Business
‘Inaugural People’s Convention, a resounding success

The People’s Convention for Good Governance was held at the BMICH in the midst of an exclusive audience, all of them invited and registered by the organizers, on February 25 .The Convener of this National Initiative Richard de Zoysa set the tone for the day by requesting the delegates to observe a minute’s silence for all those fought for the Independence of Ceylon ,the military personnel who sacrificed their lives to defend the country and to all those who contributed to serve their motherland.
He added that the four forums that was to be the hub of the programme ,would speak on how we have reached this perilous predicament,what exactly is the situation we are at present and how we should work to overcome the challenges.
Maithri Gunaratne P.C. former Governor of Central and Uva Province addressed the gathering on the post Independence period . Gunaratne spoke candidly on how nepotism started with D.S. Senanayake appointing his son Dudley to succeed him and the irreversible repercussion of S. W. R. D . Bandaranaike introducing the Sinhala only act to capture power.
“The JVP insurrection and the LTTE terrorism was also largely due to this selfish motive”. He went on to say that large scale corruption started in 1977 during the J R Jayawardena Government where an open market economy was formulated. The present situation where the Constitution does not always enforce the will of the people was also crafted during his tenure. Gunaratne summed up by stating that the Rajapaksa Government though ending the separatist war, failed to reconcile the country and plunged it into bankruptcy, together with the governments that followed.
Omar Khan a US national of Pakistani heritage, having come to Sri Lanka in 1993 and a well known motivational speaker headlined his address a ‘Visionary Catalyst’ , and spoke of the importance of following up on decisions made, if a country is to progress. Murtaza Jaferjee the Chairman of the Advocata Institute delivered a flawless speech on Economic Recovery with a presentation of facts that had the audience captivated.
Prof. Arjuna Parakrama moderated the Education Reforms panel that included Dr.Tara de Mel , Prof. Harendra de Silva and Nile Anandappa. Shehara Parakrama and Sharhan Muhseen a top rung investment banker and an expert in mergers and acquisitions exchanged thoughts on the Production and Services forum.
Dr. Pakiasothy Saravanamuttu moderated an interesting panel on Ethnicity which included Selvi Sachithanandam , Ishan Jalill , Jeremy Liyanage , & Arun Siddarth who had a thought provoking discussion on the minorities. Arun Siddarth was candid about the caste problem that is still preventing him entering certain facilities that are reserved for the upper caste Tamils. He also declared that it was the politicians who created the rift between the Sinhalese and the Tamils.
An interesting Q & A followed, which gave much food for thought.The Guest of Honour Dr .Walter Jayasinghe who lives in California, and does an enormous amount of social work for the underprivileged, declared open the Empowering Lanka website that will be a fully transparent fund raising platform with the inflow and outflow clearly visible. Primarily to help alleviate poverty and develop districts that lack basic infrastructure needs, the first Directors Dr./ Ms Walter Jayasinghe and Richard de Zoysa will source funds from both international and local donors.
The funds raised will be disbursed to those who conform to a predetermined criteria laid down by the Board of Directors of the company limited by guarantee. Once commissioned officially, funds will be used to develop District by District monthly as planned by Dr. Sarath Seneviratne who mooted this concept 15 years ago.
The entire convention can be viewed by going into Arise Sri Lanka YouTube channel -@arisesrilanka or Facebook – @Arise Sri Lanka
Business
Exterminators PLC certified as great place to work

Exterminators PLC announces that it has been certified as a Great Place to Work for the second year in a row. This achievement reaffirms our commitment to creating an environment that fosters learning, development, and success for our staff members. The certification was awarded after an independent audit and certification process conducted by the renowned organisation Great Place to Work (GPTW), which evaluated our company across various focus areas. Exterminators PLC excelled in the Trust Index, scoring high points in all focus areas during the certification process.
“The challenges we faced over the past twelve months were unprecedented. We are proud of our coworkers, who kept our business operating without interruption by working collaboratively and courageously and leaning on our collective creativity, innovation, and passion. Our slogan was ‘How can we’ keep the promise we made? and we constantly innovated to get the job done, no matter how difficult it was.
We are grateful to our coworkers who collaborated with us during these most challenging times and for their pure commitment and loyalty towards Exterminators PLC, which kept us moving forward despite unprecedented obstacles.” Marlon Ferreira the Managing Director said.
Business
SLT-MOBITEL mTunes introduces ‘Be a Millionaire’ promo

Bringing elevated lifestyle experiences, SLT-MOBITEL is offering users the ultimate chance to turn music into wealth with its new ‘Be a Millionaire’ promo on mTunes.mTunes is a digital lifestyle service that allows customers to personalise their Caller Ring Back Tone (CRBT) with their favourite songs or audio content. It adds a unique and personalised touch to phone calls, allowing customers to express their originality and preferences with their loved ones.
With a vast collection of songs on the mTunes platform, the ‘Be a Millionaire’ promo offers users the opportunity to connect with their hearts’ content and win big cash prizes. From September 1st to November 30th, 2023, the ‘Be a Millionaire’ promo on mTunes promises incredible prizes for lucky participants. The grand prize is an amazing Rupees One million (Rs. 1,000,000) with additional rewards of Rs. 100,000 for the second winner and Rs. 50,000 for the third place. But the path to wealth does not end; seven more lucky winners will receive Rs. 10,000 each, and every week, there will be twelve lucky winners of Rs. 10,000 each in cash prizes.
Participating in the promotion is easy. Existing and new CRBT users have the chance to win these fantastic prizes, including becoming millionaires, by simply activating more mTunes during the promotional period. With multiple cash prizes available, there are numerous opportunities to win every week. The ‘Be a Millionaire’ promotion is a golden opportunity to make dreams come true.
Users can increase their chances of winning by simply activating more mTunes daily. Users can also experience the fun, excitement, and entertainment offered by mTunes and enjoy the world of music.
For more information, contact mTunes at 777 or visit mtunes.mobitel.lk
Business
Lanka can build strong tourism ‘eco-brand’: UN official

By NETHMI RAJAWASAM
ECONOMYNEXT –Sri Lanka can build an ‘eco-brand’ catering especially to younger tourists who feel strongly about the environment, United Nations Resident Representative to Sri Lanka, Azusa Kobota said.
About 70 percent of global travellers prioritise sustainability in their holiday choices, marking a ten percent increase from 2021, while around 30 percent of travellers feel guilty about flying, due to carbon emissions, she said.
“As the world embraces green thinking during this time of economic recovery efforts, the objective of the tourism sector cannot simply be about increasing the number of inbound tourists,” Kobota said at an event marking World Tourism Day in Colombo.
“It has to be about enhancing their experience through green lenses, by implementing a responsible, eco-conscious paradigm for the sector and building a stronger eco-brand around the sustainable agenda for Sri Lanka,”
“This is no longer about reducing the trade offs between growing the industry and protecting the environment.
“We must see nature as our asset and solutions to be obtained for the exponential growth for our future generations.”
The sustainable tourism market is estimated to have earned 195 billion US dollars in 2022, and is expected to reach about 656 billion US dollars in 2032, she said.
“Tourists, particularly the younger generations from gen X,Y,Z are deeply, deeply conscious about the long term choices of their actions, and the adverse impact of tourists on the environment.
“Statistics show that a significant proportion of global travellers, about 30 percent, feel guilty about flying due to the environmental impact and 22 percent say they actively prefer public transport and bicycle rental options, over renting a car.”
Sri Lanka welcomed one million tourists by September 26 and is expecting more that 1.5 million tourists by the end of the year.
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