Feb 17 (ST) CEB has appointed a committee to introduce a curtailment mechanism for solar power systems to cut production when electricity demand is low. If implemented, the move will be a blow to small-scale power producers who have invested in the hope of both returns and cheaper electricity bills. 8-member committee is headed by National System Control Centre (NSCC) Chief Engineer W.A.R.S. Weeratunga. more..

Feb 17 (NW) Inayet Akbarally, the Chairman of Akbar Brothers Group and a pioneering figure in Sri Lanka’s tea industry, has passed away. A stalwart in the trade, Mr. Akbarally, alongside his late brothers Abbas and Abid Akbarally, co-founded Akbar Brothers, which went on to become Sri Lanka’s largest tea exporter for over 30 years. His leadership and vision played a pivotal role in shaping the company into a diversified conglomerate with a strong global presence. more..

Feb 17 (AD) Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has held a meeting with SL’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath on the sidelines of the 8th Indian Ocean Conference in Muscat on Sunday (16). “A productive interaction with FM Vijitha Herath on sidelines of 8th Indian Ocean Conference.” “Took stock of our wide-ranging cooperation. Committed to the economic recovery and progress of Sri Lanka,” Jaishankar posted on ‘X’. more..

Feb 17 (DM) Sri Lanka’s canned fish manufacturers are seeking the removal of the 18% VAT imposed on locally produced canned fish to ensure accessibility for low-income families to the cheapest source of protein in order to tackle malnutrition among lower-income households. Local consumption of canned fish has dropped from around 300,000 tins per day two to three years ago to approximately 200,000 tins as of now. “Canned fish is actually meant for the poorer people of Sri Lanka. more..

Feb 17 (DN) Sri Lanka has climbed to No. 5 in the ICC ODI rankings following their dominant 174-run victory over Australia, sealing a 2-0 series win at home. This marks SL’s biggest-ever win against Australia and extends their unbeaten home ODI series record since the 2023 Asia Cup. Team will now take a break from international cricket before hosting Bangladesh in June. With SL missing out on the 2025 Champions Trophy, the focus will be on rebuilding & preparing for future tournaments. more..

Feb 17 (TM) Despite the current Govt’s pledge to curtail privileges for MPs, ministers, and other govt officials, the Ministry of Health has allocated nine double cabs and cars for the personal staff of the Cabinet and Deputy Ministers of Health and Mass Media, with a monthly fuel allocation of close to 2,000 litres. Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa and Dr. Hansaka Wijemuni are serving as the Cabinet Minister and Deputy Minister of Health and more..

Feb 17 (Island) The UNP and its breakaway faction SJB have failed again to reach a consensus on joining forces, ahead of the forthcoming Local Govt elections. Formal talks between the two parties were likely to be suspended pending LG polls, sources said, adding inflexible positions taken by some politicians undermined the reconciliation effort. The talks had fallen through due to the leadership issue, sources said. Declaring that the NPP govt had been struggling to cope up with a spate of issues, more..

Feb 17 (AD) A total of 13 out of 17 Sri Lankans who were forcibly detained in cybercrime camps in Myanmar have reportedly been rescued. The rescued individuals include 11 young men and two young women, all between the ages of 20 and 30. They are reportedly safe and will be transferred from the Thai border to the SL Embassy in Bangkok. Arrangements are being made for their return to SL in the coming days. Meanwhile, four other Sri Lankans remain detained in separate more..

Feb 17 (AD) A 36-year-old Canadian woman has been arrested by the Customs Anti-Narcotics Bureau at BIA with Hashish valued at around Rs. 360 million, marking the largest such seizure at the airport to date. The suspect, a Canadian national, was apprehended by officers of the SL Customs Narcotics Control Unit following her arrival in the country last night (15). She had arrived from Toronto in Canada, via Abu Dhabi, UAE. Acting on an international intelligence tip-off, more..

Feb 17 (AD) A notorious drug trafficker and organized criminal, along with his wife, have been brought back to SL after being apprehended while hiding in a foreign country. The suspects returned to the country today (16). The suspect, 30-year-old Pushparaj Wigneswaram, was sought in connection with a series of criminal activities, including attempted shootings, possession of firearms, and drug-related offenses, all of which are under investigation by multiple police stations. more..

Feb 17 (EN) Sri Lanka is presenting a budget which can help pass a review of the IMF program, where vehicle imports are expected to help boost the revenue to gross domestic product ratio. SL has earned tax revenues of 3,708 billion rupees, and non-tax revenues of 353 billion rupees. The collection is about 100 billion rupees below the target of 3,820 billion rupees, but would lift revenues to projected GDP by 2% from 9.8% of GDP more..

