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President instructs Finance Ministry to allocate Rs. 50 mn for relief services

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President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed officials to provide immediate relief to those affected by the recent adverse weather conditions across the country, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.

He also instructed the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence to ensure that special attention is given to the safety of people in districts impacted by floods and landslides and to provide necessary support for 
effective relief operations.

The President emphasised that the government will take action to provide necessary assistance to all affected citizens and that Local Government officials in the affected areas ensure that the people receive the required aid.

Until such time, the President requested the public to act cautiously.

Additionally, the President instructed the Ministry of Finance to allocate Rs. 50 million for relief services and urged state officials to ensure proper coordination in delivering the relief to those in need.

According to the Disaster Management Centre, 24,492 individuals from 6,018 families have been affected by floods and landslides in 11 districts due to the adverse weather conditions experienced in recent days.

At present, 2,200 individuals from 584 families are being sheltered in 23 relief centres. 

Relief operations in all affected districts have already begun, coordinated by state officials through the Chief of Defence Staff’s office.

Emergency situations can be reported by contacting the Disaster Management Centre’s hotline number 117 or by calling 0112136136, 0112136222 or 0112670002.

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Colombo – Talaimannar trains resume

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The Department of Railways has announced that the train service between Colombo Fort and Talaimannar will resume today (Nov. 12).

This service had been temporarily suspended due to the railway development project between Mahawa and Anuradhapura.

The new schedule is as follows:

Colombo Fort to Talaimannar:
– Starting Nov. 12, 2024 : Departure from Colombo Fort at 16.15 p.m., arriving in Talaimannar at 22.15 p.m.

Talaimannar to Colombo Fort:
– Starting Nov. 13, 2024 : Departure from Talaimannar at 4:15 a.m., arriving in Colombo Fort at 10:15 a.m.

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Court orders 18 fmr. ministers to be quizzed

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Maligakanda Magistrate Lochani Abeywikrema yesterday (11) ordered to record statements from 18 Ministers of the previous government, including then President Ranil Wickremesinghe and then Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, regarding the substandard drugs purchase case.

The Magistrate gave these orders when Deputy Solicitor General Lakmini Girihagama requested the Court’s permission to record statements from former President, Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers regarding the approval to procure nearly 200 questionable medicinal drugs under emergency procurement by the Cabinet in 2022.

Accordingly, Court ordered statements to be recorded from former Cabinet Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, Douglas Devananda, Susil Premajayantha, Bandula Gunawardhana, Mahinda Amaraweera, Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, Harin Fernando, Ramesh Pathirana, Prasanna Ranatunga, Vidura Wickremenayake, Kanchana Wijesekera, Naseer Ahmed, Roshan Ranasinghe, Tiran Alles, Nalin Fernado and Jagath Pushpa Kumara in addition to the former President and Prime Minister.

The Court also ordered that the suspect Sudath Janaka, a supplier arrested in connection with the substandard drug supplies, to be further remanded until November 25.

(dailynews.lk)

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

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Govt. prioritizes relief for SMEs in SL

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A special meeting was held today (Nov. 11) at the Presidential Secretariat to address relief measures for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) facing financial challenges.

The meeting was led by the Senior Additional Secretary to the President for Finance and Economic Affairs, Mr. G. N. R. D. Aponsu, and included officials from the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, and Sri Lanka Banks’ Association (Guarantee) Limited.

The discussions focused on the financial difficulties encountered by SMEs due to loan obligations.

Currently, debt recovery processes under the Parate law have been temporarily suspended for SMEs, with this suspension set to expire on December 15. The meeting considered potential steps that could be taken before the expiration date to further support struggling SMEs.

Attendees examined ways for the banking sector to provide additional support to SMEs and boost productivity in the economy. During the discussions, it was also decided to compile a comprehensive report on the loans taken by SMEs from banks. This report will serve as a basis for designing future relief measures.

Additionally, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and various commercial banks are evaluating the steps needed for the temporary suspension of debt recovery under the Parate law for SME loans.

The discussion was attended by several key officials, including Mrs. R. R. S. De Silva Jayathilake, Director of Bank Supervision at the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, and Mr. A. M. A. D. Amarakoon, Senior Assistant Director at the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. Also present were representatives from the Sri Lanka Banks’ Association (Guarantee) Limited: Mr. Indrajith Boyagoda, Secretary General; Mr. Dilshan Rodrigo, Chief Executive Officer of Union Bank; Mr. Manoj Akmeemana, Senior Deputy General Manager of Sampath Bank; Mr. Sampath Perera, Deputy General Manager of Bank of Ceylon; Mr. Nalin Samaranayake, Assistant General Manager of Commercial Bank; Mr. Nirosh Perera, Chief Recovery and Rehabilitation Officer of Hatton National Bank; and Mr. Bingumal Thewarathanthri, Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank.

(President’s Media Division)

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