News

NHDA lost Rs. 5,564 Mn during Sajith’s tenure

Published

11 months ago

July 8, 2024

editor

The government has incurred a loss of over Rs.5,564 million due to the informal provision of housing loans during the tenure of Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa as the Housing Minister from 2015-2019.

The loans of 53,709 beneficiaries given when Sajith Premadasa was the housing minister had to be restricted due to this, National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) Chairman Rajeev Sooriyarachchi said.

Due to the effort the government had been able to save over Rs.7,852 million. During the period of 2015-2019 when the current Opposition Leader was the housing minister, seven housing projects had been initiated. National Housing Development Authority Chairman said that these informal housing loans have mostly happened in 2018 and 2019.

Years 2018 and 2019 are periods in which the Local Government Election and the Presidential Election were held in Sri Lanka.

In the year 2019 alone, the construction of 62,994 houses had been started although allocations were only for 40,500 houses.

During 2015 and 2019, Premadasa had started the construction of 341,510 houses, but only 233,578 houses had received the necessary provisions.

Accordingly, it was not possible to provide future loan installments for 1,07,932 housing recipients.The reason is the lack of necessary provisions.

(dailynews.lk)

(This story, originally published by dailynews.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

News

COVID subvariants spreading in Asia detected in Sri Lanka

Published

10 hours ago

May 31, 2025

editor

The Medical Research Institute of Sri Lanka has confirmed that the COVID-19 variant currently spreading in the Asian region has also been identified in the country.

Dr. Jude Jayamaha, a specialist in viral diseases at the Medical Research Institute, stated that patients infected with the Omicron subvariants LF.7 and XFG are being reported locally.

Dr. Jayamaha explained that this finding was confirmed through research conducted on biological samples collected from several hospitals across the island.

However, he emphasized that there is no need for undue fear regarding these COVID-19 variants.

Health authorities have also stressed the importance of vulnerable groups—such as pregnant mothers, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses—following health guidelines, including wearing face masks and avoiding crowded places.

Dr. Jayamaha reiterated that new COVID-19 variants emerge periodically, and health authorities are continuously monitoring the situation, so the public should remain calm.

(newswire.lk)

(This story, originally published by newswire.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

News

Anudi misses out from Miss World Quarter-Finals

Published

10 hours ago

May 31, 2025

editor

The Miss World organization has announced its quarter-finalists, selecting 40 contestants from across Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Sri Lanka’s Anudi Gunasekara, was not selected in the top 40, despite being recognized for her impressive performances in the Multimedia and Head-to-Head challenges.

The top 40 consisted of 10 contestants each from Asia & Oceania, Europe, Africa and the Americas.