During a recent meeting held by the president, he mentioned the need for developing more comprehensive vocational Training in Sri Lanka
We need to seriously discuss and implement the following plan
The state of welding training and employment opportunities for welders from Sri Lanka
We are discussing the state of welding training and employment opportunities for welders from Sri Lanka
1. numerous training centers in Sri Lanka offer basic welding instruction to young individuals, typically those under 25 years old with at least a GCE O level education. These centers include the Ceylon German Technical Training Institute, Mahapola Ports and Marine Academy, and many others.
2. The training provided by these institutions is often basic and lacks in-depth theoretical knowledge and communication skills. This can result in graduates being ill-prepared for high-quality welding positions, particularly in international contexts.
3. Sri Lankan welders often seek employment abroad in countries such as South Korea, Romania, Singapore, and various Middle Eastern nations. However, the lack of advanced training can limit their job opportunities to lower-skilled positions.
4. Some Sri Lankan welders with more extensive training and experience, such as those from the Ports Authority and Colombo Dockyard, are able to secure better-paying jobs, particularly in the shipbuilding sector.
5. Recruitment agencies in Sri Lanka play a role in qualifying welders and facilitating their employment abroad. These agencies are accredited by a testing agency recognized by the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment.
6. There is a significant demand for well-trained welders with strong skills, theoretical knowledge, and communication abilities. Such welders could potentially earn much higher salaries abroad – in the range of $4,000 to $6,000 per month, compared to the current range of $800 to $2,000 for those with lower levels of training.
7. To address this demand and improve employment opportunities for Sri Lankan welders, there is a need for more comprehensive training programs that go beyond basic welding skills and include advanced techniques, theoretical knowledge, and language skills.
It’s clear that there is an opportunity for Sri Lanka to improve its vocational training programs to better prepare welders for the global job market. This could significantly enhance their earning potential and contribute to the country’s economy by providing a more skilled workforce for international employment.
Rumanian Ambassador Doamna Steluța Arhire called on Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena at the Temple Trees today (February 26).
Prime Minister Gunawardena and Romanian Ambassador held discussions on the long standing bilateral relations between the two countries and the steps to be taken to enter into economic cooperation and investment in new spheres. The Prime Minister urged Romania to consider investments and cooperation in education, agriculture, railways, IT, cyber security and tourism sectors.
Ambassador Arhire, expressing happiness over the four fold growth of bilateral trade to US$ 127 million last year added that her country would sign an agreement with Sri Lanka to avoid double taxation so that trade process could be smoothened. She added that another Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation on education, culture, sports and media could be signed once the draft is approved by both sides.
Romanian Ambassador said 40,000 Sri Lankans are employed in Romania and their contribution to the economy is highly appreciative and they also contribute to Sri Lanka with their remittances. The Prime Minister thanked the government of Romania providing employment to a large number of Sri Lankans in recent years.
The Prime Minister said that he is thankful for Romania’s support to Sri Lanka in the past and made a special mention about the Romanian oil supplies when there was a blockade to Sri Lanka due to nationalization of foreign companies in 1960s and the supply of railway compartments and rails to Sri Lanka.
Minister Vidura Wickremanayake. MP Yadamini Gunawardena and Secretary to the Prime Minister Anura Dissanayake were present on this occasion.
The Sri Lankan government is getting ready to sign ETCA (Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement) with India amidst stiff resistance from the members of the professional groups who consider it as an open invitation to India to exploit the weak Sri Lankan economy as well as the Sri Lankans who are in an unenviable situation.
At a recent discussion on the deliberations on international trade agreements, one professional pointed out that the subject of trade agreements in Sri Lanka was managed only by one senior official of the Sri Lankan government. In all other countries, the subject of international trade agreements is discussed and determined by a group of highly skilled professionals, who look into many aspects such as international trading practices, local imports and exports, the impact on the local population, employment, other local resources, and economic trends. Social mobility of the local population and social aspirations of the population are some areas that should receive clinical evaluation from the professionals who investigate the subject of international trade agreements. Do we conduct such in-depth studies before committing ourselves to vital pacts with powerful nations like India, indefinitely? If so, Sri Lankans would be eager to get feedback from the Sri Lankan government about the feasibility of ETCA.
The CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement), which was rejected by many of the professional bodies as well as trade unions, was withdrawn by the then government. It was a step in the right direction. But ETCA, which we expect to be more comprehensive in all aspects and have a bigger impact, is going to be approved and implemented by the present government. When facing India’s rulers and formidable officialdom, Sri Lanka, as a country that has burrowed substantial amounts of money on account of the recent crisis, has little bargaining power.
It is morally wrong for the government to place the country in such a perilous situation. How can a small nation be expected to stand firm and make the right decisions unfavorable to powerful and strong India even regarding matters which will have destructive repercussions on the economy and the people of Sri Lanka?
Sri Lankan government led by President Ranil Wickremasinghe and the SLPP MPs should postpone the signing of the ECTA and open discussions with the professional groups, trade unions, and interested political and social organisations about the details of the ETCA in the month of March and listen and amend the agreement suitably or reject it.
Senior DIG and Acting IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon has been appointed as the 36th Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Sri Lanka.
This appointment, in compliance with the stipulations outlined in Articles 41C.(1) and 61E.(b) of the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, has been made pursuant to the authority vested on President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the PMD reported.
Secretary to the President Mr. Saman Ekanayake presented the official appointment letter to Mr. Deshabandu Tennakoon this afternoon (26) at the Presidential Secretariat.
Tennakoon had been appointed as the Acting IGP on November 29, 2023.
Contrary to popular views, China is set to lose a war against USA and its proxies. Despite having the largest arsenal of weapons of war, they are untested in battlefield making them fail in a real war as China has not engaged in any serious war. This is one main reason why USA, UK, France, Russia, Israel constantly engage in war. War gives them an opportunity to learn from it, refine their weapons and tactics. China has not had that opportunity.
The least China can do is to send their weapons to Ukraine to face off against the best weapons NATO has. China must supply its weapons to Russia to be used in Ukraine so that their actual performance (not just lab performance) can be assessed, their weaknesses can be identified and rectified, their strengths can be identified and enhanced and duplicated, the optimum command and control structures in their use can be learnt and their complementarity with other weapons systems can be gauged. None of these benefits come to China without actually sending their weapons to fight against Ukraine. The amount of circumstantial evidence China can gather from desktop research is next to nothing.
If China plays the role of a cowardly ostrich in the Ukraine war fearing US sanctions and revenge, then China is a weak third world army with no chance of defending against Taiwan, USA or any other who regularly challenges China’s territorial claims. And Ukraine will be the last opportunity China gets to test their weapons from a safe distance from harm before it will be dragged into a US-led war close to home.
A senior Sri Lankan expert in the maritime industry has reportedly said that Sri Lanka’s marine and offshore engineering industry can be developed to be on par with global players in shipbuilding, marine engineering and offshore construction.
Dr. Sarath Obeysekera, Chairman of Sri Lanka Export Development Board’s (EDB) Advisory Forum on Marine and Offshore Engineering and CEO of Walkers Colombo Shipyard owned by MTD Walkers has been quoted as saying in the state owned Daily News that this would require collective action and support from the industry stakeholders and the Sri Lankan government and Sri Lankan missions overseas.
Addressing a webinar organised by the EDB under the theme ‘Marine and Offshore Engineering Sector,’ Obeysekera has pointed out the strategic location of Sri Lanka and the absence of a marine hub between Dubai and Singapore as a decisive and enticing factor, the news report stated.
He has further urged that Sri Lanka needs to utilise its unique position to take this emerging, timely business to showcase Sri Lanka as one of the best and reliable Marine and Offshore Engineering Services in the world.
He has noted that Sri Lanka possesses some key criteria to win the lay-up business opportunities from international vessel owners for short, mid and long-term lay-ups as well.
According to Obeysekera, Sri Lankan service providers are equipped with all critical engineering, vessel husbandry, crew management, bunkering, repairs, servicing, inspection and certification, etc to cater all kinds of lay-ups.
Sri Lanka already has 100% Sri Lankan owned companies able to provide all the lay-up services to international marine assets with experience and good track record, he has said.
Sri Lanka is sheltered from open seas such as Trincomalee Port and Inner Anchorage and Hambantota. Moreover, other key criteria to win the lay up businesses are minimal tidal currents, good holding grounds for anchors, easy access to airports for crew change and 5 and 4 star hotel facilities. Sri Lankan lay-up locations such as Trincomalee, Hambantota, etc are located closer to major shipping routes enabling quick reactivation when business commences,” Obeysekera has further observed.
The marine and offshore engineering Industry focuses on catering to the demand for oil rig repair, modifications, maintenance, conversion of tankers and ships to FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading), oil field equipment supply, manufacturing and servicing.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka’s marine and offshore engineering industry is on a growth path along with the growth recorded by the country’s ports and maritime sectors. Sri Lanka’s geographical positioning in the Indian Ocean and the prominence given to the island in China’s Belt and Road Initiative have helped Sri Lanka reach maritime hub status in the South Asian region. Therefore, the development of the marine and offshore engineering industry would yield definite results to the respective investor. Foreign businesses/investors could confidently explore business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s marine and offshore engineering industry.
