘crazy waste’ of USAID funds in Sri Lanka

Published

on

Elon Musk

USD 7.9 mn spent on teaching Lankan journalists how to avoid “binary-gendered language”

USAID has spent $7.9 million to teach Sri Lankan journalists how to avoid “binary-gendered language”, Elon Musk who heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said in a post on X on Thursday.

Musk called it a “Crazy waste of your tax money!”

Musk’s criticism came with a detailed breakdown of USAID’s spending across various countries, which he argued reflects misguided priorities. According to a document Musk shared, USAID has funded a range of projects globally, including $20 million for a new Sesame Street show in Iraq, $4.5 million to “combat disinformation” in Kazakhstan, and $6 million to transform digital spaces to reflect feminist democratic principles.

The list also included $1.5 million for art projects promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities and $2 million for sex changes and LGBT activism in Guatemala. $10 million worth of USAID-funded meals, allegedly ended up in the hands of an al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group, the document states.

Other USAID programmes include $25 million for Deloitte to promote green transportation in Georgia, $6 million for tourism development in Egypt, and $2.5 million to foster inclusion in Vietnam. The documents also pointed to $5 million awarded to EcoHealth Alliance, a group linked to bat virus research at the Wuhan lab, and $20 million for an organisation tied to what Musk described as a “key player” in the Russiagate impeachment inquiry.

Further funds were allocated for various LGBT-related initiatives worldwide, including $5.5 million for LGBT activism in Uganda, $6.3 million for men who have sex with men in South Africa, $3.9 million for LGBT causes in the western Balkans, and $6 million for advancing LGBT issues globally. Additionally, $2 million was allocated to promote LGBT equality through entrepreneurship in Latin America, while $1.5 million was designated for LGBT advocacy in Jamaica.

The data also highlighted spending closer to home, with $1.2 million going to help the African Methodist Episcopal Church Service and Development Agency in Washington, D.C., build a 440-seat auditorium. A further $1.3 million was provided to Arab and Jewish photographers, while $1.1 million supported an Armenian LGBT group.

Musk criticised other expenditures as well, including $3.9 million for artisanal gold mining in the Amazon and $500,000 aimed at solving sectarian violence in Israel just days before the October 7 Hamas attack.

Attention was also drawn to USAID’s $150 billion “whole-of-agency” climate strategy, which outlines efforts to build an “equitable world” while pursuing net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Continue Reading

Trending