Secretary to the Ministry of Industries Shantha Weerasinghe said that the seven percent concessionary interest rate loans will be given from this week to those who are unable to maintain their industries and businesses due to various reasons including the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said that this loan scheme, which will be launched by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Industries, is called ‘Re-Energise’.

The Secretary said that any small and medium-scale industry or business that has collapsed or is unable to be maintained will be encouraged to obtain the loan and restore their business.

The special feature of this loan scheme is that people who are blacklisted (CRIB) too could get the loans. Loans up to Rs. 5 million can be obtained under the scheme and settled in five years with a grace period of six months.

Loans will be given on personal guarantees up to Rs. 200,000 and a property collateral must be submitted for loans above that amount.

The final work on the loan scheme was completed last Wednesday and these loans will be provided through 10 State and private banks.

These loans can be applied for through the Regional Development Bank, People’s Bank, Bank of Ceylon, Sampath Bank, Seylan Bank, Commercial Bank, Cargills Bank, Sanasa Development Bank, Hatton National Bank and Nations Trust Bank.

Another aspect of this scheme is that loans up to Rs.15 million can be applied for investment purposes. For that too, the interest rate is seven percent and the repayment period is 10 years with a grace period of one year.

(sundayobserver.lk)
(This story, originally published by sundayobserver.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

Senior Professor Sudantha Liyanage from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC). 

The appointment, made by  Minister of Transport, Highways and Mass Media, Dr. Bandula Gunawardena, follows the resignation of former Chairman Dr. Prasad Samarasinghe, who stepped down to pursue opportunities abroad.

Liyanage, known for his leadership in the Chemistry Department at Sri Jayewardenepura University, steps into his new role at a time when the SLRC is grappling with significant financial challenges. 

The corporation faces an unpaid electricity bill nearing one crore rupees, which has led to multiple power disconnections under Samarasinghe’s tenure. 

Additionally, Samarasinghe faced criticism for the controversial leasing of a channel Eye to LycaMobile.

The recent appointment has sparked media ridicule and skepticism about Liyanage’s suitability for the position, given his academic background in chemistry rather than media management.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the decision to extend the service of Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam is because he plays a key role as a representative of the committee to coordinate the future activities with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka on the investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks.

The President said so when a group of MPs met him last Thursday and inquired about it. Parliamentarians Wajira Abeywardena, Premanath C. Dolawatta and others had asked the President about this and the allegation made by the Opposition.

The President told them that the report of the Presidential Commission appointed after the Easter Sunday attacks was presented to the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka, Bishop of Kurunegala Harold Anthony Perera and appointed President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake, Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayaka and Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam to discuss it.

The Attorney General is a member of this Committee. The President said that he had decided to extend his service until the end of the discussions as he is continuously holding discussions with the members of the Bishops’ Conference.

The President said that if a new Attorney General is appointed, he will need more time to study these matters and added that he had decided to extend the service period of the Attorney General. The President said that if anybody has an issue regarding that, he could inquire about it from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

(sundayobserver.lk)
(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by sundayobserver.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)