In 2018, shortly after U.S. Congress woman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), ousted incumbent Democrat Joe Crowley in New York’s 14th Congressional District, her office got an unexpected phone call.
It was the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the powerful pro-Israel lobbying group, offering an unsolicited donation of $100,000.
AOC declined the money and has emerged as one of the few voices in Congress willing to oppose Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Now, AIPAC is spending tens of millions of dollars to target progressives aligned with AOC in Democratic primaries.
This AOC story, first reported by The Intercept’s Ryan Grim in his book The Squad,” illustrates how AIPAC leverages its financial might into U.S. policy.
With the death toll in Gaza now approaching 30,000 and Israel preparing a catastrophic ground attack on the 1.4 million displaced Palestinians huddled in Rafah, The Intercept is doubling down on our efforts to expose the power of the pro-Israel lobby in Congress.
You simply cannot understand U.S. policy toward Israel without understanding the power of AIPAC in Washington.
For years, AIPAC has used its deep pockets to reward its friends and punish those who don’t get behind its demand for unquestioning blank-check support for Israel. Often those punishments come in the form of attack ads that don’t say a word about Israel or Palestine, instead hammering Democrats with dubious attacks on issues like immigration or defund the police.”
In 2022, AIPAC spent $30 million targeting progressive Democrats. This year, it’s the #1 funder behind a major primary challenge to Squad member Jamaal Bowman, while Reps. Summer Lee, Cori Bush, and Ilhan Omar are all facing pro-Israel primary challenges.
The Intercept has been closely tracking AIPAC lobbying activity for years. Now, with 30,000 Palestinians dead and hopes for peaceful settlement more remote than ever, it is vital that the public understands the influence of AIPAC.
The Supreme Court has scrapped the Electoral Bond Scheme that allowed anonymous funding to political parties, stating that it violates the right to information (RTI) and can lead to quid pro quo.
The Supreme Court on February 15 scrapped the Electoral Bond Scheme that allowed anonymous funding to political parties.
Supreme Court’s five-judge CJI DY Chandrachud, and Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, JB Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra pronounced the judgement.
The apex court said that the Scheme violates the right to information (RTI), and can lead to quid pro quo. Electoral bonds scheme is not the only scheme to curb black money. There are other alternatives,” the top court added.
Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on the Electoral Bond Scheme said:
– Financial support via electoral bonds to political parties can lead to a quid pro quo arrangement.
– The electoral bonds scheme is not the only scheme to curb black money. There are other alternatives.
– Infringement to the right to information is not justified by the purpose of curbing black money.
– Not all political contributions are made with the intent to alter public policy. Students, daily wagers etc also contribute. To not grant an umbrella of privacy to political contributions only because some contributions are made for other purposes is not impermissible.
– This court recognised the right to information about social, cultural, political and economic issues, and that it is not limited to state affairs but to further participatory democracy principle.
– There are two opinions, one by myself and another by Justice Sanjiv Khanna. Both arrive at the same conclusion. There is a slight variance in the reasoning.
– Issuing bank shall forthwith stop the issue of electoral bonds. “The State Bank of India shall furnish the details of donations through electoral bonds and the details of the political parties which received the contributions,” CJII added.
Reactions Pour In
Commenting on the SC’s judgement, advocate Prashant Bhushan called the SC’s judgement significant” and likely to have a long-term effect on our electoral democracy”.
“In a very significant judgement which will have a long-term effect on our electoral democracy, the Supreme Court has struck down the Electoral Bond Scheme and all the provisions that were made to bring it into effect in the income tax act, in the Companies Act etc. everything has been struck down. They have held that this violates the fundamental right to information of citizens to know about who is contributing this much money to political parties,” Bhushan told PTI.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also welcomed the Supreme Court’s verdict on the Electoral Bonds Scheme. The Congress leader wrote on the X platform, “The Supreme Court has held the much-touted Electoral Bonds scheme of the Modi Sarkar as violative of both laws passed by Parliament as well as the Constitution of India. The long-awaited verdict is hugely welcome and will reinforce the power of votes over notes”.
Electoral Bonds | Petitioners argue that the Scheme is a vehicle for foreign political funding
The Court heard Mr. Prashant Bhushan and Mr. Raju Ramchandran for the petitioners and Mr. Rakesh Dwivedi for the Election Commission oppose the electoral bonds scheme for promoting anonymous political funding. It also heard the Attorney General defend the scheme for protecting donor privacy, while at the same time reducing the amount of black money in political funding.
Mr. Prashant Bhushan appearing for ADR began arguments. Mr. Bhushan argued that the scheme in its current form stifles all prior efforts to bring transparency to political funding. He sought an immediate stay on the Electoral Bond Scheme on the ground that 95% of purchased bonds have gone to the ruling party.
Next, he argued how the scheme and the corresponding amendments made to various statutes like the RBI Act, the Income Tax Act and the Representation of Peoples Act promote donor anonymity. He submitted that Electoral Bonds do not bear the name nor identity of the donor. Further, he submitted that the political party encashing bonds neither have to disclose the worth of electoral bonds in a Contribution Report to the Election Commission nor in their audit reports. He further said that electoral bonds are primarily meant to benefit corporates, citing that out of 3000 crore donated through bonds, most have been in the denominations of 10 lakhs or 1 crore.
The Bench enquired about the exact relief sought by the petitioner. Expressing their inability to scrap the entire Finance Act, 2017, the Bench asked about the specific amendments which are against the law. Mr. Bhushan submitted that the electoral bonds is a non-transparent instrument for funding political parties and violates the principles of democracy. Secondly, he said that the Electoral Bond Scheme has wrongly been passed as a Money Bill under the Finance Act 2017, emphasising the Scheme has no bearing on the Consolidated Fund of India. Mr. Bhushan urged the Bench to either stay the scheme or issue directions that the name of persons purchasing and political parties receiving the donations are to be disclosed.
Next, Mr. Bhushan tried to establish how Amendments to various statutes – the Companies Act, the Income Tax, the FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act), the RBI Act, the Representation of Peoples Act – have been carried out to protect donors’ identity from scrutiny and hide the amount received through electoral bonds. He referred to the amendment brought to the Income Tax Act through Finance Act 2017, which does not require political parties to disclose donor details for the amount received through electoral bonds , even when they claim the Income Tax Rebates on those contributions.
Similarly, under the Amendment to the Companies Act, any Company can donate through electoral bonds. The Amendment removed an earlier cap which prohibited companies from donating beyond a certain percentage of profits. After the Companies Act Amendment, any company even if it is loss making, can donate through electoral bonds and it does not have to show it in their profit/loss balance account.
Next, Mr. Raju Ramchandran appearing for the petitioner CPI (Marxist) began arguments. He said that the electoral bond scheme is made to favour anonymous corporate funding into elections as mostly, it is the larger denominations of 1o lakh or 1 crore which have been purchased.
Next, Mr. Rakesh Dwivedi spoke on behalf of the Election Commission (EC). On being enquired about the stand of the Election Commission, he submitted that they are not opposed to electoral bonds in general, but rather only in their current form. He submitted that the bonds in their current form promote anonymity and non-transparency. He emphasised that this must be rectified. Mr. Dwivedi added that right to know of a voter is not limited to knowing about political candidates, but also extends to political parties.
Mr. Dwivedi argued that in its current form, electoral bonds can become a vehicle for foreign funding of political parties. Hence, bonds must become more transparent and contributions made through them to political parties should be disclosed to the EC.
Further, Mr. Dwivedi said that the insertion of the Proviso to Section 29C of the Representation of Peoples Act, 1951 (via the Finance Act 2017) must be reviewed. The Proviso exempts disclosure of donations received from electoral bonds to Election Commission. He reiterated that the electoral bond scheme should be reformed to bring transparency in its functioning.
Next, Attorney General KK Venugopal appearing for the Union began arguments in defence of the scheme. He argued that electoral bonds have been introduced so that the privacy of donors is protected and that they are not victimised by other political parties. He argued that making disclosures about names and identities of the donors under electoral bond scheme would be in violation of their right to privacy.
AG KK Venugopal further added that the scheme falls within the realm of economic policy decisions, in which the Court must not ordinarily interfere. He said that in a situation where there is no State funding of elections, protection of a donors identity must be allowed.
The Attorney General resumed his arguments by stating that the scheme will help in eliminating black money from elections. He said that the objective of fighting black money is being achieved without compromising on transparency, as the donors have to adhere to Know Your Customer (KYC) banking norms when purchasing electoral bonds. He stated that a fly-by-person who is not known cannot buy these bonds”.
Further, he said that the bonds are valid only for 15 days after purchase, so it cannot be used for purposes other than political funding. He submitted that though the Bond itself neither has the party’s name nor does it have a donor’s name, but the funded political party may know the identity of the donor by checking with the Bank. He concluded by saying that he will file a separate affidavit tomorrow.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe has ordered an investigation into the notification issued to Russian and Ukrainian tourists, requiring them to leave the country within 14 days.
