News
Parliament celebrates first-ever Thai Pongal festival
The Thai Pongal Festival, commemorating Thai Pongal Day which fell on January 14, was celebrated with great festivity on Friday at the Parliament premises under the patronage of Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne.
This historic event marked the first time the Parliament of Sri Lanka organized a Thai Pongal celebration, highlighting the nation’s cultural diversity and unity, parliament media division said.
The event was attended by Deputy Chairperson of Committees Hemali Weerasekara, Leader of the House and Minister Bimal Rathnayake, Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi, Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources Ramalingam Chandrasekar, other ministers, deputy ministers, Members of Parliament, and senior parliamentary officials, including Secretary General Kushani Rohanadeera.
Organized following a proposal by Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar and supported by the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, the celebration aimed to promote awareness and appreciation of Tamil culture, respect the heritage and traditions of the Tamil community, and foster an inclusive national identity.
The Thai Pongal festival, traditionally celebrated to express gratitude to the Sun God for a bountiful harvest and to honor the contributions of cattle and livestock, featured religious rituals, intricate Kolam designs, and the preparation of Pongal rice. The boiling of milk symbolized prosperity and gratitude, reflecting the festival’s deep connection between humanity and nature.
In his address, Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne emphasized the festival’s role in showcasing unity and coexistence among all communities. Minister Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi highlighted the importance of overcoming language barriers to achieve harmony, expressing hope that ongoing education reforms would further this goal.
The celebration was further enlivened by traditional dance performances and musical recitals, adding vibrancy to the occasion. A large number of participants, including parliamentary officials, ministry representatives, and distinguished guests, joined in marking this milestone event, which underscored the Parliament’s commitment to celebrating Sri Lanka’s rich cultural diversity.
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
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