Feb 17 (DM) All SL Army personnel below the rank of Major have been instructed to hand over their passports to their respective Regiments. This decision was due to administrative purposes and aims to address delays in obtaining passports for overseas training and official matters. Since many Army personnel are away from home, there can be delays in acquiring passports for official purposes. The passports can be retrieved from the regiments at any time for personal use, more..

Feb 17 (DM) Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC), one of SL’s topmost cricket-playing domestic clubs, are in a spot of bother as they are on the verge of losing their first-class status after their lacklustre performance in the ongoing Major Club three-day cricket tournament. SSC, in fact, are the defending joint champions with Police SC. They found themselves in a precarious position after conceding the first innings lead to traditional rivals and neighbours Nondescripts Cricket Club (NCC) more..

Feb 17 (FT) Prez and Finance Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake will present his maiden Budget for 2025 today in Parliament, with stakeholders maintaining a mixed view given the country’s overall weak financial status, wait and see attitude of businesses, struggles by the SMEs, and relatively slow consumer spending despite improving macroeconomic indicators. PMD released the customary picture of Prez putting more..

Feb 17 (FT) Ancient Lanka had been exporting live elephants to other countries to earn valuable foreign exchange because there was a high demand for Lanka elephants which were more adapted for use in wars and better than those from mainland India.1 They were exported, in addition to countries in the region like India and Myanmar, to far lands as Egypt. During the reign of King Parakramabahu, I, according to the author of Chulavansa, Part II of Mahavansa, elephants had been purchased more..

Feb 17 (AD) Met Dept has issued a Heat Index Advisory for Northern, North-central, North-western, Western and Southern provinces and Rathnapura district, effective for tomorrow. Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is expected to increase up to caution level at some places in Northern, North-central, North-western, Western and Southern provinces and Rathnapura district, it said. As per the advisory, under the Caution level of temperature, fatigue is possible more..

Feb 17 (FT) The recent excise tax-based price increase on cigarettes and alcohol, the third within a space of just two years, has pushed consumers, revellers, tipplers and even tourists to the brink, but despite that some vested quarters maintain there is more flesh to be got. This is becoming akin to a snowball’s chance in hell. The price of cigarettes and alcohol in Sri Lanka is exorbitant. For instance, a 1-litre bottle of a popular spirit is a mere GBP45 ($ 56) at supermarkets in the UK. more..

Feb 17 (EN) Sri Lanka’s 2025 budged has allocated funds to establish dedicated industrial zones for chemical manufacturing for domestic consumption and rubber products as well as automobile manufacturing for export markets, the official budget document showed. The document was presented to the parliament by Prez Anura Kumara Disanayake in his capacity as the Finance Minister. The industrial zone for chemical manufacturing is proposed in the Northern SL town of Paranthan, where more..

Feb 17 (AD) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies, presented his maiden Budget Speech in the Parliament today (17). The 79th budget of the Independent Sri Lanka aimed at developing the country in a way that enables it to repay debt when repayment commences in 2028 today (17), encapsulated three main facets; more..

Feb 17 (EN) SL will charge an 18% levy on gross collection of casinos and increase the entrance fee to 100 dollars from 50 dollars per person, a budget for 2025 said. Corporate tax on tobacco and alcohol will be raised. A hike in the corporate tax to 45% has been proposed earlier. The stand duty on lease contract (other than hire purchase) will be raised to 2% from the current 1%. Container terminal operations included under Social Security Contribution Levy. more..

Feb 17 (EN) Sri Lanka’s budget for 2025 have proposed changes to the Tax Appeal Commission law, requiring deposits before appealing and also raised fees. The measures are reproduced below: 6.1: The fee levied to state a case on a question of law for the opinion of the Court of Appeal will be increased to Rs.10,000/-. 6.2: The fee levied to make an appeal to the Commission will be increased to Rs.15,000/- by issuing a Gazette Notification under Section 8 of the TAC Act. more..

Feb 17 (DM) The govt has proposed a revision to the public sector salary structure as part of the 2025 Budget, improving the minimum wages and streamlining the allowances. Prez said that the minimum basic salary in the public sector will be increased by Rs. 15,750, raising it from Rs. 24,250 to Rs. 40,000. This adjustment will benefit employees across various sectors, including judicial services, state corporations, statutory boards, more..

Feb 17 (AD) Prez Anura Kumara says that a Digital Economic Authority will be established, and a new legal framework for digital payments will be introduced in order to fasten the digital economy further. Prez assured that the laws and institutions related to the cyber-security, data privacy and data security will be strengthened. Citing the recently introduced GovPay digital payments platform, the Head of the State emphasized that SL needs to exit from the economy based on currency notes, more..