According to the President’s Media Division (PMD), the relevant notification was issued by the Department of Immigration and Emigration without prior approval from the Cabinet of Ministers.
As such, the Government of Sri Lanka has not officially decided to revoke the visa extensions previously granted to these tourists who have been staying in the country since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, the PMD reported.
The Department of Immigration and Emigration recently issued a notice, granting a period of 14 days from 23 February for all Russian and Ukrainian tourists residing long-term in Sri Lanka to leave the country.
The department had stated that it would no longer keep extending tourist visas free of charge for Russians and Ukrainians who had started staying back in Sri Lanka two years ago, owing to the war.
The decision had reportedly been taken owing to concerns over certain foreign tourists running illegal businesses in the country.
Thanks to Cabinet Spokesman, Minister Bandula Gunawardena for revealing that the Sri Lankan Government is running a shortfall of Rs 10 trillion to meet its expenditure with its revenue…We collect only Rs 3 trillion while the expenses are Rs 13 trillion”(The Morning20/02/2024)
This reveals a situation of sheer bankruptcy, a situation out of which we can perhaps, never recover.
What has happened is that since 1978 we have been overspending- living far beyond our means.
Professor Charita Herath has aptly stated in the Lankadeepa of 9/2/24 that we are tatu nodena nayata ka satutuvima” – that we are living happily in sheer debt. He discloses that our foreign debt is now as much as $ 91 billion. When Gotabhaya handed over Sri Lanka to President Ranil the foreign debt was only $ 56 billion. It follows that President Ranil has during 2023 has increased the foreign debt by as much as $ 35 billion- all within one year 2023. This is an alarming increase that shows how the present Government is spending foreign money obtained on loans in an unprecedented manner.
Further, today’s Daily Mirror states that Sri Lanka is within the list of 22 heavily indebted countries, facing strictures by the IMF.
We are doing this spending while poverty is terribly increasing. Poverty has doubled from 13% to 25% between 2021 and 2022(Lanka Web: 19/2/2024). With increases in taxes over half the population live within the bounds of poverty.
Our economy is in serious straits and the present Government is actually spending- adding loans and creating debt, which deserves to be avoided. It is true that we have avoided petrol queues and acute shortages of food, but the phenomenal increase in our foreign debt tells me that our country has merely borrowed more- for instance the petrol queues were stopped by inviting foreign petrol giants to come in and we are now in debt to those international petrol companies. Our book shops are replete with unnecessary novels and our shops are full of unnecessary wares all brought on our foreign exchange!
We have even miserably failed to grab the dollars that come in- the bulk is taken in by private currency dealers, who are not accountable for the dollars they take in- mind you even the foreign banks that collect foreign exchange hold on to the foreign exchange and bid the value upwards when the State Banks have to face a big oil bill as happened on 25 th January 2001, causing an immediate devaluation of 20%!(Page 53 of my book How the IMF’s Structural Adjustment Destroyed Sri Lanka(2022)
Mind you even today foreign passport holders need not pay hotel charges in dollars, while in India, Thailand and all other countries all foreigners have to pay in dollars. Even Multinational hotel booking companies advise the clients to pay our hotels in Rupees, but send their charges- 15% to he hotelier and the hotelier takes that invoice to his bank and it gets paid from our reserves. We have not done our arithmetic right re foreign dollars that comes in.
That is how we have increased our foreign debt. It is sheer misadventure.
A note of warning may be useful for the politicians and mandarins who are responsible – There is Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and the Secretary of his Ministry a very high ranking officer , incarcerated for financial mischief at the moment and the day may dawn for all politicians and officials who are responsible and have resorted to spend unnecessarily to be held behind bars. Generally it is believed that this may happen if the JVP comes into power. However this holding officials and politicians responsible for financial misadventure is happening right now.
Mind mind goes back to my time in the Administrative Service when we had to close the books and ensure that we did not spend what we did not have. All Government expenditure was done with local printed rupees and the incoming dollars were carefully collected and spent on imports-essentials first. That to us was a sacred task and we did it well while also bringing about development, till in 1977 President Jayawardena decided to live on loans as advised by the IMF and commenced the rot. Sri Lanka did not owe a cent to anyone when Premier Sirimavo handed over the country to President Jayawardena at the end of 1977.
It is time for our President Ranil and our elected leader, our Prime Minister Mr Dinesh Gunawardena to think and act to make an immediate change by developing programmes to get our unemployed to make items that are being imported. This is poverty alleviation and will reduce imports. This can be done without spending any foreign exchange. We, have only to follow the last real development programme we had- the Divisional Development Councils Programme directed by Professor HAdeS Gunasekera the eminent professor of economics, which created employment for 33,000 youths. .It would have been far more if not for the JVP Insurrection of 1971 and the JVP Kangaroo Courts that chased all wealthy entrepreneurs out of rural areas.
We in the Administrative Service did work fast.
The Divisional Secretary at Kotmale collected all the waste paper he could find from all the Government Offices in Nuwara Eliya and rolled up his sleeves and worked with the youths in Kotmale to make paper and cardboard. Greetings for this 2024 New Year came to me from the Prime Minister’s Office with a Diary and a GreetingCard made from illuk by the Divisional Secretary at Hewaheta. Instead of following in the footstepps of the Kotmale Divisional Secretary we have since 1978 till today- for almost fifty years exported 8000 tons of waste cardboard to India a month collecting a few coppers and buying the paper and cardboard India make out of it paying dollars. Truly we must have our heads examined!. We do not use waste paper to make paper today.
I may submit for kind consideration two major industries I established in Matara where I was in charge, implementing the DDCP Programme. One was the Mechanized Boatyard that employed around twenty youths who made some 40 seagoing boats a year, which became the flagship industry established by the DDCProgramme. This Boatyard was established by my Divisional Secretary Ran Ariyadasa and his Development Assistant within three months.
Another major industry I established was Coop Crayon- it took three long months of experiments to find the art of making a crayon. This happened within the four walls of the science lab at Rahula College Matara and the key person who found that art of making crayons was no other than Vetus Fernando, my Planning Officer. We fine tuned the crayons to be equal in quality to Reeves Crayons, the best of the day. I entrusted the task of establishing the Crayon Factory to Sumanapala Dahanayake, the Member of Parliament for Deniyaya, who happened to be the President of the Morawak Korale Coop Union. I had only to handover a letter signed by me authorizing him to use Cooperative Union funds, purchase the ingredients the cookers, pots and pans where the liquid was to be boiled and put into glass tubes manually, allowed to rest and each crayon stick handcrafted. In two days time, Planning Officer Vetus, Development Assistant Paliakkara, The Assistant Govt Agent Ranjith, the District Land Officer Chandra Silva moved to Morawaka. It had to be a non stop twenty four hours a day operation, with Vetus and my officers supervising the lads at work . In the second week Sumane got the labels and packets printed and in two weeks time we filled two large rooms with crayons. I was there for the first three nights and on many more nights.
The only problem was that we did all this with the greatest secrecy, The boss of the DDCP Programme Professor HAdeS Guanasekera was unaware. I was certain that he would not approve it. We moved differently. Sumane and I took the crayons and showed them to the Minister for Industries Mr Subasinghe. He was surprised at the quality and agreed to open sales. We rushed back and within that week end got him to open sales, and the sales youths from Morawaka were on the streets selling coop crayon in Matara and Colombo. We faced the problem of having to buy imported dyes in the open market at high prices. I got info that the Ministry of Imports was about to authorize imports of crayons and Sumane and I moved in to meet the Minister Mr Ilangaratne. We first met the Import Controller Harry Guneratne and convinced him that we only needed a fraction of the foreign exchange he was going to spend on imports for us to import some dyes. He was convinced but he wanted us to get the Minister’s approval as this cross allocation had never been done earlier. The moment we showed the crayons we made to Minister Illangaratne he started scribbling on paper and found that his hands were not soiled with colour. He not only gave us an allocation but also shouted for the Controller of Imports to ban the import of crayons altogether. In weeks Morawaka lads were selling coop crayon at both Alimankada and Pamankada.
These two are true stories of how our administrators did work.
My message to the highest elected person in Sri Lanka, His Excellency Mr Dinesh Gunawardena. Please read the Lankadeepa article by Professor Charitha Herath Tatu Nodena, Nayata Ka Satutu Veema” to the effect that our foreign debt has increased to as much as $ 91 billion. Professor Chatitha Herath is a learned professional who can be relied upon.
My message to the Excellency is clear. We do have the ability to tackle our economy and make things ourselves, training the unemployed youths to get cracking. We did it once earlier and dear Excellency we can do it again if only our leaders and the Central Bank approve it.
The recently-discovered Dimbulagala Rock Inscription became immensely popular in the country due to many reasons. It was instantly labelled by media as the, ‘largest inscription found in Sri Lanka’, and, ‘difficult to read and interpret’.
