News
Two teenage heroes honoured
Charithma Jinendri, a 17-year-old student of Siri Piyarathana Vidyalaya in Padukka and a resident of Irida Pola, Waga, Padukka, who saved a man and his wife trapped inside a flooded house was recently recognised at the first National Cadet Corps National Youth Heroes Award ceremony at the National Cadet Corps (NCC) Headquarters in Pamankada, Colombo recently.
State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon attended the event. The gathering was told how the teenager braved raging waters, swam towards the house with a rope and saved their lives at the risk of her own life.
The NCC National Youth Hero Award Ceremony is held to honour Sri Lankan young heroes with the objective of grooming youth to be dynamic, versatile and disciplined citizens with extraordinary leadership qualities to face any challenges in the society.
This year’s awards were presented to Charithma Jinendri and Sasindu Nimsara in recognition of their exceptional bravery and selfless action towards the wellbeing of others.
Speaking at the ceremony, State Minister Tennakoon praised the two award winners for their exemplary acts of heroism and also said that this award presented by the NCC for the first time is quite imoressive abd deserves mention as it is the NCC that trains and inspires schoolchildren through an effective training curriculum which inculcate values and moulds them to become efficient and effective leaders. He made it an opportunity to call upon the youth to join the NCC and empower national development.
Sasindu Nimsara, a Grade 10 student of Kivula Piriwena, Mahakumbukkadawala, Puttlam saved the life of a four-year-old child who was struggling for life after falling into a 36-foot-deep well. Risking his own life, Nimsara jumped into the well and rescued the child.DIG S. M.Y. Seneviratne, senior NCC officers and families of the two award winners were also present on the occasion.
Based on the prevailing disaster situation and the upcoming festive season, arrangements have been made to provide a nutrition allowance worth Rs. 5,000 to pregnant mothers.
This allowance, which will be provided only once, will be given to pregnant mothers who were registered at maternal clinics on or before 30 November 2025.
The distribution will take place through the Divisional Secretariat offices from 16 December, as a program of the National Secretariat for Early Childhood Development, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs.
The Situation Report released by the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) at 6:00 AM today (13th December 2025) confirms that 640 persons have died and another 211 persons are missing due to flooding and landslides that took place in Sri Lanka within the past two weeks.
A meeting between representatives of UNICEF and Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya was held on the 10th of December at the Prime Minister’s Office.
During the discussion, an initial review of the new digitalization policy draft was conducted, and it was emphasized that the new digital policy must be formulated to align with the ongoing education reforms.
The Prime Minister highlighted that the digital policy should be developed in a way that supports all five core pillars of the current education reforms, including curriculum reform, infrastructure development, and administrative restructuring.
It was further noted that the current draft is primarily focused on curriculum-related matters, and the digital policy should be structured to influence the overall education reform process.
Extensive discussions were also held on the importance of digital literacy, NEMIS, the provision of digital infrastructure, and minimizing the existing digital divide.
Attention was also drawn to the gaps in the current teacher training mechanisms , and the Prime Minister stressed the need to reduce paper usage.
The meeting was attended by the UNICEF representatives Dr. Emma Brigham and Deborah Wyburn, Secretary to the Prime Minister Pradeep Saputhanthri, Additional Secretary A.B.M. Ashraff, and several other officials.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
Pregnant Mothers to receive Rs 5000 Nutrition Allowance in December
640 deaths, 211 missing as at 6:00AM today (13)
New Digitalization Policy draft reviewed
The government is taking steps to streamline trade facilitation, customs processes, investment approvals, and improving export facilities – Prime Minister
Showers will occur in the Northern, North-Central, Eastern, Uva, Central and North-Western provinces.
Big fossil fuel companies are responsible for climate crisis but poor countries like Sri Lanka are battered by it – Greenpeace South Asia
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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