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Jayasumana airs suspicion of Opposition’s friends in pharmaceutical mafia having hand in data loss

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By Saman Indrajith

State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals Channa Jayasumana told Parliament yesterday that is was suspected that the supporters of the pharmaceutical mafia might have hacked into the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) database.

Responding to a series of questions raised by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, the State Minister said that the government would not allow the release of low-quality medicines to the market and there would be no increases in the prices of medicines due to the NMRA data loss.

The State Minister said that the data files related to those affairs were safe and only the data on the registration and renewal of registration of local pharmacies had been deleted.

Minister Jayasumana said that there was a possibility of recovering the lost data.

He said that the supporters of the pharmaceutical mafia had had a field day during the times of the Yahapalana government that the “Pharmaceutical mafia was flourishing during the 2015 to 2019 period, activities of such groups were brought to a halt after the present government came into power. Following the regime change the pharmaceutical mafia lost its hold and is now facing a crisis. There were suspicions that the NMRA data loss had been engineered by the pharmaceutical mafia,” the Minister said.

He said the companies that were part of the pharmaceutical mafia were prevented from importing drugs under various names or gain exorbitant profits. The deletion of NMRA data could be part of a conspiracy hatched by the pharmaceutical mafia. It could be that they were frustrated and in a crisis so that they attacked the NMRA database. The CID was conducting a probe to identify the perpetrators of the racket.

He said that there was no risk of prices of medicines increasing or blacklisted companies being able to import drugs owing to the NMRA data loss.

Minister Jayasumana said that 5,925 files had disappeared from the NMRA database. Among the files that disappeared, 3,137 were related to the registration or re-registration of pharmacies.

“There is no risk of drug prices going up, or companies being able to import blacklisted drugs under different names,” the Minister said.



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Vraie Cally Balthazaar elected Mayor of Colombo MC

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National People’s Power (NPP) councilor Vraie Cally Balthazaar has been elected as the new Mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC).

Councilor Balthazaar received 61 votes while Riza Zarook of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya obtained 54 votes at the election.

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Numerous Clean Sri Lanka initiatives were implemented in Anuradhapura during Poson week

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Aligned with the 2025 National Poson Festival, the Clean Sri Lanka Secretariat spearheaded several environmentally conscious initiatives during Poson Week, including maintaining cleanliness in areas surrounding the Atamasthana (Eight Sacred Places). Key waste management measures included the establishment of permanent, covered enclosures for biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste receptacles near the Atamasthana and Mihintale. Dedicated plastic bottle collection bins were strategically placed alongside general waste bins and in collaboration with Ceypetco, discarded barrels were repurposed as waste containers.

Significant support came from sponsors including the Irrigation Department, ARPICO, Rambewa Mechanical Engineering Works, the Cargills and Keells Group (for plastic containers), Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka (for plastic collection bins), and Ceypetco and the Sri Lanka Army (for waste bins).

Additional safety and awareness initiatives included placing waste bins near bathing areas and bridges adjacent to major reservoirs (Tissa Wewa, Basawakkulama Wewa, Nuwara Wewa, Mahakanadarawa Wewa, Nachchaduwa Wewa, Bulankulama Wewa and Kunchikulama Wewa) to reduce littering. Warning signs were installed at hazardous locations and lifesaving personnel and naval craft were deployed during the Poson Week.

Waste bins for bridge areas were supplied by Phoenix Industries and ARPICO, while informational signage around the Sacred City was sponsored by AIA, Ceylinco and Sri Lanka Insurance. Overall coordination was managed by the Anuradhapura Municipal Commissioner.

A Clean Sri Lanka coordination centre established within the Poson Zone facilitated awareness programmes for schoolchildren and the general public on themes such as environmental stewardship and intergenerational responsibility. These efforts involved Provincial and District Secretaries and institutions including the Post-Harvest Technology Institute. Additional programmes were held targeting public officials and citizens focused on national food security, financial literacy and ethical public service.

Environmental sustainability projects carried out during the week included canal cleaning in collaboration with the Irrigation Department, Provincial Irrigation Department and the Department of Agrarian Development and a tree-planting initiative titled “Environmental Security” in partnership with the Forest Conservation Department and school communities.

Personality development and leadership workshops were also conducted. A full-day session was held on 7 June 2025 at St. Thomas’ College, Anuradhapura (7:30 AM to 7:30 PM), sponsored by Perera & Sons, the Anuradhapura Lions Club and the Dream Force Sri Lanka Society. Similar workshops were conducted at Maithripala Senanayake Vidyalaya and Swarnamali Balika Vidyalaya.

On 11 June 2025, a morning awareness session for rural farmers was held, covering Post-Harvest Technology (presented by  C.R. Gunawardana, National Post-Harvest Management Institute) and Financial Management (presented by Duminda Disanayake, Central Bank of Sri Lanka), featuring a special address by MP Susantha Kumara Navaratne.

On the morning of 12 June 2025, the Clean Sri Lanka Secretariat and the Anuradhapura Municipal Council jointly conducted a waste removal drive at the Basawakkulama Wewa tank bund, extracting plastic, polythene and other refuse. Participants included venerable monks from the Sri Lanka Bhikkhu University Bhikkhu Student Association, Anuradhapura Mayor  N. Karunaratne, the Association President and lay devotees. That afternoon, the Secretariat’s Music Therapy programme began at the Surapura Open Air Theatre, Anuradhapura, attended by over a thousand personnel from the armed forces, police, Civil Security Department and state institutions.

A special lecture was also delivered by Clinical Psychologist Dr. Madhura Gunawardana.

[PMD]

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Workshop on the use of AI to enhance the efficiency and productivity of the public service

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A special workshop on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to transform the public service into a more productive and efficient entity was held on Sunday (15) at Temple Trees.

Titled “AI for Transforming Public Service,” the workshop was attended by officials of the Presidential Secretariat. It aimed to serve as an initial orientation for a major government initiative, the digitalization of the public service, by raising awareness and preparing officials, while also fostering a positive perception of artificial intelligence within the public sector.

Dr. Hans Wijesuriya, Senior Advisor to the President on the Digital Economy, delivered the keynote address. Sanjaya Karunaseena, Executive Director of the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka, also presented a brief address. Subsequently, Harsha Purasinghe and Samisa Abeysinghe, board members of ICTA, conducted awareness sessions incorporating practical demonstrations.

The event was also attended by the Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Roshan Gamage and several other senior officials from the Presidential Secretariat.

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