Accepting many of these ‘lucrative’ claims at face value social as well as mainstream media jumped into conclusions labelling it as, ‘difficult to read’, ‘full of mysteries’, and ‘an inscription that will be turning the history of Sri Lanka upside down’. Mainstream and social media also fuelled the spread of rumours that claimed the Department of Archaeology (DoA) is hiding the truth and the mysteries this inscription unveils, and thereby giving birth to many conspiracy theories. Some media reports even claimed that the DoA has failed to read the Dimbulagala Rock Inscription as the Department lacks expertise. Some reports even claimed that the likes of Jayantha Pathiraarachchi – social-media-popular individuals with no professional background in reading inscriptions and the ones who are responsible for misleading the public and severely distorting the Sri Lankan history – should be ‘consulted’ to read and interpret the Dimbulagala Rock Inscription.
The task of reading, copying, and interpreting the inscription in question takes a great amount of time as it is a very large rock inscription and is located in a difficult-to-reach spot on a rock. Also, no inscription has been read, copied, and interpreted overnight, and the results weren’t published within a week or two. It is a painstaking task that should be performed carefully by experts in archaeology and history.
To know the truth about the Dimbulagala Rock Inscription Ceylon Today contacted Prof. Karunasena Hettiarachchi who is on the committee that was appointed to read and interpret the inscription. Prof. Hettiarachchi is an eminent Sri Lankan scholar in archaeology and history. He is attached to the Department of History and Archaeology of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, and has conducted extensive research on the history of Sri Lanka. He is known as an expert in reading inscriptions and is the author of a large number of research publications.
An accomplished academic for the job
Prof. Hettiarachchi has been working with the DoA as an expert in reading ancient inscriptions since 1991. It was in the year 1991 that the then Director General of Archaeology late Dr. Siran Deraniyagala handed over the responsibility of copying and reading the pottery pieces unearthed at the Anuradhapura Salgahawatta (Citadel) excavations. This pottery is known as the first pottery pieces discovered in Sri Lanka that has letters on them. Prof. Hettiarachchi who was a final-year university student during that time, took estampage of the letters and read them. He also has read and interpreted all the inscriptions at Rajagala. Prof. Hettiarachchi has also re-read all the inscriptions at Mihintale and has compiled the findings in a book, which will be published soon.
Location
The recently-discovered inscription is located close to the Dimbulagala Aranya Senasanya, approximately about 2.5 kilometres away from the monastery. The inscription is on the face of a rock slope. Prof. Hettiarachchi said that it is a difficult journey to reach the inscription and that the inscription is located about 1672 feet above the ground level. The inscription is carved on one of the many rocky hills located in the area.
He said that the inscription is carved on the flat, slopy face of a rock that has been naturally cracked which is approximately 52 feet wide and 20 feet tall.
The discovery of the inscription occurred in July 2023 when two villagers went to the forest to collect bee honey and saw the large inscription which was half covered in vegetation. Following the discovery, the regional archaeology office was informed, which conducted the basic survey and confined the information. Then, the DoA was informed and as a result, in August 2023, T.D.A. Dayananda, an officer at the DoA, visited the site to do the initial survey on the inscription.
There are about 10 lines in the inscription, about 1000 letters written in Brahmi script, and about five symbols. The committee that was appointed to read and interpret the inscription collectively decided on the date of the inscription after the research work we did. We carefully studied the letters on the inscription and did a comparative study to decide upon the dates of this inscription. Accordingly, we concluded that the inscription belongs to the 2nd century BCE, which in other words is about 2,200 years old. The inscription could be even older than the 2nd century BCE,” Prof. Hettiarachchi said.
The then Director General of DoA Pradeepa Serasinghe visited the place in September 2023 and as a result, taking estampage of the inscription started in October 2023. By November 2023, the estampage work was completed.
The stamping process
Prof. Hettiarachchi explained that since it is a large inscription, taking estampage and then pasting the paper sheets together is a time-consuming task and also a task that should be done with extra care. He said that the entire inscription was copied on about 300 paper sheets.
Also, he said that the location of the inscription is inside the dense forest among rocky hills; thus, there are no water facilities or places to stay. Also, as the inscription is carved on a slopy rock face, it is not an easy task to take estampage, he revealed.
Once the estampages were taken, the sheets were brought to Colombo and then the pasting task was done, which should be done with great care.
Meanwhile, while the DoA was busy taking estampage of the large inscription, media, and social media were busy creating distorted stories and misleading masses about the inscription.
It was during this time, that an acting Director General was appointed to the DoA. The Acting Director General Nishanthi Jayasinghe was concerned about these rumours and advised to appoint a committee and submit a basic study report about the inscription, within two weeks. Accordingly, a committee of experts was appointed with Dr. Malini Dias as the co-chair of the committee.
Other members of the committee are;
Ven. Kanthale Sumitta Thera (Msc)
Buddhi Nagodavithana (Mphil)
Dhammika Priyadarshani (Mphil)
Panura Dayananda (Msc)
Dr. Dahammi Bandara (PhD in inscriptions)
Ajith Athukorala (Mphil)
Champa Wickramaarachchi (Msc)
Namalee Kannangara (Msc)
Nishantha (serves in the estampage section)
Prof. Hettiarachchi also remembered the service of Douglas Bandara who laboured to take estampages of the inscription and coordinated the work during the early days.
We were called to the DoA on 17 January 2024 to study the estampage of the inscription. Digital photographs of the estampage were taken and we studied them.”
Only 40 per cent of the inscription could be read through the estampages. Most of the letters are decayed. Prof. Hettiarachchi also said that there could be mistakes in the estampage during the process of copying it. It is only through visiting the site, reading it in situ, and studying the surrounding environment (natural and man-made) one can come to a conclusion about an inscription.
However, as we have to submit a report within two weeks, we read the estampage. We also suggested that we need to visit the site and also we need to take a second estampage. Normally, we take two estampage of an inscription to avoid mistakes. Then we compare the two,” the professor revealed.
What does the inscription say?
Talking about the content of the inscription Prof. Hettiarachchi said that the inscription says about an offering to Buddhist monks. Offerings of caves, and the construction and offering of a stupa is mentioned here. Also, there it mentions the construction of a road and supply of water.
The professor also said that names of historical figures are mentioned in the inscription. There are male and female names mentioned in the inscription and some of them could be historical figures we all know such as King Devanampiyathissa, his brother Surathissa, or his father Mutasiva. We need more studies and the expert knowledge of historians to find out who these characters are. Names such as Aya Thisa, Aya Sura Thisa, and Aya Siva could be members of the Anuradhapura Royal Family.”
Answering a question the professor said that there is no evidence to link the inscription to Gautama Buddha nor does it say that the Buddha or his relatives lived in Sri Lanka.
We cannot give instant results when we are reading and interpreting an ancient inscription. It takes time to analyse the words. We consider this as a sacred ancient inscription and a fascinating discovery considering its size,” Prof. Hettiarachchi said.
Prof. Hettiarachchi also said that the inscription looks very neat compared to many other early Brahmi inscriptions in Sri Lanka. The lines seem to be neat and the letters are neat too and carved in similar sizes. In other early Brahmi inscriptions (in Sri Lanka), the letters are of different sizes and also the lines are not on a straight manner (We have explained this in one of our previous heritage articles).
Also, there can be seen many ‘Upper Case’ letters in this inscription which is unique and rare in Brahmi inscriptions in Sri Lanka. Considering all these facts, we can say that an expert in inscriptions and language has written and carved this inscription and also learned people must have lived in this area during that time, Prof. Hettiarachchi elaborated.
He also explained that the inscription could be narrating about a banking system that was in use in ancient Sri Lanka. He compared this inscription with the famous Perimiyankulama Inscription, Labuatabendigala Inscription, and Vavuniya – Thonigala Inscription which mention details about Sri Lanka’s ancient banking system.
He also said that considering the surrounding ancient landscape of the vicinity, this inscription must have been a part of a vast spread of ancient settlements including monasteries, and human settlements.
The history of Dimbulagala
The history of Dimbulagala dates back to the earliest days of Sri Lankan history. According to the Mahavamsa, the Great Chronicle, Dimbulagala is referred to as ‘Dumrak Gala’. The chronicle says that Dumrak Gala was an important fortress during the battle of King Pandukabhaya against his uncles.
Later, it became a Buddhist monastery.
The Late Professor Anuradha Seneviratna writes in Polonnaruwa; Medieval Capital of Sri Lanka (1998), Dimbulagala is a cave temple dating back to the early centuries of Sri Lankan history. A fair number of inscriptions in Brahmi were discovered from Maravidiya, Kosgoda Ulpota, Namalpokuna, and Pulligoda – Galge giving details about the early cave residences of the hermit monks of Sri Lanka. The traditions of these early monks continue even today at Dimbulagala.”
He further writes, Dimbulagala, in early times, was known differently as Dhumarakkhababbata or Udumbarapabbata or Udumbarasalapabbata. During the Anuradhapura Period, there was an important vihara and the Pali commentaries too refer to this sacred place.
The most remarkable contribution came from Parakramabahu the Great in the 12th century. He carried out a purification of the Buddhist order with the help of Maha Kassapa Maha Thera then residing in Udumbaragiri or Dimbulagala.”
Prof. Seneviratna says that the Bhikkus at Dimbulagala were always assiduous in contemplation and study and in training their pupils to lead a religious life. The learned monks at Dimbulagala gave all possible assistance to King Parakramabahu in his religious undertakings.
