News
KDU Bill up for debate on Friday
Leader of the House Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena told The Island yesterday that four bills would be taken up for second reading in Parliament this week.
Gunawaredena said that the decision had been reached at the last party leaders’ meeting which met with Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena presiding.
Parliament will meet for four days from today (3) to Friday (6).
Registration of Electors (Amendment) Bill, National Minimum Wage of Workers (Amendment) Bill, Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka Bill and the General Sir John Kotelawala National Defence University Bill are scheduled to be taken up for debate, the Minister said.
Minister Gunawardena said that the debate on the 2020 Annual Report of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka would be held in Parliament today as the first adjournment debate from 11.00 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.
The Registration of Electors (Amendment) Bill and the National Minimum Wage of Workers (Amendment) Bill will be taken up for debate tomorrow (4) from 11.00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
On Thursday (5) from 11.00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka Bill, Orders made under the Strategic Development Projects Act, No. 14 of 2008 and the supplementary estimate of the State Ministry of Primary Health Care, Epidemics and Covid Disease Control for the year 2021 are scheduled to be taken into debate.
Regulations under the Immigrants and Emigrants Act and the General Sir John Kotelawala National Defence University Bill would be taken up for debate on Friday (6), Minister Gunawardena said.
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
Accepting deposits for Local Authorities Election concludes
At least 12 dead in Honduras plane crash
Putin agrees in Trump call to pause Ukraine energy attacks but no full ceasefire
-
Foreign News5 days agoSearch continues in Dominican Republic for missing student Sudiksha Konanki
-
Features7 days agoRichard de Zoysa at 67
-
Features4 days agoThe Royal-Thomian and its Timeless Charm
-
News5 days agoDPMC unveils brand-new Bajaj three-wheeler
-
Sports2 days agoSri Lanka to compete against USA, Jamaica in relay finals
-
Features4 days ago‘Thomia’: Richard Simon’s Masterpiece
-
Features7 days agoSL Navy helping save kidneys
-
Editorial6 days agoCuriouser and curiouser!