President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that due to the public sector engaging in business activities, the money that was available for the construction of 100 projects similar to the Mahaweli during the past decades, has been destroyed.
He noted that in the future, the public sector will stop engaging in business and open it to the private sector to create a free and productive economy.
President Wickremesinghe mentioned this at the 71st commemoration ceremony of the late Prime Minister D.S. Senanayake at Independence Square today (22).
Recalling that Mr. D.S. Senanayake’s vision was to create a free economy, the President said that business should be done by the private sector and that the country could be developed with the tax revenue obtained from them.
However, due to the nationalization in 1956, the Government started engaging in business and that is why the tax revenue was inadequate for the development of the country, the President pointed out.
He stated that the country has distanced itself from Mr. D.S. Senanayake’s vision, but following his vision, Singapore has become a developed country today and said that despite our politicians dreaming of making Sri Lanka a Singapore, the destruction caused to Sri Lanka in the last 75 years due to the decisions of certain political movements is immense.
Therefore, the President further mentioned that Senanayake’s legacy should be carried forward to build a strong and powerful Sri Lanka.
President Wickremesinghe also laid floral tributes at the statue of the late D. S. Senanayake.
The Chief Incumbent of the Kollupitiya Polwatta Sri Dharmakeerthi Monastery Venerable Dr. Bandarawela Wimaladharma Thera delivered a special sermon.
Member of Parliament Vajira Abeywardena, Senior Advisor to the President on National Security and Chief of Staff to the President Mr Sagala Ratnayake, Senior Advisor to the President on Climate Change Mr Ruwan Wijayawardena, Former Speaker Mr Karu Jayasuriya, Former Ministers Ravi Karunanayake, Rohitha Bogollagama, Karunasena Kodithuwakku, Rukman Senanayake, former Colombo Mayor Rosy Senanayake, former Provincial Councilor Shantini Kongahage, Army Commander Lt. Gen. Vikum Liyanage and several others attended the event.
Several spells of showers will occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Nuwara-Eliya, Kandy, Galle and Matara districts today (July 03), the Department of Meteorology said.
Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in the Uva province and in Ampara and Batticaloa districts during the afternoon or night.
Meanwhile, fairly strong winds of about 30-40 kmph can be expected at times over Western slopes of the central hills and in Northern, North-central and North-western provinces and in Trincomalee and Hambantota districts.
The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
The Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Kahawatte Police has been transferred to the Jaffna Police Division to facilitate the investigation into the youth who was shot dead on June 30 in Kahawatte, Police said.
A 22-year-old youth died while another was critically injured in a shooting incident in the Yainna area of Kahawatte.
The list of eligible families selected for the second phase of the ‘Aswesuma’ welfare benefit allowance has been officially released.
The list has been displayed on the notice boards of all Divisional Secretariat offices and Grama Niladhari officers as well as in the offices of the relevant field officers in charge of the subject. It has also been published on the official website of the Welfare Benefits Board, (www.wbb.gov.lk).
Furthermore, applicants who believe there is an error or any changes in the information provided during the second stage of data collection, and whose names are not included in the list of eligible candidates, have the opportunity to submit an appeal.
Additionally, individuals who submitted initial applications for ‘Aswesuma’ Phase 2 but were not visited by a government field officer for housing data collection are also eligible to appeal.
Before filing an appeal, all applicants are advised to review the information recorded about their households in the IWMS database during the housing data collection process.
Appeals and objections can be submitted through the official website by accessing the Appeals and Objections section. For further assistance, applicants are also advised to visit their nearest ‘Vidatha’ Resource Centre when submitting appeals and objections online.