News
US funded fortified rice shipments begin arriving at Colombo Port
According to a Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission report by U.N.’s World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation, nearly 30 percent of the Sri Lankan population is currently facing food insecurity. Through ongoing initiatives, as well as new funding and food shipments, the United States is working with the Government of Sri Lanka, the WFP, and other partners, to address these needs. An initial shipment of 600 metric tons of fortified rice, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), arrived in Sri Lanka, last week, to support the Government of Sri Lanka’s national school meal programme.
The shipment is part of a larger food assistance initiative by USAID and WFP that includes 3,950 metric tons of fortified rice, 768 metric tons of red lentils, 1,188 metric tons of soya, and a planned 2,310 metric tons of maize. This assistance will help provide school meals and nutritional supplements for 1.7 million children as well as 300,000 pregnant and lactating mothers.
“US-SL relations celebrate 75 years this year, and ours has been a story of friendship and partnership,” said U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung. “The American people swiftly responded when Sri Lanka’s economic crisis reduced access to nutritional food for many Sri Lankans, including children and mothers. This shipment reflects our continued commitment to the people of Sri Lanka.”
The United States has announced more than $270 million in new support to Sri Lanka over the last year. “As one of Sri Lanka’s longstanding development partners, we recognize how critical daily vital micronutrient intake is for young people.
Therefore, child and maternal feeding programmes were one of USAID’s very first assistance interventions in Sri Lanka, more than six decades ago,” said Gabriel Grau, USAID Mission Director for Sri Lanka and Maldives.
“We are grateful for USAID’s assistance, which has enabled WFP to rapidly expand its emergency operation to reach the most food-insecure communities,” said Abdur Rahim Siddiqui, WFP Sri Lanka Representative and Country Director. “The latest shipment of fortified rice,funded by USAID, will support the continuation of the school meal programme, while providing children with added nutrients through a mix of iron and folic acid, relieving parents who are struggling to provide healthy meals to their families.”
Pregnant and lactating mothers will receive Thriposha – a nutrition intervention in Sri Lanka that provides a combination of energy, protein, and micronutrients as a ‘ready-to-eat’ cereal.This initiative is one component of the longstanding partnership between the American and Sri Lankan people to promote economic prosperity and democratic good governance for all Sri Lankans.
News
Formulation of a Draft Economic Development Bill to expedite the process of Digital Transformation and Digital Economic Development
It is essential to establish an institutional framework with legal powers to ensure the effective implementation of national digital policy and guidelines.
Quality human capital should be attracted to this institutional framework for the compilation of policies, implementation of policies, regulation, and empowerment of operations. The continuous participation of the private sector should also be considered in establishing a strong institutional framework.
It has been further identified that attention should also be
drawn to new fields of digital innovation, including support for artificial intelligence and related activities.
Taking into consideration the aforementioned matters, a concept paper has been formulated to prepare a Draft Economic Development Bill for the establishment of a new institutional framework.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Digital Economy to instruct legal draftsman to formulate a Draft Economic Development Bill based on the aforementioned concept paper.
The Sri Lanka Community and Health Survey is the main data source for obtaining necessary information for reviewing progress toward achieving the national health development goals, as well as the expected sustainable development goals by 2030.
The last survey was conducted in the year 2016, and the Sri Lanka Community and Health Survey should be conducted to obtain updated data to enable the collection of related data and indicators concerning the health and well-being targets of the Global Sustainable Development Objectives.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development to take necessary steps to conduct the aforementioned survey.
The access to secure, reliable and affordable drinking water and adequate sanitation facilities is essential to maintain public health, promote social well-being and foster economic development.
The Sri Lankan Government recognizes water supply and sanitation services as both an economic good and a basic human need. Therefore, when pricing for water and sanitation, a balance should be maintained between the financial sustainability of the service providers and the requirement to ensure fair and affordable access for all strata in the society.
Accordingly, the Sri Lankan government has identified the necessity of a national water supply that is sensitive to gender equality and social integration applicable to all water supply and sanitation service providers. At present, there is no formal national framework for setting, reviewing, approving, and implementing tariffs for water supply systems operated by various water supply providers as well as for setting, reviewing, approving, and implementing tariffs for sanitation systems.
Therefore, the Ministry of Housing, Construction, and Water Supply has formulated a water tariff policy covering all water supply service providers under the Sri Lanka Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Reform Program, which is a policy-based loan program implemented under Asian Development Bank funds.
Rana and Mosaddek star as Bangladesh end 21-year wait with crushing win
Formulation of a Draft Economic Development Bill to expedite the process of Digital Transformation and Digital Economic Development
Cabinet approval for Sri Lanka Community and Health Survey – 2026/2027
A National Water Tariff Policy for all Water Supply and Sanitation Services
National Policy on Green Hydrogen in Sri Lanka
Cabinet nod to amend the Customs Ordinance
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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