Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment, Arun Hemachandra, stated that more than 26,000 expatriates have submitted applications for new passports through Sri Lankan embassies and high commissions abroad.
The applications have been received by Sri Lankan embassies and high commissions abroad and have been pending for almost two years.
The Deputy Minister further stated that some individuals are also facing numerous problems due to the expiration of their passports.
The Deputy Minister further stated that some individuals are facing various issues due to the expiration of their foreign passports.
It has been reported that this issue has caused difficulties for expatriate workers and students studying overseas in carrying out their future activities.
A discussion has been held with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment and the Department of Immigration and Emigration to find an immediate solution to the issue.
However, the Deputy Minister mentioned that efforts will be made to resolve the problem as much as possible before the end of this month and emphasized that the current government is not responsible for creating this crisis.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister Arun Hemachandra also requested the public not to seek assistance from intermediaries when preparing foreign passports or obtaining information related to foreign employment.
The National Transport Commission (NTC) has said that an investigation into the recent incident where a student fell from the footboard of a ‘Sisu Sariya’ school bus, has revealed that the accident had resulted from the careless and negligent behaviour of both the driver and the conductor.
Issuing a statement, the NTC noted that, based on the preliminary findings, the Road Passenger Transport Authority of the North Western Province has taken steps to temporarily suspend the services of the driver and conductor involved.
Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation – K.D. Lal Kantha has announced that the government has decided to import 300,000 MT of maize.
Speaking to the media after attending a District Development Committee meeting at the Kandy District Secretariat yesterday (July 03), the Minister explained that this decision was taken to prevent traders from artificially inflating maize prices.
He stated that certain large and medium-scale businesses dealing with animal feed have been hoarding maize, buying it from farmers at fair prices and reselling it at much higher rates.
According to the Minister, these traders were trying to push maize prices up to Rs.190-200 per kilogram, which would have driven up the cost of eggs to Rs.200 each and increased meat prices significantly.
The Minister emphasized that while businesses are entitled to make a profit, the government will not allow unfair price manipulation. He also noted that, in the past, even ministers profited from animal products, but those days have ended and racketeers will not be allowed to control the market.
To prevent excessive price drops that could hurt farmers, the Food Security Committee has proposed imposing a tax on imported maize, he said.
