News
Public will be allowed to harvest jackfruit in forest reserves
By Ifham Nizam
The Department of Forest Conservation yesterday commenced issuing of free licences to the public to harvest jakfruit in its reserves on a directive given by Agriculture, Wildlife and Forest Conservation Minister Mahinda Amaraweera.
A Department official said that the yield from jackfruit trees in protected lands belonging to the Forest Department had increased this year.
The Forest Department revealed the new licence scheme during discussion with the Minister at the Department.
Amaraweera said that there were about 3,000 hectares of Forest lands countrywide. Officials at the Department said that jacfruit was cultivated in all these lands and the ripened produce of those trees usually decated.
The Minister said that during a food crisis like now, it would be a crime to let go waste nutritious food such as jackfruit and breadfruit. Hence the public should be given the opportunity to harvest jakfruit in the forests..
People were afraid of entering protected areas because it was illegal to do so. Therefore, the Minister instructed the Forest Department to initiate a programme to issue permits to enter the forest reserves free of charge only for the harvesting of jak fruit.
According to available information, the annual jackfruit harvest in Sri Lanka is about 280 million, but only about 80 million are consumed.
The Trump administration has begun firing hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees, according to the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS) union, weeks after a fatal mid-air plane collision in Washington DC.
Several hundreds of the agency’s probationary workers – who have generally been in their positions for less than a year – received the news via email late on Friday night, a statement from PASS’s head, Alex Spero said.
It is a part of a cost-cutting drive, driven by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge)., that aims to drastically cut the federal workforce.
Spero called the firings “shameful” and said they “will increase the workload and place new responsibilities on a workforce that is already stretched thin”.
The term of Acting President of the Court of Appeal Justice Mohammed Thahir Laffar has been extended.
Accordingly, Justice Mohammed Thahir Laffar took his oath before President Anura Kumara Disanayake at the Presidential Secretariat on Monday (17). Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake was also present on this occasion.
The Colombo High Court has served indictments against Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa.over alleged misappropriation of Rs. 70 million provided by Krrish Company for development of rugby in Sri Lanka.
Hundreds fired at aviation safety agency, union says
The term of Acting President of the Court of Appeal Justice Mohammed Thahir Laffar extended
Afghanistan lose ICC Champions Trophy 2025 warm-up match to New Zealand
-
Midweek Review7 days agoHow USAID influenced Sri Lanka
-
News7 days agoAKD’s attention drawn to ITAK’s threat to demolish Tissa Raja Maha Viharaya
-
News7 days agoOpen verdicts returned on deaths of two foreigners
-
News6 days agoOracle Corporation pledges support for Sri Lanka’s digitalization
-
Sports3 days agoRemarkable turnaround for Sri Lanka’s ODI team
-
Editorial6 days agoGroping in the dark
-
Editorial7 days ago
Buses as Chariots of Death
-
News7 days agoGevindu opposes Karu’s move to promote Yahapalana federal proposals, points to NPP-US nexus