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UN Resident Coordinator presents credentials to President Ranil

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Newly appointed United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Mr. Marc-André Franche has presented his Letter of Credence to President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday (24) afternoon.

He has expressed his appreciation to President Wickremesinghe for the longstanding partnership between the United Nations and Sri Lanka. He also reaffirmed the commitment of the UN Country Team to continue working together with the Government and people of Sri Lanka towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Recognizing the challenges of the current situation and pressures on the Sri Lankan people, Mr. Franche welcomed the progress that has been made towards stabilizing the economy. Further to the United Nations and its partners supporting the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic and humanitarian assistance reaching over 3.1 million people during the height of the crisis, he assured that the UN would remain committed to working alongside the Government for an inclusive and sustainable economic recovery, with a particular emphasis on the most vulnerable.

Mr. Franche and President Wickremesinghe further discussed the national commitments of Sri Lanka on the climate agenda as well as the continued efforts aimed at reconciliation, human rights and development initiatives that help improve the livelihoods and wellbeing of communities, including in the Northern and Eastern provinces.

According to the President’s Media Division, the President also presented plans for development & reconciliation in the North & East regions of the country and discussed UN’s assistance in ensuring fair debt treatment during Sri Lanka’s restructuring process.

The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Mr. Franche as the United Nations Resident Coordinator, with the concurrence from the Government of Sri Lanka, on July 08, 2023.

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NPP secures control of 200 LG bodies

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The National People’s Power has secured control of a total of 200 local councils so far.

The NPP also secured majority votes at the Balangoda Urban Council and the Thanamalvila Pradeshiya Sabha today (June 24).

At the recently concluded LG polls, the NPP secured outright victories in 151 LG bodies.

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10 J’pura students unnecessarily charged for hostel damages – CoPE

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During a meeting of the Committee on Public Enterprises (CoPE), it was revealed that ten students of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura were unjustly charged a monetary penalty in connection with damages caused to a university hostel due to a student clash.

The committee pointed out that the amount charged was three times the actual value of the damaged university property, which is the maximum amount that can be legally charged, along with an additional surcharge of 25%. Accordingly, the Vice-Chancellor of the university informed the committee that if there has been an error in the calculation of the charges, steps would be taken to rectify it.

The Chair of the committee further instructed the officials to reconsider the fairness of imposing the fine only on one party involved in the clash, and not both parties.These matters were discussed during the COPE meeting held on the 20th at the Parliament under the Chairmanship of Dr. Nishantha Samaraweera, MP, to examine the audit reports for the years 2022 and 2023 and the current performance of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

The committee held extensive discussions on various issues, including the composition of the university staff, the financial situation, the condition of buildings and constructions, and the relationship between the students and the university administration, emphasizing the need to maintain a student-friendly environment.

It was also disclosed during the committee meeting that the university’s full-time bursar had been released to serve as a non-executive director of a private company. Committee members raised concerns over releasing a person holding a full-time position without consulting the Ministry, describing such decisions as problematic.

Responding to this, the Registrar stated that the bursar was released in a manner that would not hinder her official duties. Nevertheless, the committee was informed of the number of leave days obtained by the bursar and that there had been 44 days in 2024 for which no arrival or departure entries had been recorded. The Chair instructed the Registrar to rectify this information.The committee also had an in-depth discussion about the recruitment of a project manager without a formal public announcement or a proper application process, which was deemed a deviation from the accepted recruitment procedures.

Accordingly, the committee chairman directed the Secretary to the Ministry to investigate and prepare a report on the problematic recruitment practices in the university’s staff appointments.

Further, the committee discussed the university’s financial deposits. It was revealed that although Rs. 10,500 had been charged per student for the 2024 external degree convocation, over Rs. 5.3 million remained unutilized after the event. The committee drew attention to this matter and instructed the officials to determine such fees in a more affordable manner for students. The university administration informed the committee that they have decided to reduce the amount charged for convocations from this year onwards.

Meanwhile, the committee also held lengthy discussions on the existing and past problematic conditions related to the university’s buildings and construction projects.Members of Parliament Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney at Law, Nilanthi Kottachchi. Attorney-at-Law, Ruwan Mapalagama, Asitha Niroshana Egoda Vithana, Thilina Samarakoon, Chandima Hettiaratchi, and Lakmali Hemachandra, Attorney at Law participated in this committee meeting.

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High Posts committee approves appointments of 4 chairmen

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The Committee on High Posts approved the appointment of Chairpersons of four State Institutions recently.

The approval was granted during the Committee’s meeting held on June 20, 2025, chaired by the Prime Minister, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.

The appointments are as follows :

  • Mr. Somasiri Ekanayake – Chairman of the Employees’ Trust Fund Board (ETF)
  • Mr. B. A. P. K. R. Bamunu Arachch – Chairman of the Ceylon Fishery Harbours Corporation
  • Mr. M. R. H. Swarnathilaka – Chairman of the Development Lotteries Board
  • Mr. S. Nesarajan – Chairman of Paranthan Chemicals Limited

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