Media Minister Dullas Alahapperuma insists that there is no move to curtail the freedom of speech.

Talking to regional correspondents in Trincomalee district, the minister said that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the government are open to constructive crticism.

The minister pointed out that criticism is important for the progress of a society and that such criticism should be based on concrete evidence and facts and not on speculations and attitudes.

Minister Alahapperuma also said that in a democracy it's important to protect the freedom of speech.

The first batch of Korean job recipients this year left the country last night. The group is consisted of 89 workers. 48 out of them have returned to the country from South Korea after employment and going back again. The other 41 are leaving for the first time after passing the Korean language proficiency examination.  State minister priyankara Jayarathna says that over 300,000 persons are to be provided with foreign jobs this year.

The ‘Wise Woman’ National Programme was launched yesterday at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall Colombo under the patronage of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. This program was launched with the intention of empowering women to the full potential and get their contribution to the economy.

The percentage of women in the country is 52%. However, a survey has revealed that the share of female labour in the total population is as low as 30 per cent.

The objective of the programme is to provide skills development and vocational training for women and get their contribution to the national economy, the President’s Media Division (PMD) stated in a statement.

Prof. Neelika Malavige, Dr. Asha de Vos, Kasthuri Wilson, Nipuni Karunaratne, Melanie Wagaarachchi, Pavithra Gunaratne, Rangana Weerawardena, Ayanthi Gunasekara, Nelka Shiromala and Thilanka Abeywardena were the women who contributed to the progress of the country by excelling in several fields.

Skills Development, State Minister Seetha Arambepola stated that when women are empowered in our country, the country will not be second to any other country in the face of any challenge.

The first meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers for the NewYear is scheduled to be held this.  The Cabinet meeting will reportedly commence at 5.00 p.m. today at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo with all ministers notified to attend the meeting. A number of Cabinet Papers are set to be taken up for discussion today as a Cabinet meeting was not held in the final week of the previous year.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa says that the government has assured through actions that Sri Lanka’s ancient Buddhist heritage sites are safeguarded and that it will continue to provide patronage to protect the country’s values, traditions and customs. He made these observations while addressing the Maha Sangha during a ceremony held on Sunday to bestow him with the honorary title of “Sri Lankadheeshwara Padma Vibhushana” by the Kotte Sri Kalyani Samagri Dharma Maha Sangha Sabha. The President said they were able to successfully control the pandemic that engulfed the world for two years.  President Rajapaksa pledged to protect and nurture the Buddhist philosophy in this country.  He said he will always uphold the right of all Sri Lankans to live in peace and harmony by preserving their religious identities and to live with dignity in association with the main culture of this country that persisted throughout the history.

The dawn of the New Year instinctively inspires us to look to the future with optimism and determination. Therefore, we welcome the year 2022 with great enthusiasm and anticipation.

We need to reflect on the impact the past year has had on the country and society, and I believe that this should be with a resolution for future prosperity.

I am confident that the New Year will provide an opportunity to further the steps taken by the government to pursue and overcome challenges and strengthen the people-centric economy. The economy and livelihoods that have been adversely affected by the prevailing pandemic will be further safeguarded. We will be able to implement the plans for this purpose under the new normal. We must move towards prosperity with self-confidence, dedication and unity. In this regard, the challenges we have overcome as well as the experiences we have gained will inspire us in the New Year.

The global pandemic has adversely affected the progress of realizing the expectations of the people. Nevertheless, national security and co-existence have been further consolidated at the present time. A number of new reforms are being formulated. Steps have been taken to resume dormant government development projects and programmes and vest them in the public.

The government’s action in the face of the destructive effects of the covid pandemic on the lives of Sri Lankans has been hailed globally. I am pleased to say that the freedom you enjoy today, even in the midst of pandemic restrictions, is the result of the immense sacrifice that all people of this country have made.

The rejection by the great number of patriots of baseless political tussles that have led to harassment of the people is an affirmation of the people’s trust in government.

I see our ability to build new foreign relations whilst strongly maintaining historical diplomatic ties as a significant investment.

I invite everyone to make the New Year a transformational year dedicated to realizing the “Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour” for the people.

I wish you all a happy, healthy and spirited New Year.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa         

The first meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers for the NewYear is scheduled to be held this.  The Cabinet meeting will reportedly commence at 5.00 p.m. today at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo with all ministers notified to attend the meeting. A number of Cabinet Papers are set to be taken up for discussion today as a Cabinet meeting was not held in the final week of the previous year.

Health Ministry says 3.7 million people have been given the Covid booster dose. 10,800,000 have been given the second dose of a Covid vaccine. Nearly 10,680,000 have been given the first dose. Meanwhile, 585,764 Covid patients have been found from the country. 560,000 have recovered from the virus so far. 10,756 are under-going treatment at hospitals.

Sri Lanka Railway Station Masters’ Union has decided to call off their trade union action following a discussion with State Minister of Transport Dilum Amunugama yesterday. Speaking to the media, the union’s chairman Sumedha Somarathna said favourable responses were received for 10 of their demands. Accordingly, the station masters are expected to resume their duties as per usual from tomorrow and recommence issuing train tickets. However, he added not all trains would be up and running today,. Earlier today, the station masters warned that they would resort to an uninterrupted strike action if the authorities fail to meet their demands.

The railway station masters launched a union action last week, based on multiple demands including the granting of coverage allowances if promotions cannot be given and the calculation of overtime for them under the same system used to calculate overtime for engine drivers.

Mass Media Minister Dullas Alahapperuma launched the Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting Project in Colombo yesterday. The project to digitalize Sri Lankan television broadcasting is carried out by the Ministry of Mass Media in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Former Media Minister and now Health Minister Dr.Keheliya Rambukwella and Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka MIZUKOSHI Hideaki too were among the gathering.

Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said the government aims to complete project by the year 2025. This project was to inaugurate a decade ago, but due to various reasons it was delayed. He added that he is happy to take the support for this project from the technological giant, Japan.

Government Information Department says that all viewers, broadcasters, and the Government will benefit from the project. The Department further said that viewers will be able to remove multiple antennas and watch all TV channels with one antenna, while they will also receive clearer visuals through the digitization. Currently, each channel has to use individual frequency bands under the local broadcasting system. However, with the new digitization program, the capacity of the Frequency Spectrum in Sri Lanka will increase exponentially, increasing the capacity to a single frequency by eight times or even 800 percent. Due to this, in addition to the existing active television channels in the country, 200 more TV channels will be allowed to broadcast a number of new programmes.