The official welcome ceremony for visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been held at the Independence Square, Colombo today (April 05).
The Indian PM was ceremoniously escorted to Independence Square with a Police Mounted Guard of honour, following which he was warmly welcomed by Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Disanayake.
The official welcome ceremony commenced following the playing of the national anthems of both India and Sri Lanka.
The Prime Minister was received with full state honours, including a ceremonial guard of honour and gun salute, in recognition of his state visit to the country. Subsequently, the Indian Prime Minister inspected the Sri Lanka Armed Forces Guard of Honour.
Following the exchange of state courtesies between President Anura Kumara Disanayake and Prime Minister Modi, members of the Sri Lankan and Indian delegations were formally introduced.
The State Ceremony was attended by Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Speaker of Parliament Jagath Wickramaratne, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath, Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development Anil Jayantha Fernando, Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Sunil Handunnetti, Minister of Health and Mass Media Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources Ramalingam Chandrasekar and Western Province Governor Hanif Yusuf.
On the Indian side, the ceremony was graced by Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, and High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka His Excellency Santosh Jha, along with a delegation of senior officials from both nations.
A special operation has been launched by the Bureau for the Investigation of Abuse of Children and Women and the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA).
The operation was conducted across multiple police divisions including Colombo North, Colombo South, Colombo Central, Nugegoda, Gampaha, Panadura, Kelaniya, Negombo, Mount Lavinia, Kalutara, Tangalle, Anuradhapura, Kandy, Kurunegala, Chilaw, Ratnapura, Galle, and Matara.
According to the police media division, the operation has rescued 21 minors found begging or selling goods in unsafe conditions.
They have been placed under protective care, the statement adds.
The Department of Agrarian Development has issued a notice to landowners with uncultivated land, requesting them to submit reasons for non-cultivation within the next 02 weeks.
Commissioner General – Rohana Rajapaksha highlighted that over 120,000 acres of land, which should have been cultivated, have been abandoned.
All services provided by the President’s Fund to the public will be available through an online system, from today (June 21).
The acceptance of applications for medical assistance under the President’s Fund through Divisional Secretariats island wide commenced on February 07.
Following the successful implementation of that initiative, preparations have now been completed to expand the digital system to include all other services offered by the Fund.
Accordingly, the public will be able to apply online via any Divisional Secretariat across the country for a wide range of services provided under the President’s Fund. These include assistance for poverty alleviation, provision of educational scholarships, recognition of students demonstrating academic excellence, support for individuals with special needs, relief assistance for children affected by wild elephant conflict, recognition of individuals for their national service or contributions to the country, Emergency and disaster relief.
As a result, citizens across Sri Lanka, especially those outside Colombo can conveniently access the services of the President’s Fund without having to travel long distances.