During President Anura Kumara Disanayake’s four-day state visit to China, Sri Lanka marked a significant milestone by securing the largest foreign direct investment to date. This significant achievement was formalized this morning (16) with the signing of an agreement between Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Energy and Sinopec, a leading Chinese international petroleum corporation.
Under this $3.7 billion investment, a state-of-the-art oil refinery with a capacity of 200,000 barrels will be constructed in the Hambantota region. A substantial portion of the refinery’s output is planned for export, further enhancing the nation’s foreign exchange earnings.
This major investment from China is expected to bolster Sri Lanka’s economic growth while uplifting the livelihoods of low-income communities in the Hambantota area. Moreover, the benefits of this project are anticipated to positively impact the overall Sri Lankan population in the near future.
The signing ceremony was attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Labour and Tourism Vijitha Herath, Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation Bimal Rathnayake and Director General of Government Information H. S. K. J. Bandara, alongside other dignitaries.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports today distributed cricket equipment to 30 selected schools in the Western Province that currently do not offer cricket.
The programme is done with the goal of ensuring that every child interested in cricket has the opportunity to pursue the sport, despite their economic status. It is also expected to be expanded to all districts in the future.
The distribution was held under the patronage of Deputy Minister of Sports Sugath Thilakaratne at the Ministry premises.
Officials from the Ministry, principals, teachers, and students from the selected schools participated in the event.
President Anura Kumara Disanayake has appointed Mr K.G.P. Pushpakumara as the Chief Secretary of the Western Province.
The official letter of appointment was handed over to Mr Pushpakumara today (June 06) at the Presidential Secretariat by Secretary to the President, Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.
The government has decided to present a bill to abolish pensions for Members of Parliament at the upcoming Cabinet meeting.
Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, Ananda Wijepala, stated that the bill has been finalized by the Legal Draftsman and is scheduled to be tabled in Parliament next month.
In addition, the Minister announced that the issuance of vehicle licenses to MPs has also been suspended, as part of broader efforts to reduce public expenditure and restore trust in political accountability.
(dailynews.lk)
(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by dailynews.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)
