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Navy rescues fishermen aboard distressed dinghy that drifted to Indian waters

The Navy together with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC Colombo) stationed at Navy Headquarters rescued a group of fishermen aboard a dinghy that was swept away to the Indian waters due to an engine failure, on Saturday.
In response to a request for assistance by the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Sri Lanka Navy launched an operation to locate this dinghy (Register No. OFRP –A-950 MNR) that had gone missing on Feb 23.
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Chennai was informed of the missing vessel by MRCC Colombo. As the search and rescue operation was going on, MRCC Chennai informed MRCC Colombo that an Indian Coast Guard ship had spotted the ill-fated vessel. Accordingly, an Indian Coast Guard Ship assisted the dinghy with fishermen to reach the IMBL, from which it was safely towed shoreward by Sri Lanka Naval Ship (SLNS) ‘Suranimila’ yesterday.
The search and rescue operation was carried out in conformity with health and safety guidelines in place due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, MRCC Colombo, thus far in the year 2021, has responded to distress calls of five merchant ships and 21 fishing vessels in the Search and Rescue Region of Sri Lanka.
MRCC Colombo has assisted the rescue of 25 fishermen whose lives were in danger at sea.
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Veteran singer and musician Professor Sanath Nandasiri passed away at the age of 81

Veteran singer and musician Professor Sanath Nandasiri has passed away at the age of 81
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Overtime gravy train for public sector back

Govt. MPs make contradictory statements on state of economy
By Shamindra Ferdinando
UNP National List MP Wajira Abeywardena on Sunday (26) disclosed the issuance of a circular by the Finance Ministry to restore overtime and other payments in the public sector.
The declaration was made in Galle soon after Transport and Media Minister Bandula Gunawardane lamented that the government was short of billions of rupees to pay public sector salaries, pensions, Samurdhi payments and meet recurrent expenditure.
Minister Gunawardena and UNP National List MP Abeywardena addressed the local media after the handing over of several buses to the Galle SLTB depot.
Cabinet Spokesman Gunawardena said that the government needed as much as Rs 196 bn before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year and its projected revenue was Rs 173 bn. In addition to that Rs 500 mn was required to settle what Minister Gunawardena called bilateral debt.
Minister Gunawardane said that a part of the first tranche of USD 333 mn from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) would be utilised to pay public sector salaries.
Of the USD 333 mn received so far, USD 121 had been used to pay the first installment of USD 1 bn credit line secured from India early last year, according to State Finance Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya.
Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera in the second week of August last year revealed as much as Rs 3 bn had been paid as overtime to Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) workers for several months. This disclosure was made in response to a query raised by Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella.
One of the major demands of the public sector trade unions on the warpath over the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government’s new tax formula is the restoration of overtime.
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Now, Opposition wants Finance Secy. hauled up before Privileges Committee

Prof. G. L. Peiris yesterday (27) urged Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to act speedily on the main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) request to summon Finance Secretary Mahinda Siriwardena before the parliamentary Committee on Ethics and Privileges.
Addressing the media on behalf of the Freedom People’s Alliance, the former External Affairs Minister said that the Treasury Secretary had challenged the parliament by withholding funds allocated in the budget 2023 to the Election Commission thereby sabotaging the election.
Prof. Peiris said that there couldn’t be a far worse violation of parliamentary privileges than a government official undermining Parliament.
Instead of appreciating the intervention made by the Supreme Court to facilitate the delayed Local Government polls, the ruling party had sought to challenge the apex court, Prof. Peiris said, urging Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to fulfill his obligations.
Prof. Pieris said that if the government lacked funds, just one percent of USS 333 mn received from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was sufficient to conduct the election.
The ex-minister said that the IMF wouldn’t oppose the utilisation of a fraction of the first tranche of USD 2.9 bn loan facility provided over a period of four years to guarantee the constitutional rights of the Sri Lankan electorate. (SF)
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