The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the decision to allow the importation of salt for industrial and consumer use until June 10, 2025.

The Ministry of Trade has said that the decision was reached at the Cabinet meeting held today (May 15).

The Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities held a discussion with representatives of groups with disabilities regarding the key issues affecting the community with disability.

This discussion took place recently (8th) in Parliament under the Chairmanship of Member of Parliament Sugath Wasantha de Silva.

The representatives informed the Caucus of their issues following a request made by the Caucus. The Chair of the Caucus stated that all the proposals and ideas presented would be received with great respect and that appropriate action would be taken by the Committee in this regard.

During the discussion, the attending representatives proposed that a specific quota be reserved for the community with disabilities in all elections. They also proposed the creation of a dedicated web page containing all necessary data related to the community with disabilities, which should be accessible via mobile phones.

Furthermore, attention was drawn to the need for increased facilities for children receiving education through Braille media. They also brought to the attention of the Caucus the proposal previously submitted to the Ninth Parliament regarding the introduction of new legislation for the community with disability and requested that further action be taken on it.

In addition, the Caucus was informed about the shortage of teachers affecting the education of the hearing-impaired community, and proposals were also presented regarding the creation of employment opportunities for persons with disabilities in both the public and private sectors.

State Minister Dr. Upali Pannilage and Hon. Members of Parliament – Dr. Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam, Chandima Hettiarachchi, and Susantha Kumara Nawarathna also participated in this Parliamentary Caucus.

2nd phase of luxury vehicle auction by the Presidential Secretariat Concludes Successfully

The second phase of the auction to sell luxury and decommissioned vehicles owned by the Presidential Secretariat was successfully concluded today (15 May), with over Rs. 200 million in revenue generated, the President’s Media Division says.

A total of 26 vehicles, previously allocated by former Ministers and the former President, to their advisors and staff appointed under Article 41(1) of the Constitution during their tenure, were listed for sale. Out of these, 17 vehicles were successfully sold today with 

The auctioned vehicles included:

  1 BMW car
  2 Ford Everest SUVs
  1 Hyundai Terracan SUV
  2 Land Rover SUVs
  1 Mitsubishi Montero
  3 Nissan Patrol vehicles
  2 Nissan brand cars 
  1 Porsche Cayenne
  5 SsangYong Rexton SUVs
  1 Toyota Land Cruiser Sahara
  6 V8 vehicles

  1 Mitsubishi Rosa air-conditioned bus

With the aim of reducing government expenditure and promoting fiscal responsibility, a decision was taken to auction the vehicles belonging to the Presidential Secretariat.

The decision to auction these vehicles were taken with the aim of reducing government expenditure and promoting fiscal responsibility, the PMD adds.

(Previous News on 15^th May 2025 at 8:57am)

2nd phase of luxury vehicles auction, today

As part of the second phase of the luxury vehicle auction conducted by the Presidential Secretariat, 26 vehicles including luxury and decommissioned models are scheduled to be auctioned today (May 15).

All vehicles set to be auctioned were manufactured within the last ten years. The deadline for submitting bids for these vehicles concluded today (May 14).

Among the vehicles to be auctioned are 01 BMW car, 02 Ford Everest Jeeps, 01 Hyundai Terracan Jeep, 02 Land Rover Jeep 02, 01 Mitsubishi Montero, 03 Nissan Patrol vehicles, 02 Nissan cars, 01  Porsche Cayenne, 05 SsangYong Rexton Jeeps, 01 Toyota Land Cruiser Sahara, 06 V08 vehicles and 01 Mitsubishi Rosa air-conditioned bus.

Previously, under the first phase of this auction, 14 luxury vehicles, six decommissioned vehicles, and various spare parts were sold.

This initiative is part of the government’s effort to reduce expenditure and promote financial responsibility. In the first phase, 15 vehicles, including nine Defender jeeps, were successfully auctioned.

The vehicles being auctioned tomorrow are not part of the official vehicle fleet assigned to the regular staff of the Presidential Secretariat. Instead, they were used by advisors and staff appointed by the former President under Article 41(1) of the Constitution during his term in office.

(President’s Media Division)