Dimbulagala (caves in Maravidiya and Pulligoda) is also famous for the exquisite wall paintings found at the place that have been dated to the Polonnaruwa Period, by art historians.
Prof. Hettiarachchi said that during his stay at Dimbulagala, Prince Pandukabhya (5th century BCE) was preparing for a great battle. According to the Vansaththappakasini, a Yakshi named Chethiya, who was the wife of Juthindhara Yakkha helped the prince. The Mahavamsa says that she was a horse-mare. The professor said that by calling her a horse mare, the chroniclers must have meant that Chethiya was a strong and powerful woman.
Pandukabhaya would not have settled here and prepared for war if this area was an abandoned, isolated area. We understand that this was a part of the early urban civilisation of Rajarata and that iron production was done in this area. Prof. Nimal Silva says that Yaksha is the people who were engaged in iron production (Yakada). Pandukabhaya needed strong weapons and armour for the battle and thus, he must have settled in Dimbulagala and worked with Yakshas (those who were engaged in iron production and were strong people) to make his weapons and armour. A large amount of iron production sites were discovered in this area during a survey conducted by the DoA.
Prof. Hettiarachchi also explained that great monks who were renowned all over the country for their wisdom, Dhamma knowledge, and discipline lived in Dimbulagala since the earliest times of history. He stated evidence from ancient literature sources such as the Asgiri Thalpatha, Mahavamsa, Saddharmarathnakaraya and Rasavahini.
We are doing research about the Dimbulagala Rock Inscription and the surrounding area. We have presented our suggestions and requirements to the DoA,” Prof. Hettiarachchi concluded.
New York, February 21 (New York Times): When asked what drives the economy, many Americans have a simple, single answer that comes to mind immediately: greed.” They believe the rich and powerful have designed the economy to benefit themselves and have left others with too little or with nothing at all.
We know Americans feel this way because we asked them. Over the past two years, as part of a project with the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, we and a team of people conducted over 30 small-group conversations with Americans from almost every corner of the country. While national indicators may suggest that the economy is strong, the Americans we listened to are mostly not thriving. They do not see the economy as nourishing or supporting them. Instead, they tend to see it as an obstacle, a set of external forces out of their control that nonetheless seems to hold sway over their lives.
Take the perceived prevalence of greed. This is hardly a new feeling, but it has been exacerbated recently by inflation and higher housing costs. Americans experience these phenomena not as abstract concepts or political talking points but rather as grocery stores and landlords demanding more money.
Income inequality has been in decline over the last few years. But try explaining that to someone struggling to pay the rent. I just feel like the underdog can’t get ahead, and it’s all about greed and profit,” one Kentucky participant noted. It is not necessarily the actual distribution of wealth that troubles people. It is the feeling that the economy is rigged against them.
There is a clear disconnect between the macroeconomic story and the micro-American experience. While a tight job market has produced historic gains for lower-income workers, many of the low-income workers we spoke with are unable to accumulate enough money to build a safety net for themselves. I like the feeling of not living on the edge of disaster,” a special-education teacher in rural Tennessee said. [I am] at my fullest potential economically” right now, but I’m still one doctor’s visit away from not being there, and pretty much most people I know are.”
If there is a singular explanation for dissatisfaction with the economy, it is a lack of financial certainty. While direct government assistance early in the pandemic certainly helped many in 2020 and 2021, millions of households still struggled to get food, and many millions fell behind on rent. These feelings of instability do not dissipate quickly, especially when rising prices make trips to the store adventures in budgetary arithmetic and the threat of an accident or a surprise medical bill looms around every corner. Uncertainty really affects your well-being. It affects what you do. It affects how you behave,” said a unionized airport worker in Virginia who tutors in the evenings.
An absence of economic resilience prevents people from spending time with family, from getting involved in their community and from finding ways to build a safety net. The way the economy is going right now, you don’t know where it’s going to be tomorrow, next week,” a human resources employee in Indiana said. Well-being is about being financially stable. It’s not about being rich, but it’s about being able to take care of your everyday needs without stressing.”
Stress is a rampant part of American life, much of it caused by financial insecurity. Some people aspire for the mansion on the hill. Many others are looking just to get their feet on solid ground.
One does not need to look hard beyond traditional metrics to see the prevalence of insecurity. In June an industry report found that auto loan delinquencies were higher than they were at the peak of the Great Recession. Credit card use has swelled, and delinquencies are at among their highest rates in a decade. After hitting a historic low in 2021 thanks to the expansion of the child tax credit, child poverty more than doubled in 2022 after the tax credit’s expansion expired. Also in 2022, rates of food insecurity reached their highest levels since 2015.
Major role, too. In some parts of the country — particularly rural areas — many people feel they have been left out of the progress and promise of the high-tech economy. Even if their finances remain in good health, they seem to fear for the future of their community, and they blame the economy.
The political system is supposed to make all this better. Instead, even as both major parties have vied to cast themselves as the standard-bearer of the working class, many Americans see politicians as unable or unwilling to do anything to help them. In my democracy, I’d like to see us get rid of Republicans, Democrats,” one Kentucky participant told us. Just stand up there, tell me what you can do. If you can do it, I don’t have to care what you are.” Many Americans seem to see Washington as awash in partisan squabbles over things that have little effect on their lives. Many believe that politicians are looking out for their political party, not the American people.
It should not be surprising, then, that so many are so pessimistic about a seemingly strong economy. A rising gross domestic product lifts lots of boats, but many Americans feel as if they are drowning.
What would make the people we talked to less stressed? The ability to accumulate savings. Low-wage workers have seen their incomes rise only for many of these gains to be wiped out by inflation. And the costs of housing, health care and child care can quickly absorb even a very robust rainy-day fund. Without a safety net that can propel people into security, the threat of these costs will continue to make many Americans feel unstable, uncertain and decidedly unhappy about the economy.
A helpful starting point would be to address benefit cliffs — income eligibility cutoffs built into certain benefits programs. As households earn more money, they can make themselves suddenly ineligible for benefits that would let them build up enough wealth to no longer need any government support. In Kansas, for example, a family of four remains eligible for Medicaid as long as it earns under $39,900. A single dollar in additional income results in the loss of health care coverage — and an alternative will certainly not cost only a buck.
forming these types of cliffs for health care, child care, housing and food assistance programs would allow the millions of households receiving state aid to achieve a sense of stability. Take this mother in Chicago who told us that her income is just above the eligibility cutoffs. The cliff knocks me out of a lot of the opportunity to qualify for a lot of the programs that could assist in benefiting myself and my child,” she said.
The Americans we listened to want resiliency so they can feel that they are in control of their lives and that they have a say in the direction of their community and their nation. They want a system focused less on how the economy is doing and more on how Americans are doing. As one Houston man observed: We’re so far down on the economic chain that we don’t have nothing. It seems like our voices don’t matter.” But they do matter. The rest of us just need to listen.
END
Ms. Cramer is a co-chair of the Commission on Reimagining Our Economy at the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Mr. Cohen is a senior program officer at the American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Kandy, Feb. 24 (Daily Mirror)- Renewing his pledge made during the 2019 Presidential election, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa today said he will focus on the maximum on women’s health if elected as President of this country.
“I was called ‘Pad Man’ during the last Presidential election when I spoke of women’s health. Talking of women’s health is taboo only in Sri Lanka. However, Scotland and New Zealand provide sanitary pads to women free of charge. I will follow these countries and will do the same. You can call me Pad Man,” Premadasa told a women’s convention organized by SJB in Kandy.
The United Republic Front presented the proposal titled A United Step for the Country” to President Ranil Wickremesinghe this morning (Feb.24), at ‘Sirikotha, the United National Party (UNP) headquarters in Colombo.
After engaging in discussions with the President, the leader of the United Republic Front, MP Patali Champika Ranawaka, along with the delegation, presented the relevant proposal to the President.
Speaking at the event President Ranil Wickremesinghe, highlighted the government’s concerted efforts over the past two years to stabilize the country’s economy, which had faced significant challenges.
Stressing the government’s commitment to steering the economy towards recovery through strategic reforms, the President expressed his determination to continue these initiatives with the collective support of everyone.
Recalling his open invitation to all political parties to unite under a common agenda for the country, regardless of political differences, the President reiterated his willingness to embrace constructive proposals from all political parties as part of the nation-building efforts.
The President responded positively to the request made by Member of Parliament Mr. Patali Champika Ranawaka to allow other political parties to participate in the upcoming negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) next month concerning the restructuring of foreign debt.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe, responding queries about the scheduling of elections, affirmed that the Presidential Election will proceed as scheduled, with the General Election anticipated to take place early next year.
UNP Deputy Leader and President’s Senior Adviser on Climate Change, Ruwan Wijewardena, along with UNP Secretary General Palitha Rangebandara were also in attendance at the event. Representing the United Republic Front were Karu Paranavithana, Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe and Attorney at Law, Shiral Lakthilaka.
