News
Legal liquor demand drops by about 30 percent, COPF reveals
It was revealed at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) that the demand for liquor had decreased by about 30% due to the recent increase in the price of liquor and the decrease in the income of the people.
This was revealed at a meeting of the Committee on Public Finance chaired by Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Member of Parliament, recently (20).
Officials representing several institutions were contacted online to discuss plans to increase government revenue. Accordingly, officials representing the Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilisation and National Policies, the Inland Revenue Department, the Sri Lanka Excise Department and the Sri Lanka Customs were contacted online.
The officials said that there were several problems in the Sri Lanka Excise Department reaching the target revenue due to the limited quantity of ethanol available for the production of liquor, limited number of diesel and other fuel and distribution problems. They also pointed out that the demand for alcohol had decreased by about 30% due to the increase in the price of alcohol and the economic hardships faced by the people.
It was also stated that due to the recent price hikes, production of illicit liquor had increased.
The projected revenue of the Inland Revenue Department and its current situation were also discussed. Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa was also present and discussed with the officials how to change tax policies and take steps to improve tax administration.
In addition, a detailed discussion had been held on the revenue expected to be obtained by the Excise Department at the end of this year.
Minister Nalin Fernando, Members of Parliament (Dr.) Harsha de Silva, Anupa Pasqual and (Dr.) Kavinda Heshan Jayawardana also participated in the Committee session.
Members of the South Asian Journalists Forum have gathered at the University of New Delhi for a two day conference themed ‘Peace and Co-operation’.
Journalists from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India are attending the conference hosted by the University of Delhi in collaboration with the India Chapter of SJF, and will deliberate on how the media can act as a catalyst for regional stability and mutual coexsistence.
A tree plantation campaign was also held at the Ghandi Bhawan premises of the University to mark the event and symbolize growing regional ties.
The Sri Lanka delegation is led by President of SJF’s Sri Lanka Chapter Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi.
The Governor of the of Gujarat, Acharya Devvrat, along with the Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat, Harsh Sanghvi, met with Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya on Thursdy [February 05] at the Parliamentary Complex to discuss the arrangements related to the exposition of the Devnimori Sacred Relics of Lord Buddha, which have been brought to Sri Lanka under the patronage of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Government of India.
These sacred relics of Lord Buddha were discovered during archaeological excavations conducted in the 1960s at the historic Devnimori site in Gujarat, the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Until now, these relics had never been taken outside India. As a result of discussions held between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Sri Lanka, the people of Sri Lanka have been granted this rare opportunity to venerate these sacred relics.
The exposition of the relics is being held for a period of seven days, from February 05 to February 11, at the Gangaramaya Temple in Hunupitiya, Colombo. Discussions were held between both parties regarding the arrangements related to this event.
The discussion was attended by Samar Nanda, Joint Secretary of the Indian Ministry of Culture; Dr. Satyanjal Pandey, Acting High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka; Abhijit Halder, Director General of the International Buddhist Confederation; along with several others.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
The Indian Naval Ship (INS) GHARIAL made a port call in Colombo for operational turnarounds on 04 Feb 26. The Sri Lanka Navy welcomed the visiting ship in compliance with naval traditions.
Commanded by Commander Gaurav Tewari, INS GHARIAL is a vessel with a length of 124.8 meters.
During this visit, ten (10) Bailey Bridges, brought by ship, through the coordination of the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka, will be handed over to the Disaster Management Center. These bridges will provide temporary transportation links while bridges damaged across the island by adverse weather conditions are repaired.
The crew’s itinerary features scheduled goodwill activities with the Sri Lanka Navy, alongside visits to several tourist attractions across the island.
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