News
Media Secy. finds fault with TV ratings, calls for remedial measures
Outdated French equipment bought at a cost of Rs 108mn in 1999 not used at all
Mass Media Secretary Anusha Palpita has told the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) that the current television rating system practised here is biased and implemented in an irregular mannar.
Attending a COPA meeting chaired by State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna recently in Parliament, Palpita, who is also the Chairman of Lake House, underscored the urgent need to take remedial measures.
Janakantha Silva, Director Legislative Services and Acting Director Communication, has said in a media statement that Palpita discussed the issue at a meeting called by COPA to examine the Auditor General’s reports on the Government Information Department performance in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and the current situation.
Palpita has questioned the very basis of the data obtained for want of a transparent system, according to the statement issued by Parliament. The official was quoted as having said that a special device required for collecting data is installed in randomly selected 400 television sets. However, the entire process was manipulated by interested parties, Palpita said.
Palpita said that the state-owned television stations couldn’t resort to the same tactics to secure higher ratings.
During the proceedings, it was disclosed that a negative tape machine and the positive tape machine procured at a cost of Rs 108 mn from France in 1999 hadn’t been used at least once. Officials told COPA that the technology was outdated.
State Ministers Diana Gamage, Chamara Sampath Dasanayake, Members of Parliament Niroshan Perera, J. C. Alawathuwala, Jayantha Ketagoda, Sivagnanam Sritharan, (Dr.) Major Pradeep Undugoda, Weerasumana Weerasinghe, (Ms.) Manjula Dissanayake and M. W. D. Sahan Pradeep Withana participated in the proceedings. (SF)
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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