President distributing land deeds in Galle recently
The Urumaya Programme, aimed at resolving land ownership issues for over two million Sri Lankans, was officially launched on 5 February in Dambulla by Minister Harin Fernando. During the press briefing the Minister is reported to have stated: The programme’s aim is to provide permanent land ownership solutions. Over 10,000 land licensees currently holding Ran Bhoomi, Jaya Bhoomi, and Swarna Bhoomi licences will be among the first beneficiaries of this programme. These licenses will be converted into freehold deeds, granting them full ownership of their land. This move is expected to significantly improve the lives and livelihoods of millions currently struggling with land ownership uncertainties” (news.lk).
Continuing he stated: Our journey is far from over. Many of our citizens have lost homes, land, and their sense of security. To address this suffering, we have launched a special programme – Urumaya” Through this initiative, we aim to bring about positive change for over two million people in Sri Lanka. This involves granting freehold land deeds to those who currently hold licenses like Ran Bhoomi, Jaya Bhoomi, and Swarna Bhoomi. By empowering our people with ownership, we hope to spark a new era of stability and prosperity” (Ibid).
BACKGROUND to the URUMAYA PROGRAMME
Delivering the 2024 Budget proposals, President Wickremesinghe unveiled the ‘Urumaya’ programme, wherein he noted that the land slots distributed among farmers under the licences of the Land Development Ordinance in 1935 would be handed back to farmers” (The Morning, February 18, 2024).
Although around 100 years have passed, the ownership of these farmlands has not been handed back to the farmers who own them. We are handing over the lands to farmers who lost the ownership of their traditional lands during the British colonial era. We expect to commence this task in 2024 and complete it within another few years. Two million families will get the ownership of land and farmland. I allocate Rs. 2 billion for this purpose,” (Ibid).
VIOLATION of the CONSTITUTION
The granting of freehold land deeds to over two million people in Sri Lanka raises several constitutional issues. The most fundamental issue is whether the government has the authority to grant freehold titles to lands and its resources to some, while such authority belongs to the Republic of Sri Lanka and ALL its Peoples as an integral component of their sovereignty.
For instance, the Preamble to the Constitution, which some consider to be of little significance, while others consider it to be the very embodiment of the core values of the Constitution states: The PEOPLE OF SRI LANKA having, by their Mandate freely expressed and granted …. entrusted and empowered their Representatives …to draft, adopt and operate a new Republican Constitution…whilst ratifying the immutable republican principles of REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY, and assuring to all peoples FREEDOM, EQUALITY, JUSTICE, FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS…”.
Arising from these core principles, Article 3 states: In the Republic of Sri Lanka sovereignty is in the People and is inalienable ….” The fact that Sri Lanka is a Republic is what makes its assets part of the sovereignty of all the People. Furthermore, since it is the PEOPLE of Sri Lanka that have entrusted and empowered their Representatives to carry out functions on their behalf, such Representatives do not have the right to grant part of the People’s sovereign rights and/or its resources that are inalienable, to a select few. However, it is imperative that a strategy is developed to address the issue at hand without violating provisions of the Constitution.
OPINION of the SUPREME COURT SUPREME COURT JUDGMENTS RELATING to LAND S.C. 884/99 BULANKULAMA AND OTHERS v. SECRETARY, MINISTRY OFINDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AND OTHERS (EPPAWALA CASE AMERASINGHE. J.
Jurisdiction
The Constitution declares that sovereignty is in the People and is inalienable. (Article 3). Being a representative democracy, the powers of the People are exercised through persons who are for the time being entrusted with certain functions. The Constitution states that the legislative power of the People shall be exercised by Parliament, the executive power of the People shall be exercised by the President of Sri Lanka, and the judicial power of the People shall be exercised, inter alia, through the Courts created and established by the Constitution (Article 4)”.
The organs of State are guardians to whom the people have committed the care and preservation of the resources of the people. This accords not only with the scheme of government set out in the Constitution but also with the high and enlightened conceptions of the duties of our rulers, in the efficient management of resources in the process of development, which the Mahavamsa, 68.8-13, set forth”.
Other Lordships of the Supreme Court have also commented on the fact that certain Constitutional procedures need to be followed when granting or disposing of State Lands or other resources that belong to the People in the Republic. It is the unilateral action taken under the Urumaya Programme without following due process as called for in the Constitution, that makes this Program illegal.
A Brief Guide on Land Rights in Sri Lanka” states:
State Land is alienated: • By Permit • By Grant • By the President
State land is all land that the State is lawfully entitled to, or land which may be disposed of by the State together with any building standing thereon, and with all rights, interests and privileges attached thereto. This also includes lands of various Corporations and Boards. State land is administered at national, provincial, district and divisional levels by the relevant government officials” (Centre for Policy Alternatives, 2014).
By Permit:
Permits are issued to particular categories specified in the relevant laws such as low-income earners and those who are landless. Permit holders can use the land as specified in the permit including as a residence and/or for cultivation purposes. Permit holders are required to pay a nominal monthly rental to the State. Permits can be issued as an annual permit or also known as ‘LDO permit’ when issued under the Land Development Ordinance” (Ibid).
By Grant
(Swarnabhoomi, Jayabhoomi, R a n a b h o o m i, Ranbima – Permit-holders can convert their permit into a grant or a deed, if they meet specific conditions” (Ibid).
By the President
The President can grant or lease State land at a nominal price or rent it for charitable, educational, religious, scientific or any other purpose” (Ibid).
Therefore, according to the Brief Guide” State Land cannot be converted to freehold deeds that grant them full ownership of their land under the Urumaya Program without conforming to the above guidelines.
Since State-Owned Enterprises also form part of the sovereignty of the People, the intended proposal to privatise them, also faces the same restrictions. It is reported that the Mahanayake Theras of Malwatte, Asgiriya, Ramanna and Amarapura chapters have in a letter addressed to the President appealed to him to exercise caution about the sale of national assets such as state-owned enterprises” (TheSunday Times, 18 February, 2024).
PROPOSED STRATEGY
The reason for granting freehold deeds is to enable current Permit holders to use the asset as collateral to raise a loan since existing provisions cited above are considered too restrictive. Therefore, it is pertinent to consider what the existing restrictions are and consider what refinements could be made to existing provisions in order to mitigate the administrative impediments as much as possible while conforming to Constitutional provisions.
The strategy adopted by current Permit holders of State-Owned Assets is to form themselves into a Cooperative. Each member of the Cooperative pays a monthly stipend. These are forwarded monthly by each Corporative to the Development Co-Op Society for use by its members to secure loans relating to Paribooga Loan (livelihood) and/or Housing Loan. The process involved to secure a loan is quite rigorous and involves an evaluation of the capability of the member to honour required loan commitments by the Grama Niladhari and members of the Development Co-Op Society. This procedure has enabled members of the Cooperatives to secure loans in the range of Rs. 800,000/= to one million.
The granting of freehold title to current Permit holders, amounts to converting State land on which the asset is cited into Private land. This is a violation of the collective sovereignty of the People. Therefore, existing provisions granted to Permit holders should be revised in a manner where the Permit has a legitimacy equivalent to a title deed for all administrative purposes, except for the land on which the asset is cited.
Furthermore, if Permit holders are entitled to nominate a beneficiary, the interests of the original Permit holder would continue as it would be if the asset has a freehold title. If on the other hand, the original Permit holder did not have a beneficiary of choice, the asset would revert back to the State. Such possibilities should be explored with caution instead of rushing to grant title deeds to People that may have the potential to disappoint them if they find that the deeds they received are not legal.
CONCLUSION
The intention of the President to correct an injustice by handing back traditional lands belonging to farmers that were taken over 100 years ago during British Colonial Rule, is indeed noteworthy. However, there is a need to be conscious of the present context. That context is that Sri Lanka is a Republic and Article 3 of the Constitution states: In the Republic of Sri Lanka sovereignty is in the people and is inalienable”. That being the case, Sri Lanka’s lands, its assets and resources belong to the People. Furthermore, since nearly all Sri Lankans have endured injustices of one kind or another, it is Illegal to correct the injustices committed against some, at the expense of the rest. This is what the Urumaya Programme is all about.
Therefore, it is incumbent on the part of the President and others associated with the Urumaya Program to act cautiously and revisit the legality of the Urumaya Programme before it is too late. If they proceed regardless, there is a strong possibility that beneficiaries of the Urumaya Programme may have to face disappointment later if it is found to be illegal. A similar note of caution has been issued by the Mahanayake Theras of Malwatte, Asgiriya, Ramanna and Amarapura chapters regarding State-Owned Enterprises.
There is a tug of war going on in the north of Sri Lanka between the Buddhist and non-Buddhists over Buddhist temples in the north. Neither side is prepared to give in. The Buddhist temples at Navatkuli( Jaffna) and Vadunagala ( Vavuniya) have faced strong opposition.
In 2009 57 Buddhist families were brought in and settled in Navatkuli. They were Sinhala families that had been driven out of Jaffna in 1984 and 1990. Navatkuli is located 6 km from Jaffna. ‘Kalana Mithuru Daham Sabha’ across the country sponsored the construction of a new temple at Navatkuli. It was named Navatkuliya Sri Samiddhi Sumana Viharaya.