Feb 17 (AD) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake says that a National Tariff Policy and a new Customs Act will be introduced aimed at the development of SL’s Export Industry. Prez said that the govt will formulate a national export development plan for the period 2025 – 2029 in order to improve SL’s goods and services exports capacity in a large-scale. Further, he added that a simple, transparent and a predictable tariff framework will be formed based on a National Tariff Policy in order to more..

Feb 17 (EN) State-run SriLankan Airlines will get 20,000 million rupees from tax payer funds to repay old debt and interest, Prez said. Attempts by previous administrations to sell the airline has failed due to no takers, he said. “Though funds are set aside to repay debt, there is will be no more funds for day-to-day operations,” Prez said. The govt will sign agreements with banks which have funded SriLankan and give 10 billion rupees for principle repayment and 10 billion for interest. more..

Feb 17 (NW) According to the budget speech presented to Parliament by Prez follows are the amendments proposed to VAT. Value Added Tax (VAT) [Amendments to the VAT Act, No.14 of2002] 2.1: Import of packing materials for the use of packing of pharmaceuticals or ayurvedic medicines manufactured in Sri Lanka and which are imported by the manufacturer of such pharmaceuticals or ayurvedic medicines, so far as such packing materials are not manufactured in SL more..

Feb 17 (AD) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake outlined a series of cost-cutting measures aimed at managing public expenditure as part of the 2025 budget proposals. Prez emphasized the govt’s commitment to financial discipline, particularly in reducing unnecessary spending by public representatives. Among the key reforms, the Prez assured a comprehensive review of allowances and benefits provided to the MPs. more..

Feb 17 (EN) Sri Lanka will increase the duty free allowance given to expat workers, Prez Anura Disanayake said, presenting the budget in the parliament. “We are exploring how to provide incentives for this important community; as a first step we propose to increase the duty free allowance available to them at the airport,” Prez told parliament while presenting the budget in his capacity as finance minister. “After a study, we will publicize the criteria for this scheme.” more..

Feb 17 (NW) Serendib Flour Mills, together with Prima, the leading flour manufacturers in Sri Lanka, have collaborated with the Ministry of Trade to support the govt’s cost of living reduction initiatives. Both companies have agreed to reduce bread flour prices by Rs. 10 per kg effective Feb 18th, specifically targeting the bakery industry to enable reductions in bread and bakery product prices. “During 2024, we implemented an initial reduction of Rs. 10 per kg in bread flour prices. more..

Feb 17 (NW) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa says today’s budget speech should be compared with the policies presented on the prez election stage, which promised a prosperous country and a beautiful life. MP Sajith Premadasa emphasized the need to examine how many of these promises have been fulfilled in the budget for 2025. He pointed out that while the policies presented under the Rata Anurata concept pledged to more..

Feb 17 (EN) Sri Lanka expects a budget deficit of 6.7% of the GDP or Rs.2.2 trillion in 2025, from a 6.8% last year, the 2025 budget document presented to the parliament showed. The tax revenue is expected to be increased to 15 percent of the GDP this year, in line with SL’s commitments agreed with the IMF’s broader targets for its $3 billion bailout package. Last year’s tax revenue was 13.4% of the GDP. The govt expects a 23% jump in tax revenue to 4.96 trillion rupees more..

Feb 17 (CT) The fire that broke out on 13 Feb in the Ella Rock area of the Ella-Wellawaya Rawana Ella Reserve Forest has been fully extinguished as of 15 Feb. A senior officer from Ella Police stated that a joint effort by Army, Forest Dept & Police successfully brought the fire under control. Authorities estimate that around 600 acres of forest were destroyed in the blaze. Although Air Force helicopters are sometimes used in such operations, govt did not request their assistance this time. more..

Feb 17 (AD) Govt has announced a series of significant investments in the education sector under the 2025 Budget, focusing on infrastructure development, scholarships, modernization, and improved accessibility for students at all levels. To address the longstanding neglect of school infrastructure, the govt has allocated Rs. 10,000 million for renovations that have been pending since 2019. Rs. 135,000 million has been earmarked to enhance the quality of the uni system, more..

Feb 17 (AD) Prez Anura Dissanayake proposed to revise the pensions of all pensioners who retired before 1 Jan 2020 in three phases, corresponding to the salary scales applicable to the year 2020 as per Public Administration Circular No. 03/2016. By considering salaries and benefits entitled to the pensioners, a monthly increase of Rs. 3,000 was implemented immediately after the Presidential election thus resolving the Pension Anomalies of Pensioners who retired before 1 Jan 2020. more..

Feb 17 (AFP) Sri Lanka's main elephant orphanage marked its 50th anniversary Sunday with a fruit feast for the 68 jumbos at the showpiece centre, reputedly the world's first care home for destitute pachyderms. Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage lavished pineapples, bananas, melons and cucumbers on its residents to celebrate the anniversary of their home, which is a major tourist attraction. more..