News

Ensure no one in need is overlooked – President

Published

2 years ago

February 14, 2023

editor

President Ranil Wickremesinghe instructed officials to ensure no one in need is overlooked in providing rice to low-income families.

In addition, the President directed the officers to purchase adequate rice to feed 2.85 million (28,50,000) families subject to a maximum of Rs. 20 billion.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe made these remarks today (14) while attending a discussion related to the purchase of paddy at the Ministry of Defence.

The President further instructed that the paddy be purchased, milled and the rice be distributed among low-income earners through a transparent mechanism.

Previously, it was decided to allocate Rs. 10,000 million to purchase 61,600 metric tons of paddy under the program of providing 2 million low-income families with 10 kg of rice each per month over a period of two months, free of charge.

However, it was revealed during this discussion that 2.85 million families have been identified as being in need of this assistance.

Accordingly, President Ranil Wickremesinghe directed the officials to implement the program for all those people.

President Wickremesinghe further stated,

ìThe Government is set to purchase rice worth Rs. 20 billion to distribute to 2,850,000 low-income families as part of its food security program. The government will protect the rice price by providing a guaranteed price. District and Divisional Secretaries have been delegated the task of purchasing paddy stocks. The government will not sell rice, and a full-time team will be deployed to take this program forward.

A formal mechanism for distributing rice to eligible people in all 25 districts will be developed. The government is taking measures to prevent large-scale paddy mill owners from exerting unnecessary influence in purchasing paddy. The government aims to label the grant given to low-income families as “relief rice” to prevent its resale. Members of Parliament are being consulted, and discussions are on-going with the District Secretaries.

However, this necessitates the deployment of a full-time team. The agreement was expressed during the discussion with the security forces to release a group of officials from Ministry of Defence for this purpose.

Obtaining accurate data is crucial for the program’s progress. If government officials are uncooperative at the village level, a contracted team should be recruited to expedite data collection. They should receive priority for future vacancies, and retired officials may also provide assistance. All activities must be completed within a designated timeframe.”

News

Maldivian President’s office officials on study tour at Prez secretariat

Published

13 minutes ago

June 23, 2025

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Officials from the Maldivian President’s Office arrived at the Presidential Secretariat today for a study tour. They are expected to remain in Sri Lanka until June 27th.

The primary areas of focus for their study tour include archives and records maintenance and preservation, stores management, inventory control and stock preservation.

During their visit, they are scheduled to tour the Department of National Archives, Sri Lanka Customs, Thimbirigasyaya Divisional Secretariat and the Parliament of Sri Lanka.

Eight officials from the Maldivian President’s Office are participating in this study tour. They met with Mr. Roshan Gamage, Senior Additional Secretary to the President, at the Presidential Secretariat and engaged in a discussion.

A group of officials from the Presidential Secretariat also attended the meeting.

(President’s Media Division)

News

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, arrives in SL (Update)

Published

41 minutes ago

June 23, 2025

editor

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has arrived in the island for an official visit.

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(Previous update 2025/06/23 at 9:11 am)

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk arrives in SL today

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights – Volker Türk, is scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka today (June 23).

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism, he is to remain in the country until June 26.

This is the first visit by a UN Human Rights Chief to Sri Lanka since February 2016.

During his stay, he is expected to meet with the President, Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, several other Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament, senior Government officials, religious leaders, representatives of civil society, members of the diplomatic community and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka.

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Sri Lanka grants clearance for FAO ship

Published

2 hours ago

June 23, 2025

editor

Sri Lanka has officially granted clearance for a research vessel operated by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations to conduct scientific research in Sri Lankan territorial waters, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism said.

The vessel is scheduled to carry out its mission from August 15 – August 20, 2025.

Dr. Fridtjof Nansen is a research vessel that conducts surveys, collecting vital data on fish stocks, biodiversity, and oceanographic conditions. It sought to carry out research activities in Sri Lankan waters, but the government had earlier denied access for it in the absence of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for foreign research vessels.

This posed the possibility of a cancellation, which could have deprived Sri Lanka of over USD 01 million worth of support while affecting future Green Climate Fund initiatives. It was also reported that the next possible deployment would not occur until after 2030.

A year-long moratorium on foreign research vessels expired in December 2024 followed by a cabinet decision in late January to appoint a special committee to amend the SOP for granting diplomatic clearance to foreign research vessels in Sri Lanka.

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