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SJB questions NPP over MPs’ perks and privileges

Published

4 months ago

2024/12/2

Thilina Walpola

…flays govt. for diverting members’ salaries to a special account

by Shamindra Ferdinando

Having repeatedly accused previous governments of showering perks and privileges on lawmakers, the newly elected NPP government is continuing with the practice, says SJB MP Ajith P. Perera.

Kalutara District SJB leader Perera has challenged the NPP to reveal any perk or privilege that their parliamentary group had decided to forgo in keeping with the pledges they made during the presidential and parliamentary elections. Perera said so in response to The Island queries regarding the ongoing exchange between the NPP and the main Opposition SJB over perks and privileges enjoyed by members.

Referring to a statement Secretary General of Parliament Kushani Rohanadeera made during a recent press briefing held in parliament, Perera pointed out that the NPP leaders had harped on waste of state funds on maintaining lawmakers. But the Secretary General categorically had declared that none of the MPs’ perks and privileges had been done away with, Perera said.

A vast majority of those who voted for the NPP at presidential and parliamentary elections had expected the NPP MPs to serve on a voluntary basis and refuse heavily subsidised meals provided in parliament, etc., the Kalutara District MP said.

The NPP won 159 seats, including 18 National List slots whereas the SJB managed to secure only 40; it had 54 seats in the previous Parliament.

Recalling that the JVP used to claim that salaries of its MPs had been directed to one account and allocations made thereafter depending on members’ requirements, Perera asked whether the ruling party with 2/3 majority in parliament could do the same.

Ajith

Responding to another query, Perera said that the practice adopted by the NPP meant that public funds were to be transferred to an account maintained by a political party. The party would be receiving quite a large amount of money as the monthly take home salary of an MP was approximately Rs 300,000 though the basic salary remained Rs. 54,285.

MP Perera said that NPP’s promise to do away with what it called a privileged class of politicians had boomeranged on the ruling party. “People have already realised that the NPP never meant to implement what it promised,” MP Perera said.

Those who questioned the maintenance of the MPs’ housing scheme at Madiwela should know that the NPP MPs would use them, MP Perera said.

The NPP had the public believe that their MPs would not occupy the Madiwela houses, Perera said.

Out the 108 Madiwela housing units, 80 have been allocated to NPP MPs and 28 to Opposition members. MP Perera said that he was not aware of the exact allocation but knew that houses had been allocated to the NPP MPs.

MPs living 40 km away from parliament are entitled to the Madiwela houses. Although the Madiwela complex consists of 115 units, 0nly 108 are available for the MPs as seven of them have been allocated to the police, fire brigade and other services providers.

Perera said that the forthcoming Local Government election would provide an opportunity to the electorate to express their dissatisfaction at the NPP’s broken promises. He said that the reduction of Octane 92 petrol by Rs 2 a litre in the recent price revision had exposed the duplicity of the ruling party again. The NPP had also failed to grant electricity consumers the promised relief, he said.

Our efforts to contact JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva, NPP General Secretary Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe, MP, and Cabinet spokesman and media minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa for comment failed as they did not answer their phones.

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Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district

Published

3 hours ago

2025/04/7

Priyan

Color: -Red Warning (Take action) Color: -Amber Advisory (Be prepared) Color: -Green Threat is over

The Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre has issued an Advisory for Severe Lightning for the Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district.

The advisory issued at 02.00 p.m. today [07 April 2025] is valid for the period until 11.00 p.m. 07 April 2025

The public are warned that thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambantota district. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.

ACTION REQUIRED:

The Department of Meteorology advises that people should:

Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
• Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.

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“Census of Population and Housing 2024” Report Presented to the President

Published

4 hours ago

2025/04/7

Priyan

The report of the “Census of Population and Housing 2024,” conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics, was officially handed over to President Anura Kumara Disanayake this morning (07) at the Presidential Secretariat.

This preliminary report has been prepared based on island wide data collected between October and December 2024.

The report provides details on Sri Lanka’s population, its growth and the distribution of the population across districts.

The information gathered through the census is vital not only for the government but also for other institutions in formulating policies and development plans essential for the country’s progress. Significantly, for the first time in the history of census-collecting in Sri Lanka, data collection was carried out using tablet computers and user-friendly mobile devices.

The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning, Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardana, Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics D.D.G.A. Senevirathne and several other officials.

Business

Central Bank Presents Annual Economic Review 2024 to President

Published

5 hours ago

2025/04/7

Priyan

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka today (07) presented its flagship publication, the Annual Economic Review for 2024 (AER 2024), to President and Minister of Finance, Anura Kumara Disanayake, highlighting the steady progress of Sri Lanka’s economic recovery following the country’s most severe downturn in recent history.

The report was officially handed over by Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of the Central Bank, during a special ceremony held at the Presidential Secretariat.

AER 2024 comprises four main chapters: Macroeconomic Developments, Conditions of the Financial System, Review of Central Bank’s Policies and Macroeconomic Outlook.

According to the Review, the Sri Lankan economy showed significant signs of recovery in 2024, following the deep economic crisis experienced two years ago. The recovery trajectory, though challenging, has been notably faster than that of many other debt-distressed countries.

Improvements in economic activity, a partial resurgence in purchasing power and reduced uncertainty are among the key positive indicators noted in the report.

The event was attended by Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the President, K. M. Mahinda Siriwardena, Secretary to the Treasury, Mrs. K. M. A. N. Daulagala, Senior Deputy Governor, Dr. C. Amarasekara, Assistant Governor, Dr. (Mrs.) S. Jegajeevan, Director of Economic Research and Dr. L. R. C. Pathberiya and Additional Director of Economic Research at the Central Bank Dr. V. D. Wickramarachchi.

[PMD]