The Ministry of Education has announced the launch of a special nationwide program aimed at supporting students facing psychological distress.

The initiative will involve the active participation of professional psychiatrists and mental health experts.

This decision follows a spate of several suicides and other critical mental health emergencies reported recently within universities.

The draft bill to establish a Gambling Regulatory Authority has been gazetted under the directives of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.

The Gambling Regulatory Authority will be established as an independent body with a broad and comprehensive mandate.

The Bill has been drafted to provide for the establishment of the Gambling Regulatory Authority, to repeal the Horse Racing Betting Ordinance, the Gambling Ordinance, and the Casino Ordinance, and to make provisions for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

Once tabled in Parliament and passed, the draft bill will come into effect as the Gambling Regulatory Authority Act.

Environment Minister – Dr. Dhammika Patabendi has announced that National Environment Week will be observed from May 30 – June 05, in line with World Environment Day on June 05. 

This year’s global theme, “Let’s End Plastic Pollution,” will guide nationwide efforts to promote sustainable environmental practices.

At a media briefing held yesterday (May 28) at the Department of Government Information, the minister outlined the week-long campaign’s key objectives, aligning with the government’s flagship Clean Sri Lanka initiative. 

The program aims to foster a culture of environmental stewardship and sustainable living and each day of the week will highlight a specific environmental challenge:
May 30 – Plastic Waste Management Day
May 31 – Air Pollution Reduction Day
June 1 – Environmental Cleanliness Awareness Day
June 2 – Biodiversity Conservation Day
June 3 – Water Conservation Day
June 4 – Coastal Cleanup Day
June 5 – Tree Plantation & National Environment Day Celebration

The national ceremony will be held on June 05 at Nidahas Mawatha, Kegalle District, under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Disanayake.

Dr. Patabendi highlighted alarming statistics regarding plastic pollution: between 2012 and 2018, Sri Lanka imported over 3.3 billion kilograms of plastic, with only 30% being recycled annually. In 2020 alone, the country generated 938 MT of plastic waste per day, of which a staggering 638 tons went uncollected, with over 8.45 tons ending up in natural water sources daily.

The Minister also emphasized the serious health and infrastructural impacts of poor plastic waste management, including rising dengue cases, blocked drainage systems, and frequent urban flooding.