News
President tells govt. top brass to address nurses’ issues considering financial crisis facing country
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has said that nurses’ issues should be addressed also taking into consideration the financial crisis. Their problems should be solved in a way that didn’t affect the entire public service, the President said.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said so at a discussion held at the Presidential Secretariat, yesterday (17) at the request of the Public Service United Nurses Union (PSUNU).
Establishment of the Nursing University, promotion of Nursing Officers from Grade ll to Grade I with retrospective effect by backdating the promotion, 36 hours of duty to be treated as 30 hours duty of 5 days a week, providing of Rs. 10,000 allowance proportionate to the DTA allowance of Rs. 35,000 to medical professionals, the issuance of the Uniform Allowance Circular and the Additional Service Allowance at the rate of 1/100 of the basic salary were discussed during the meeting.
The President instructed the University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Senior Professor Sampath Amaratunga, to amend the Higher Education Act and present it to the Parliament expeditiously, and to take further necessary steps to merge nursing colleges in order to create a national university. Mr. Amaratunga stated that the Higher Education Act would be presented to the Parliament by April and the Nursing University would be established before the end of May.
President Rajapaksa also instructed the Secretaries of Health and Finance to make arrangements to backdate the promotions from Grade II to Grade I and grant the uniform allowance.
Despite the difficulties, steps were taken to pay an allowance of Rs. 5,000 to all public sector employees from January. When delivering the requests of one group, another group makes a matching request.
However, it is important for everyone to understand that not all demands can be considered in the midst of the current financial crisis, he has said.
Therefore, the President instructed the officials to discuss with the Ministry of Finance and other institutions and pay attention to the requests of nurses in a manner that does not affect the entire public service.
The President of the Public Service United Nurses Union, Ven. Muruththettuwe Ananda Thera, Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella, Secretary to the President Gamini Senarath, Finance Secretary S.R. Attygalle, Health Secretary Major General Dr. Sanjeewa Munasinghe, Director General of Health Services Dr. Asela Gunawardena, Director General of the National Budget Jude Nilukshan, Director General of the Public Service Commission Hiransa Kaluthanthri, Secretary of the National Salaries Commission Chandrani Senaratne and members of the PSUNU were present at the occasion.
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 News4 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!