The Navatkuli vihara was completed in 2013. It was promptly bombed. In 2017 the residents wanted to start work on a new stupa. The Chavakachcheri Pradeshiya Sabha refused permission. The Chavakachcheri Pradeshiya Sabha filed a case against the construction of the Chaitya. It was taken up for hearing at the Chavakachcheri Magistrate’s Court.
Chavakachcheri Magistrate S. Chandrasekeran ordered the Chavakachcheri Pradeshiya Sabha to permit the construction of the temple’s stupa without any hindrance. Her verdict was publicly applauded by the Sangha. The Magistrate has said that she respects Buddhism even though she is a Hindu devotee, reported Ven. Sooriyawewa Sumedha.
The enshrinement of sacred relics took place in July 2019, amid a large gathering of devotees and invitees. The chief incumbents of Nagadeepa Rajamaha Viharaya and Navatkuli Sri Samiddhi Sumana Viharaya and Buddhist priests performed the religious observances. The Commander of the Security Forces ,Jaffna, Deputy Inspector General, Northern Province, Northern Naval Commander, members of the armed forces, representatives of the all island ‘Kalana Mithuru Daham Sabhas’ and devotees participated in the event.
Tamil Separatist Movement protested. Tamil National Peoples Front (TNPF) led the protest against the temple. They said they were objecting, to the Buddhistization in Navatkuli .”Famous War Criminal” Shavendra Silva was the guest of honor in this Buddhistization event, they said.
Navatkuli is a strategically a very important location, Eelamists observed. Two important Jaffna roads, A32 and A9 are intersecting at Navatkuli. These two roads are the only land route between the Jaffna Peninsula and the rest of the island. A Buddhist temple at this location would help the Buddhists control access to Jaffna.
Vadunagala or Vaddamana pabbatha Vihara in Vavuniya is an ancient Buddhist monastery that is mentioned extensively in ancient chronicles and inscriptions as a major Buddhist monastery , wrote Ama Vanniarachchi. Its cave inscriptions dated 3 BC to 1 BC are included in Inscriptions of Ceylon. The Department of archaeology had gazetted the area as an archaeological reserve in 2010.
Vadunagala has been turned into a Contested Site” by the Tamil Separatist Movement . Tamil Separatist Movement announced that Vadunagala is an ancient Hindu site not a Buddhist one..In 2018 Vavuniya North Divisional Secretary has requested in writing, from the Director General of the Department of Archaeology, permission to build a kovil at this ancient monastic site. The Director General of Archaeology had informed them that no new construction can be allowed at this archaeological site.
As a result, a massive protest was staged in front of the Vavuniya North Divisional Secretariat on August 22 2018 demanding that the Vadunagala site be taken away from the Department of Archaeology , reported Global Tamil News.
The protestors included Vanni district parliamentarians Sivasakthi Aananthan and Shanthy Sriskandarajah, NPC members Mayilvakanam Thiyakarajah, G.T.Linganathan and Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam, ex-parliamentarians Suresh Premachandran and Vinotharalingam, ex-NPC member Senthilnathan Mayuran, Pradeshya Sabha members, representatives of various political parties and members of All Ceylon Saiva Maha Sabha , administrative body of the temple, village people, and public organizations.
The people of this area have been worshiping in this place for five generations, the protestors said. Archaeology Department has imposed a ban on our visiting this ancient Hindu temple. This ban was temporarily lifted and the people were allowed to worship, but told that they cannot renovate the temple or build new structures there.
A memorandum addressed to the President was handed over by the protestors to the Vavuniya North Divisional Secretariat. Then, the protestors has gone to the Vedukkunari temple to worship, concluded Global Tamil News
In September 2019, an organization named Adi Sivan requested permission to fix a speaker to conduct a sound Pooja at Vadunagala. Using this as a pretext, a flight of stairs has been constructed to climb to the top of the rock .
In September 2020, the Vavuniya North Divisional Secretary requested permission from the DG Archaeology to conduct a shramadana at the site. The DG Archaeology informed them that permission cannot be allowed for such activities at an archaeological site.
Undaunted, Tamil Separatist Movement continued to take control of Vadunagala. They destroyed the stupa and installed a Hindu image there. A cave with Brahmi inscriptions was filled with soil and levelled. The ketarama was destroyed. The forest reserve around the cave was also destroyed and the entire archaeological site was burnt.
In 2020 the Tamil Separatist Movement had built a kovil there named Vedukkunarimalai Aadisivan Kovil,. Then they removed the notice board set up there by the Department of Archaeology declaring it to be an archaeology site. https://youtu.be/Sz8hEJAg1xk narrated by Ama Vanniarachchi shows the changes made to the site. They show two Hindu statues and a trident.
In 2023 Buddhists woke up to the fact that the Buddhist ruins as Vaddamana Pabbata had been vandalized. The ancient stupa had been removed and replaced by a Siva Linga. Today, the ancient Vaddamana Pabbata Vihara is a kovil. it is in a completely devastated state, and no legal action is being taken to protect the site, Buddhists said.
The two sides vigorously complained against each other to the Police. Both complained of vandalizing. The Department of archaeology complained in 2018, 2019 and 2020 that Vadunagala ruins were interfered with.
In 2018, The members of the ‘Kovil’ administration committee were summoned to the Police Station and warned against unlawful entry to Vadunagala reserve and causing disturbance. They were told that they must obtain the permission of the Director General of the Department of Archaeology, before they engaged in religious activities in the future.
On the 26th of March 2023, Thambirasa Madhimugarasa who said he was the priest of ‘Vedukkinari Malai Aadhi Lingeshwaran Kovil’ made a complaint to Nedunkerni police that that Hindu statues are Vadunagala had been damaged. On inquiry police found that the area where the incident had occurred fell within the Nainamadu Forest Reserve. A case was filed at Magistrate courts, Vavuniya.
In April 2023, Department of archaeology complained again that new constructions had taken place. The Kovil’ administrators said that it had been done consequent to an order from Magistrate’s Court of Vavuniya . That was not so. The Hindu group had been permitted by Magistrate court to replace the damaged Hindu statues but the group had instead put in place new large Hindu statues. The ‘Kovil’ Committee members were warned to act strictly in compliance of the Court order and not to proceed beyond what was permitted by the said order. This case is also currently pending before the Magistrate’s Court of Vavuniya.
In May 2023 A Fundamental Rights petition was filed in the Supreme Court seeking an order directing the authorities to take immediate action to secure and protect the Vadunagala Pabbatha Viharaya Archaeological site in Vavuniya District. As far as I can see, the petition says nothing about the Tamil Separatist Movement It targets the police.
The petitioners were Ven. Galgamuwe Shanthabodhi , Brig. (Rtd) Athula De Silva, journalist Shenali D. Waduge, businessman Jihan Hameed, Nilhan Paul Fernando and Upali Jayasinghe Bandara..
The petitioners stated that Vaddamana Parvatha (Pabbatha) Viharaya Archaeological site is located in the Nainayamadu Forest in the district of Vavuniya. Vaddamana Pabbatha Viharaya, a Buddhist monastic complex, dates back to the early Anuradhapura era. It has a long history. In 2010 this place was rediscovered and re-identified by the Department of Archaeology and was gazetted as a protected monument.
The petitioners alleged that in 2018, acts of vandalism occurred in this place, where the floor of one of the caves with Brahmi inscriptions was filled with soil brought from outside and levelled. The bricks from the brick stupa were removed and an image of a Hindu God has been inserted.
The Petitioners stated that the actions or inactions of the respondents, including IGP Chandana Wickramaratne, Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles, Senior DIG Vijitha Gunaratne, DIG Ampawila, SSP Chamika Wickremasinghe and others are willful, negligent and unreasonable and have vehemently violated the fundamental rights of the Buddhist Citizenry duly guaranteed under Article 10, Article 12.1 and Article 14 (1) (e) of Sri Lanka’s Constitution. The case is pending. ( continued)
Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said that it is most regrettable that not a single Supreme Court verdict has been delivered in Sinhala so far. He also emphasized the imperative need to prevent the attempts by interested parties to push Sinha la into the pile of abandoned and extinct languages.
He stated this at the International Mother Language Day event organized by the National Language Education and Training Institute of the Ministry of Public Administration, the Official Language Commission, the Official Language Department and Sinhala Studies Department of Ruhunu University held on 21.02.2024 at the Sri Lanka Foundation, Colombo.
The Prime Minister further said;
In the past, we did not have big buildings as centres to teach Sinhala language or to teach Buddhism.
Today, when people talk about constructing buildings for schools. But Sir D. B. Mr. Jayathilaka and the early leaders along with the Buddhist Theosophical Society fostered the Sinhala language and education in small huts covered with coconut branches in village to village across the country. Even at that time, there were heavy rains and droughts. There are many challenges faced by the children of our country. We did not get help from the English government at that time. But our village leaders donated lands. Schools were established. It is to nurture the Sinhala language.
The existence of a nation is not survived by statistics alone. In short, if we want to nurture our language, nourish it and protect it, it is essential to research on mother language and enrich it to face dangerous threats.
During the Colonial government, the police wrote complaints from the villagers in English. Complaints were not written in their own language. The Sinhalese and Tamil countrymen complained in their respective languages. At that time, there were a number of Malays. You can imagine how the English language was used to write the complaint. Those who claim they want to promote justice, ruled our country without giving us that justice we deserve.
