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Special commemorative stamp, coin issued for 75th Independence Day

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The commemorative stamp issued by the Philatelic Bureau and the special commemorative coin issued by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka on the occasion of the 75th National Independence Day, was presented to President Ranil Wickremesinghe this morning (02) at the Presidential Palace in Kandy.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe received the commemorative stamp from the Minister of Mass Media, Transport and Highways, Dr. Bandula Gunawardena, and the commemorative coin was presented to the President by Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of the Central Bank.

The Philatelic Bureau issued the Rs. 50 stamp and first day cover in keeping with the practices followed over the years on such significant events. The new stamp could be purchased from all post offices and sub-post offices in the island from today.

Additionally, the Sri Lanka Philatelic Bureau has created special stamp windows at Kandy, Trincomalee, Kurunegala, Galle, and Negombo where customers can purchase this commemorative stamp with the first-day cover.

In conjunction with the 75th Anniversary of Independence, the Sri Lanka Postal Department has organized the Independence Stamp Exhibition and Museum Exhibition from the 6th to the 12th of February from 9.00 am to 7.00 pm at the Postal Headquarters premises located at D.R. Wijewardena Mawatha, Colombo 10.

Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) issued an uncirculated commemorative coin in the denomination of Rs. 1000 to mark the 75 th Anniversary of Independence.

The national flag of Sri Lanka is embossed on the middle of the coin, and the number “75” is displayed there in bold numerals. The words “Independence Commemoration” are printed in English, Tamil, and Sinhala along the top edge of the coin. Around the lower edge of the coin’s periphery is the year “1948 – 2023.” In big numerals, the face value “1000” is displayed on the centre of the coin. The national emblem of Sri Lanka appears above the face value. The year “2023” is at the bottom edge of the coin. Words “Sri Lanka” in English, Sinhala, and Tamil appears along the periphery on the upper edge of the coin.

Minister of Transport, Highways and Mass Media Dr. Bandula Gunawardena, State Minister of Media Shantha Bandara, President’s Senior Adviser on National Security and President’s Chief of Staff Mr. Sagala Ratnayake, Secretary to the President Mr. Saman Ekanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Media Mr. Anusha Palpita, Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Acting Postmaster General Mr. S. R. W.M. R. P. Sathkumara, Deputy Postmaster General (Operations) Mr. Rajitha K. Ranasinghe, Deputy Postmaster General (Central Provinces) Mr. Chamisha de Silva, Director of the Philatelic Bureau Mr. Lanka de Silva, Senior Publicity Officer Mr. Channa Munasinghe and several other officials were present on the occasion.

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Showers expected in part of the island today

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Several spells of light showers will occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in the Nuwara-Eliya, Kandy, Galle and Matara districts today (July 04), the Department of Meteorology said.

Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in the Uva province and in the Ampara and Batticaloa districts during the afternoon or night.

Meanwhile, fairly strong winds of about 30-40 kmph can be expected at times over the Western slopes of the central hills and in the Northern, North-central and North-western provinces and in the Trincomalee and Hambantota districts.

The general public has been requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

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IMF grants waivers despite obligation breach & erred reporting

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The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reviewed non complying purchases made by Sri Lanka under the 2023 Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) as well as inaccuracies of information reported to the IMF.

However, the IMF has decided to grant waivers and not pursue further action, citing corrective measures and a commitment to reform by Sri Lankan authorities.

Following the Executive Board’s discussion, Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair – Mr. Kenji Okamura, has issued the following statement:

“The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reviewed non complying purchases made by Sri Lanka under the 2023 Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (“EFF”), as well as a breach of obligations under Article VIII, Section 5. The noncomplying purchases arose as a result of the provision of inaccurate information by the authorities on the stock of expenditure arrears at the first, second, and third reviews under the EFF.

“The inaccuracies in information provided to the IMF were inadvertent and arose because of weaknesses in the timely reporting of arrears by line ministries to the Ministry of Finance, as well as a misunderstanding by the authorities of the definition of “arrears” under the Technical Memorandum of Understanding. 

“The Executive Board positively considered the authorities’ corrective actions, the fact that arrears repayments will be accommodated within the existing fiscal envelope, and the authorities’ commitment to improving public financial management procedures in line with the new PFM law, to reduce the risk of accruing arrears or inaccurate reporting of information going forward. In view of the above, the Executive Board agreed to grant waivers for the nonobservances of the quantitative performance criterion that gave rise to the noncomplying purchases and decided not to require further action in connection with the breach of obligations under Article VIII, Section 5.”

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Abdul Wazeeth appointed to Parliament from SLMC national list

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Abdul Wazeeth of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) has been appointed as a Member of Parliament, the National Election Commission has announced.

His appointment comes following the resignation of former MP M. S. Naleem, who had entered Parliament through the SLMC National List after the 2024 parliamentary election.

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