News
Critics say issue should have been raised during Rajapaksa govt.
Namal’s call for probe into USAID projects here:
Former parliamentarian Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha said that SLPPer Namal Rajapaksa should have raised USAID operations here much earlier.
Prof. Wijesinha said so when The Island sought his take on former Minister Namal Rajapaksa’s call for an investigation into projects and grants operated under USAID in Sri Lanka.
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman pointed out that USAID had operated here throughout the Rajapaksa administrations. Perhaps, MP Namal wanted to exploit the ongoing new US administration’s attacks on USAID. If the Rajapaksas were sincere, action should have been taken years ago, MP Rahuman said.
National List MP Rajapaksa called for a detailed report to be presented in Parliament, including an account of the NGOs that benefited from USAID funds.
Taking to X, Rajapaksa highlighted concerns raised by a section of the media, particularly after the election of Donald Trump as President, regarding USAID’s involvement in global projects.
The MP referred to allegations that USAID funds have been used to create instability in other countries, under the guise of humanitarian aid.
MP Rajapaksa said Sri Lanka has received millions of dollars in USAID funding in recent years, with over 100 NGOs, politicians, and media personalities benefiting from these grants. However, he claimed there has been no clear account of how these funds were utilized.
The MP also called for long-awaited regulations on NGO financing to be introduced, stressing the need for transparency in foreign-funded projects.
Accepting deposits from political parties and independent groups who intend to contest the forthcoming Local Authorities Election ended at 12noon today [19].
Deposits were accepted at respective District Secretariats from 3rd March 2025.
The Elections Commission has announced that the deadline for the accepting of nominations for the LA poll is set to conclude at 12:00 noon tomorrow (20).
It has been reported that the former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon has appeared before the Matara Magistrate’s Court this morning (19),
The former IGP had been evading arrest after the Matara Magistrate’s court had ordered his arrest regarding a shooting incident that took place in front of the W15 Hotel Pelena, Weligama, Matara, in 2023.
The government has begun recovering funds obtained by former Lands and Land Development, Environment and Wildlife Resources Minister SM Chandrasena for the Janatha Lanka Chilli Marketing Limited (JLCML), which he headed, Parliament was informed yesterday.
Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation Minister Namal Karunaratne said that as the Chairman of JLCML, Chandrasena had obtained a loan of Rs. 1,275,000 from the Mihintale Govijana Seva Bank in 2001.
The principal of the loan had not been repaid until the end of last year. “After we came to power, we demanded that the loan be settled. Then, we discovered that the interest on the loan had not been paid for the past 24 years, and attempts had been made to have the loan written off. We stopped that and are now in the process of recovering the interest of Rs. 1,975,233 on the loan,” Karunaratne said.
Karunaratne added that JLCML was registered as a company with the Registrar of Companies on March 21, 2001. As Chairman of the company, Chandrasena requested a loan of Rs. 10 million on April 19, 2001, for the purpose of purchasing chillies from farmers in 12 farmer colonies in the Mihintale Agrarian Service area.
The request was approved by the Mihintale Agrarian Service Committee on the same day and referred to the Anuradhapura District Agrarian Operations Committee, which approved it on April 23, 2001. However, the Agriculture Development Commissioner General recommended that a loan of Rs. 1.2 million would suffice for this purpose. JLCML took the loan and failed to repay it until the end of last year. When the matter was raised, the principal was paid, and we are now in the process of recovering the interest that was not paid for the past 24 years,” Karunaratne added.
By Saman Indrajith
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