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JVP alleges govt. move to sell Kerawalapitya power plant to US company

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‘Cabinet approval granted for ‘fraudulent’ deal’

By Saman Indrajith

The JVP yesterday called on the public to rise against what it called the government’s plans to sell the ownership rights of the Kerawalapitiya power plant to a US company.

Addressing the media at the party headquarters, JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that the government leaders were bent on divesting state ventures..

“The most recent attempt came to light at the last Cabinet meeting when Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa presented a paper to sell the ownership rights of the Kerawalapitiya plant to a US company. The meeting was held via Zoom. The paper seeking the approval of the Cabinet has not been given to other ministers of the Cabinet prior to the meeting. Even at the meeting the paper in question has not been given to other members of the Cabinet. It was orally presented by the Finance Minister. As per his presentation, 40 percent of shares of the Treasury-owned 300MW Kerawalapitiya plant, construction of offshore Floating Storage Regasification Unit and the pipeline system for supplying Liquid Natural Gas to diesel power plants are to be sold to a US company. The powers to decide the conditions of the sale, prices, and the content of the agreement have been vested with the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance. The government has decided to sell off the Kerawalapitiya plant while people are expecting solutions for the economic crisis and COVID-19 pandemic. We learn that Cabinet approval was obtained for the paper”, the JVP leader said, adding that the minister had not been allowed to express their views on it.

“We have a government led by those who are all out to sell national assets. We must defeat these moves. It is difficult to meet the people and explain them the need to stand against this latest move due to the prevailing crisis situation in the country owing to the pandemic. Yet, they must understand that the government is on the fast track of their plans to sell off national assets. People should line up against this. Now the decisions are made to sell off public assets even without presenting a Cabinet paper. This is an unprecedented situation. Not only does the government hide facts from people, it keeps the Cabinet ministers in the dark. If the government cannot present its move to the people and it cannot be discussed openly in the Cabinet, then there has to be something wrong in this deal. This is a fraudulent deal. That is why the government is playing its cards close to its chest. We call on people to line up with us to defeat this move,.”



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President holds crucial meeting with SLRCS and IFRC officials

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President Ranil Wickremesinghe convened a meeting today (7) with a delegation composed of members from the  Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

The delegation comprised of Jagath Abeysinghe, President of SLRCS, Dr. Mahesh Gunasekara, Director General of SLRCS,  Alexander Matheou, IFRC Regional Director for Asia Pacific, and Udaya Regmi, IFRC Head of Country Cluster Delegation for South Asia.

The primary objective of the meeting was to provide President Wickremesinghe with a comprehensive update regarding the ongoing South Asia National Societies Leadership meeting held in Colombo on June 6th and 7th

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Enter correct age of children when setting up email accounts for them- Police Crimes Division

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Officials of the Police Crime Division told the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Reconciliation and National Unity that email accounts for school children should not be set up giving parents details but by entering the correct age of the children.

The officials pointed out that as online education has become a necessity it was necessary to provide the children with mobile phones (Smart Phone active) to access computer devices. However, they pointed out that by providing the parents’ data for this purpose when giving smart phones and setting up email accounts, the children will have the opportunity to access any website. But, if the information including the correct age of the children are provided, the internet system itself will control the ability and access of the children to view inappropriate videos and websites.

The Sectoral Oversight Committee on Reconciliation and National Unity met under the Chairmanship of Member of Parliament Dilan Perera in order to discuss the program to be carried out in collaboration with the National Reconciliation and Children and Women Bureau .

 

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New legislation being drafted to address land, labour, capital and technology laws – Presidential Advisor

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Addressing the Panel Discussion of the National Law Conference 2023, Presidential Advisor Dr. R.H.S Samaratunga, emphasized the need for a comprehensive review of land laws, labour laws, capital laws, and technology laws in order to meet the requirements of a competitive economy. He noted that the Presidential Secretariat is currently examining a series of new legislation drafts that address these four crucial sectors.

The National Law Conference 2023/24 was held from June 02 to June 04, 2023 at The Grand Hotel, Nuwara Eliya. The 2nd segment of the conference focused on sectoral views on strengthening the economy and a number of local and foreign key stakeholders gave their comments. They also commended the effort of the BASL in organizing such a conference and appreciated the government’s genuine efforts to recover the country from the crisis and extended their support in rebuilding the country focusing on areas in which they could contribute to.

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