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WB urges GoSL to stay the course on reforms for recovery

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World Bank Managing Director for Operations, Anna Bjerde, concluded her four-day visit to Sri Lanka today, encouraging the Government of Sri Lanka to stay the course on reforms for recovery and sustainable growth. 

She also underscored the World Bank’s continuous commitment to investing in people, strengthening human capital, and creating jobs.

Bjerde met with Sri Lanka’s President and Minister of Finance – Ranil Wickremesinghe, cabinet ministers, representatives of opposition parties, civil society, private sector, development partners, and World Bank project beneficiaries.

She participated in a roundtable hosted by the President with key ministers, private sector representatives, and development partners—including members of the MDB+ platform, which includes Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and bilateral development partners. The platform enables member institutions to coordinate their engagement with Sri Lanka. The roundtable focused on Sri Lanka’s progress on structural reforms, mobilizing private capital for development, supporting job creation, human capital development, and regional cooperation.

As Sri Lanka recovers from a series of unprecedented shocks with devastating impacts, it is crucial to stay the course on sound and timely reforms in order to stabilize the economy while fostering economic growth that can attract investment, generate jobs, protect the poorest and most vulnerable, and build resilience to future crises. But equally important is the need to strengthen governance, citizen engagement, and social cohesion, a must for inclusive growth,” said Bjerde.

Her trip included visits to World Bank-supported projects in the Northern and North Central Provinces related to agriculture, health, climate change, private sector development, and financial inclusion for women.

“During my visit, I heard about the challenges Sri Lankans face. Skilled professionals are leaving the country, farmers are struggling to cope with a changing climate, and entrepreneurs are constrained by a lack of investment and access to credit. But I also saw huge opportunities to scale up climate-smart agriculture, harness renewable energy, boost entrepreneurship, promote competitiveness and regional connectivity,” added Bjerde. “The World Bank will continue to support Sri Lanka on its journey to recovery, connecting farmers to markets, strengthening access to healthcare, boosting innovation, pursuing transformation through infrastructure investments, and creating quality jobs for women and youth.”

The World Bank has been a partner to Sri Lanka for more than 70 years, providing financial and knowledge support to the country.

At the onset of the economic crisis in May 2022, the World Bank moved fast to help protect the people of Sri Lanka—particularly the poor and vulnerable—from the worst impacts by repurposing funds from the existing portfolio. In addition, the World Bank was one of the earliest responders to the crisis and initiated a coordination platform with the Asian Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to align emergency assistance to help sustain basic services and commodities.

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The National War Heroes Commemoration tomorrow at Kotte Cenotaph

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The 16th National War Heroes Commemoration Ceremony will be held on Monday (19 May) at the National War Hero Cenotaph in Sri Jayawardenepura, Kotte, from 4.00pm to 6.00pm.

A series of island-wide community welfare programmes will also be carried out by armed forces, Police and Civil Security Department in view of the War Hero Commemorations.

Deputy Minister of Defence Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd) is expected to represent President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the event. Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda and Marshal of the Sri Lanka Air Force Roshan Gunathilleke are also scheduled to attend the ceremony.

The Ministry of Defence on Friday convened a press conference to announce the preparations for the ceremony. Commanders of the Navy and Air Force, Army Chief of Staff, senior military officials and Ministry representatives were present at the press briefing.

Defence Secretary Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd) underscored the national significance of the annual commemoration, paying tribute to the brave men and women of the armed forces, Sri Lanka Police and Civil Security Department who laid down their lives in the defence of the nation.

He reiterated the Ministry’s and the Tri-forces’ commitment to preserving the memory of fallen heroes, ensuring that their legacy of patriotism, sacrifice, and unwavering commitment to duty continues to inspire future generations.

During the briefing, officials of Ranaviru Seva Authority and armed forces provided an overview of the ceremonial proceedings, which will include wreath-laying, special tributes, and military honours, with the participation of distinguished guests, military personnel, and the families of war heroes.

The event seeks to serve as a solemn occasion for the nation to express its gratitude and respect for those who selflessly served the country’s sovereignty and national security.

The Ministry of Defence calls upon all citizens to stand in solidarity in remembering the nation’s war heroes, reaffirming collective appreciation for their dedication to protecting the country and its people.

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NMRA chief resigns, citing threats to life

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Saveen Semage, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA), resigned with immediate effect yesterday, citing threats to his life.

On May 9, CCTV in his home captured two men breaking in and walking around the residence for around half an hour from 11.30pm to midnight. They were observed peeping into the bedroom where Dr. Semage slept. His wife and children were also asleep in the house.

Dr. Semage, a public health specialist, was appointed to the position in January 2024. He was also previously CEO from November 2021 to May 2022, when he resigned over differences with former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella. He was brought back last year by Ramesh Pathirana—who replaced Minister Rambukwella after he was forced to resign over irregularities in drug procurement—to clean up the drugs regulatory mechanism.

However, he faced stiff resistance from the pharma industry, particularly in his efforts to break drug monopolies and oligopolies that were blamed for rigging tenders (typically agreements among competitors to fix prices, allocate markets, or engage in other anticompetitive activity). He was also a victim of social media attacks largely blaming him for being politically motivated.

“There was a lot of tension within the NMRA and the pharmaceutical industry during the last two to three weeks because of my efforts in pricing and in breaking monopolies and oligopolies to save public funds,” Dr. Semage told the Sunday Times. “I think the break-in was a threat in an effort to remove me.”

“During the past 15 months, the NMRA has cleared the backlog of registrations and streamlined re-registration for drugs. He was also able to trace fake documents and to kick-start a digitalisation process that abruptly came to an end in 2021 when the NMRA database was mysteriously erased. During his term, the Authority also doubled its staff, taking in 30 new pharmacists, among others. The National Advisory Committee and Appeals Committee were also put in place, and a pricing mechanism, along with guidelines, was published.

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

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Dual citizenship backlog: 1000 to be issued soon

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The Department of Immigration and Emigration is struggling with a backlog of more than 3,000 dual citizenship applications piled up over the past few months, with some papers submitted more than seven months ago remaining unattended.

At least 1,000 of these applications have got the all clear from the relevant authorities, including clearance from the Police and the State Intelligence Service (SIS), but the applications have stalled at the department level, the Sunday Times learns.

The main dual citizenship applicant is required to pay US$ 2000 (around Rs 600,000), with the spouse and unmarried children below the age of 22 paying US$ 500 each. It is this category of applicants who contribute substantially to the income of the department.

Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala, when contacted by the Sunday Times, admitted the clearance of dual citizenship certificates had slowed down and said that he had instructed the department to immediately begin the issue of certificates to around 1,000 applicants whose background checks had been completed. They will receive the certificates within a week.

“There has been a delay, but I have instructed the department officials to ensure that the work is expedited,” he said. The department’s citizenship division, which handles the applications, comes under a deputy or assistant controller.

Many dual citizenship applications are submitted through Sri Lanka’s overseas missions. “Applicants are inconvenienced by the delay in the issuing of the certificates, as those who have taken foreign citizenships need the dual citizenship from here for their land/property transactions, financial activities, etc.,” an applicant told the Sunday Times.
According to the performance report of the department for 2023, more than 7,300 dual citizenships were issued, but the latest statistics are not yet available.
Meanwhile, the Department of Motor Traffic has run out of new number plates.

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

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