The United Nations currently concludes that one language dies every two weeks. Hence, a proposal has been made at the United Nations for the protection of mother tongues.
Rabindranath Tagore used the Bengali language to awaken the people of entire India. He used Bengali lyrics, literature and music to instil patriotism among the people. Later a new country Bangladesh came into existence.
The government alone cannot prevent the attempts to push Sinhala into the pile of languages that were abandoned and extinct. However, the government has the responsibility and obligation to protect the unique identity of the people. For that it is mandatory to protect the mother tongue and its related spheres.
The mother tongue is as valuable as mother’s milk. We must not forget that language is a factor that adds value to life. By turning it into a process that we do voluntarily, different rules and regulations are made to deal with it. A national awakening and a process is needed to implement them. It is to be appreciated if the university sector, higher education and research sectors are more involved for this purpose.
Today, officials of the relevant departments were called to the Ministry of Public Administration by us to instruct them to correct many issues. We need to take immediate steps to contact the officials of the official language department and the heads of the remote rural departments to give similar instructions. If we do not take such steps one by one, our mother tongue may become isolated from our people. Let us rule out that possibility. I wish to give my respect to all those who dedicated themselves for the cause of mother language for a long time.
The Speaker still reads out the verdicts given by the Supreme Court in English. The parliamentarians said that no Supreme Court decision has been delivered in Sinhala. Another group of MPs said that verdicts have not been in Tamil too. There are many victories still far away from us. There is still a long way to go. I would like to mention at this time that we should dedicate ourselves more to the task of achieving it. Also, there is a prime need to create translation labs, to produce a generation with knowledge of translation from universities and related departments. There are no translators today. Due to lack of translators, service extensions have to be given to the retired people. The most difficult task according to public administration regulations is to extend service after retirement.
It can be protected by the United Nations General Assembly resolution on protecting the mother tongue and the Constitutional provisions of our country. Even more, this process will be a huge strength and encouragement to make the process to secure our own motherland.
Chancellor of Ruhunu University Ven Dr Akuratiye Nanda Thera, Bangladesh High Commissioner Tariq Ariful Islam, Public Administration Ministry Secretary Pradeep Yasaratne, diplomats, officials, university deans, professors, university students, representatives of various organizations participated in this event.
22/02/2024, Colombo – Forty countries from the Asia and Pacific region today agreed that transforming agrifood systems was imperative to providing food security for their children’s generation and beyond, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported today.
The summation was delivered at today’s close of the 37th Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC37). The conference was hosted by the Government of Sri Lanka
Forty countries of Asia and the Pacific attended the APRC, with the vast majority attending in-person, including some 20 government Ministers. It was the first time since 2018 that a large in-person gathering of the region’s food and agriculture Ministers and other policymakers was convened by FAO, and is seen as emblematic of the attention needed to recover from the pandemic and disruptions caused to food production and distribution that has plagued many countries in the region ever since.
A wake-up call to learn from the past – and each other.
The global pandemic, coupled or followed closely with a shortage of food, feed fuel, fertilizer and access to finance, caused food price to jump significantly. Lessons were learned and many called it a ‘wake-up call’ to ensure that food affordability and availability and agricultural production must be a global priority.
Food and agriculture are now at the centre of the global development agenda and this is an opportunity for all of us, including civil society and private sector organizations to decisively reimagine and reshape agrifood systems for global economic, social and environmental benefits,” said Jong-Jin Kim, FAO’s Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific. This transformation will be important for you to maintain a sustainable environment and increase biodiversity, while providing opportunities for decent jobs for people. That is the added value of modern farming,” Kim said to the delegates at the end of the four-day conference.
Kim called on the FAO Member Nations gathered to address these issues holistically. We must do this together with all relevant key partners, not only with the Ministers for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, but also with Ministers for Welfare, Women, Children, Environment, Science, Education, Trade Investment and Finance. These are their duties too. So, we must work together as a team.”
Science and Technology are constantly evolving. In the agrifood sector, we should lead,” said Kim. Agriculture, food and nutrition are at the core of humanity’s needs – and the world casts its eyes towards Asia and the Pacific region for leadership. As the Director-General said – we are the Agents of Change,” Kim added, referring to the opening statement to the conference by the FAO Director-General, Dr QU Dongyu.
Conclusions and recommendations going forward – Better Production, Better Nutrition, Better Environment and a Better Life – leaving no one behind.
In the final report to the APRC – FAO’s regional governing body – it acknowledged several important points for further action by FAO and other actors.
It noted ‘the main challenges facing the region relate to its ability to sustainably increase productivity and innovation, particularly in the face of resource limitations, climate change risks and the region’s growing population as the medium- and long-term outlook highlights’ and emphasized the importance of transparent, predictable, open and fair markets, underpinned by an effective multilateral trading system, for food security.’
The report went on to recognize ‘the importance of digital innovations and blended finance, engaging the private sector in mobilizing resources for resilient, inclusive and sustainable agrifood systems transformation. It also highlighted the need to focus on specific issues including local food systems, low carbon, resilient and sustainable practices, and water issues; strengthen efficient, inclusive and resilient value chains and markets; boost initiatives under the Paris Agreement; and develop global standards for biosecurity and food safety, important for agrifood systems, early warning systems and anticipatory action.’
Transforming capture fisheries and aquaculture towards sustainability in Asia and the Pacific region
The report highlighted the Asia-Pacific ‘region’s leadership in capture fisheries and aquaculture, contributing with over 70 percent of global production; the aquaculture sector is projected to grow by over 20 percent by 2030. It also acknowledged that when managed and developed sustainably, aquatic food systems, in both marine and freshwaters, including aquaculture and fisheries of the region, contributed significantly to improving food and nutrition security and livelihoods, specifically enhancing women’s participation along the value chain.’
The Conference welcomed FAO’s Blue Transformation vision in the context of Asia and the Pacific region ‘to increase the contribution of fisheries, aquaculture and aquatic foods value chains to provide a more significant proportion of nutritious food and resilient livelihoods in the region, while recognizing that Blue Transformation promotes sustainable aquaculture intensification, effective management of all fisheries and upgraded value chains to ensure the social, economic and environmental viability of aquatic food systems.’
Amidst the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines emerged as a beacon of hope, offering humanity a vital tool against the deadly virus. However, recent research has introduced a concerning twist to this narrative.
Since the onset of the pandemic, approximately 13.5 billion COVID-19 vaccines have been administered worldwide, marking a significant milestone in the fight against the virus. Notably, around 71% of the global population has received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine.
Despite the widespread vaccination efforts, a recent peer-reviewed study has now sparked health concerns among this substantial portion of the global population. Its findings have linked COVID vaccines from prominent companies such as Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca to rare occurrences of heart, brain and blood disorders.
Researchers from the Global Vaccine Data Network, a research arm of the World Health Organisation (WHO), conducted the largest COVID vaccine study to date. It analysed expected versus observed rates of 13 medical conditions considered adverse events of special interest” in a study population of 99 million vaccinated individuals across eight countries.
Here are some key associations the study found:
Rare cases of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart) identified in recipients of first, second and third doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s and Moderna’s mRNA vaccines. Highest rate observed after second Moderna dose, with a 6.1-fold increase compared to expected rates.
6.9-fold increased risk of Pericarditis, another heart condition, in individuals who received a third dose of AstraZeneca’s viral vector vaccine. 1.7-fold and 2.6-fold increased risks in recipients of Moderna’s first and fourth doses, respectively.
2.5 times greater risk of rare autoimmune disorder Guillain-Barre syndrome and 3.2 times greater risk of blood clots among recipients of AstraZeneca’s vaccine.
3.8 times greater risk of neurological disorder acute disseminated encephalomyelitis after the Moderna vaccine and 2.2-fold increased risk after AstraZeneca’s vaccine.
Vaccination Still Better than Infection: Experts
In spite of these findings, experts emphasise that the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks. For instance, the likelihood of experiencing neurological events or heart inflammation is significantly higher after contracting COVID-19 than after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
The odds of all of these adverse events is still much, much higher when infected with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), so getting vaccinated is still by far the safer choice,” CEO of biotechnology company Centivax Jacob Glanville, who is not involved in the study, told Forbes.
In navigating the complex landscape of risks and benefits, the overarching message remains clear: vaccination remains an indispensable tool in the fight against COVID-19, offering a pathway toward overcoming the disease’s pervasive grip on global health and well-being.
ජාතික මතවාදය වෙනුවෙන් සැමවිටම පෙනීසිටිමින් ජාත්යන්තර වශයෙන් හා දේශීය වශයෙන් ඒ වෙනුවෙන් තම හඬ අවදිකරමින් රට වෙනුවෙන් තම මාධ්ය භාවිතාව හැසිරවූ ප්රවීන මාධ්යවේදිනී ෂෙනාලි වඩුගේ මහත්මියගේ ආදරණීය මෑණියන් වූ ශ්රීමා වඩුගේ මහත්මිය ඉකුත් දා අභාවප්රාප්ත විය. 
