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UNP compares government to a person afflicted with leprosy
The UNP says that in terms of insensitivity there was no big difference between the government and a person affected with leprosy.
Speaking at a ceremony held at the party headquarters Sirikota in Colombo, UNP Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardene said that the government acts as a leper in the face of mounting problems and people’s suffering and woes.
“Majority of people are starving and they have no ability to get three meals. Construction workers have lost their jobs due to shortage of cement. Owing to a dollar scarcity there is no medicine and milk powder and it is imminent that the situation will turn worse in the coming months since we have lost cultivation of this season and are poised to lose harvest owing to government bungling with organic fertiliser promotion. On top of that, the price of paper has gone up. The Central Bank does not give dollars to printers to import paper. This will render printing text books and newspapers impossible. Presses too would be out of work soon. This will result in children not getting their textbooks. In the middle of all these troubles, the government pours down millions of rupees to celebrate independence as if there will be no tomorrow thereafter,” Wijewardene said.
“We are not against celebrating independence, but the government should have taken into consideration the present situation before engaging in wasting public money on such extravagances at a time like this.
“Our late leader D.S. Senanayake ushered in independence to this country. They did not think that this country would face this sort of mess later on. They did not foresee the country would be ruined to this level. They expected that people would be free economically and socially.
“Look at the way the power cuts are handled and you’ll see that the government has no sense. The Public Utility Commission says in the morning that there will be no power cuts. But by the time of noon, more than half of the country does not have electricity. The government has lost its senses.”
He said that our children who lost their education owing to the pandemic are now posed to lose some more because there would be no school textbooks soon.
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Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
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.
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.
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]
Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
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