In an unexpected development, Hatton National Bank Chairperson Ms. Aruni Goonetilleke submitted her resignation yesterday (Friday) at a special meeting of the board and a new chairperson was appointed.

The move surprised the stock market.

Following her resignation, the board decided to appoint Non-Executive/Non-Independent Director Nihal Jayawardene PC as the new Chairman of HNB, with effect from June 9, 2023.

HNB also announced the appointment of Non-Executive/Independent Director Parakrama Devaka Cooray as a Senior Independent Director of the board of HNB, with immediate effect.

Ante LECO, a subsidiary of the Lanka Electricity Company (LECO), has decided to expand the range of electricity meters being manufactured.

Accordingly, the Ante LECO Metering Company has decided to manufacture three-phase meters and smart meters, in addition to the single-phase meters they currently produce, in a bid to fulfill the entire domestic requirement for these three meters.

Taking to Twitter, Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera revealed that with the expansion, the metering company also expects to target the export market in the future.

Ante LECO, a joint venture between the LECO and Ante Meter Company Ltd. of China, currently produces 250,000 single-phase meters per year, supplying the quantity required by both LECO and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB).

The Government has focussed its attention to the Sectoral Oversight Committee report, which was presented to Parliament today (09), emphasizing the concerns surrounding the potential risk to national security resulting from the privatization of Sri Lanka Telecom.

While acknowledging the factual content of the report, the Government believes that it lacks a logical or scientific data analysis pertaining to the subject matter. To address this deficiency, it is necessary to examine the operation and regulation of information and communication technology service providers in Sri Lanka, analyse financial data related to the sector, understand Sri Lanka’s national ambitions in this field, assess the available capital capacity, and conduct a comprehensive study of global trends.

Furthermore, the Government has reassured that the policy decision taken will not compromise national security, contrary to what is indicated in the report.

Hence, the Government will take a final decision during an upcoming cabinet meeting, considering this report along with recommendations from the information and communication sector.

Additionally, the President emphasizes that the current government’s policy is focused on providing opportunities to the private sector, distancing it from direct government involvement.

(President’s Media Division)

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(previous news: 09^th June 2023, 12:32pm)

Parliament SOC recommends not to privatise SLT

The Sectoral Oversight Committee (SOC) on National Security has said that it does not recommend the privatisation of Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT).

This was stated in a report issued by the SOC on National Security headed by MP Sarath Weerasekera.

The report said that matters sensitive to national security can be exposed through the privatisation of SLT.