President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday congratulated US President Joe Biden who was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States at the US Capitol on Wednesday.

President Rajapaksa in a tweet congratulated the new US president and vowed to strengthen bilateral ties beneficial to both nations. ‘Congratulations & best wishes to President @JoeBiden on assumption of office as 46th President of the #USA. My government and I look forward to working together towards a stronger & mutually beneficial bilateral relationship’, he tweeted.

The President also congratulated Vice President Kamala Harris on her assumption of office as Vice President of the United States. ‘Congratulations and best wishes to Vice President @KamalaHarris on assumption of office as Vice President of the #USA. We look forward to working together towards a strengthened bilateral relationship’, the President tweeted.

Permanent solution to wild elephant problem

Commence all stalled development work in schools island-wide immediately….

• Vedikachchiya villagers to get new houses
• Fence to be erected to prevent damages caused by deer to crops
• Water to cultivate both Seasons
• Vocational training opportunities in the district to be expanded

–      President decided at “Discussion with the Village” programme

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said permission will be granted to farmers to engage in their traditional cultivation activities continuously without any disruption until related issues are resolved.

President arrived at this decision focusing on  issues fervently raised by the farmers who attended the 6^th in the series of programme “Discussion with the Village”.

Officials of Wildlife, Forest Conservation, Environment, Police and other institutions were instructed by the President not to disturb with traditional cultivation activities. However, President emphasized that no one is allowed to clear forests newly for cultivational purposes.

Polonnaruwa is one of the districts severely affected by the threat posed by wild elephants. President instructed relevant parties to understand correctly the problem faced by the people for a long time and to commence construction of both trenches and electric fences as a permanent solution.

People gathered highlighted the disruption caused to the education of students due to the development work being stalled in many schools in the district. Paying attention to the matter, President Rajapaksa directed authorities to expedite the completion of all development work at schools in the island.

These decisions were taken by the President at the “Discussion with the Village” programme held in Wedikachchiya village in Medirigiriya in the Polonnaruwa district yesterday (16). This marks the 6^th of the series of programme attended by the President.

The programme commenced on September 25^th, 2020 from Badulla district. Five programmes have so far been organized covering Matale, Ratnapura, Anuradhapura and Ampara districts.

Meeting the people in remote areas outside the city who had not been given due hearing for a long time, President drew attention of the officials to inquire into the difficulties faced by the villagers and find solutions rapidly.  Problems that can be solved on the spot are instantly addressed. The rest which take time to deal with are noted down to find solutions later.

Vedikachchiya village in Medirigiriya Divisional Secretariat located around 45 km away from Polonnaruwa city belongs to Zone “D” of the Mahaweli Development project. Consisting villages of Samagipura, Darshanapura, Dahamwewa and Peramaduwa, the area covers around 79 square kilometers. The population in the village is 2561 people belonging to  723 families. Agriculture and self-employment are the sources of main livelihood of the people in Wedikachchiya and surrounding villages. One of the major problems faced by the villagers is that paddy cultivation has to be restricted only to the Maha Season due to shortage of water. This situation forces them to leave the village during the Yala Season seeking employment as hired labourers.

President stated that entirely new houses will be built replacing the existing ones in the Wedikachchiya village which lacks even basic facilities. The political authority and the officials in the district were instructed to take immediate steps to repair the canals and tanks and provide irrigation water as a solution to the long standing cultivation problems of the villagers enabling them to cultivate both the seasons.

People also pointed out the damage caused by deer to crops in Medirigiriya – Watadageya area. As a remedy, it was decided to erect a steel net fence covering habitats of deer. Governor of the North Central Province Maheepala Herath agreed to provide funds for this purpose.

President Rajapaksa emphasized the need to establish vocational training facilities for students who sit GCE (A/L) examination. The State Minister in charge of the subject would be made aware of this requirement and vocational training opportunities would be created, President said.

Attention of the President was particularly paid to the drinking water shortage in the area. President advised to complete the project to meet the demand for water of ten thousand families by constructing a water purification plant connecting Kaudulla Wewa and laying pipe lines before the end of 2021.

President instructed the officials of the Ministry of Power to provide “Solar Power Systems” free of charge to schools and low income families who are unable to pay their electricity bills.

Instructions were issued to fulfill existing un-met requirements in hospitals and schools in the area and expedite the development of number of main and byroads.

In parallel to “Discussion with the Village ” programme President participated in the opening of Mahaweli Primary School in Bisopura, Medirigiriya. President Rajapaksa invited former President Maithreepala Sirisena, who spearheaded the construction of the school to open it.

President handed over 02 computers donated by Sri Lanka Mobitel and a television set donated by Dialog to the Principal of the school.

Former President Maithreepala Sirisena, State Ministers Roshan Ranasinghe, Siripala Gamlath, Member of Parliament Amarakeerthi Athukorala, Governor of the North Central Province Maheepala Herath, Principal Advisor to the President Lalith Weeratunga, political representatives of the area, Ministry Secretaries, heads of Government entities were among the gathering attended the “Discussion with the Village” programme.

• BCI Degree admissions commence

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa says a new education system that will protect the dignity of labour and aimed at creating a skilled society  will be introduced in the new normal environment.

A National Education Policy has already been formulated to achieve rapid development as well as to meet expected economic goals in a short period of time, President further said.

President Rajapaksa made these remarks participating at the official inauguration ceremony of registering the first batch of undergraduate students of Benedict the 16 Catholic Institution of Higher Education (BCI) in Negombo, today (15).

The BCI, a brainchild of His Eminence, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo was established in 2015 in honour of His Holiness Benedict XVI, one of the greatest scholars of the 21^st century.  The BCI Institution is located at the Sri Lanka Teacher Training College premises, Minuwangoda Road, Bolawalana. Over 17,200 students have already successfully completed courses in English Language, IT and vocational courses during the past six years.

With the elevation to the level of degree awarding institute recognized by the University Grant Commission students now have the opportunity to pursue Bachelor of Business Management (BSc. Hons) and Bachelor of Information Technology (BSc.Hons) degree programmes in English Medium.

The President emphasized that he expects to give utmost priority to achieve excellence in higher education. He also pointed out the importance of producing more technocrats in the future by converting all universities to ‘smart learning universities’.

The President commended the progress made by the BCI Campus under the guidance of His Eminence, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, endowing the future with a generation empowered with technical knowledge, values as well as with a correct vision.

Prof. Ajantha Dharmasiri delivered the keynote address titled “The Future of Business and Information Technology”. In his address, His Eminence, Malcom Cardinal Ranjith explained the future plans of the BCI Campus.

The President handed over letters of registration to a group of students representing the first batch of undergraduate students.

His Eminence, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith presented a memento to the President in appreciation of his services towards the establishment of the BCI Campus.

After the ceremony, President, Archbishop His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith and the Minister of Education planted three sandalwood saplings at the premises.

The delegation headed by the President also made an observational visit to the BCI campus premises which is under construction.

Minister of Education Prof. G.L. Peiris , Governor of the Western Province, former Commander of the Air Force, Marshal of the Air Force, Roshan Goonetileke, State Ministers Sudarshani Fernandopulle, Nimal Lansa, Secretary of Education Prof. Kapila Perera and the BCI Campus Board of Directors were present on this occasion.

The first phase of the Park & Ride bus service was inaugurated at the Makumbura Multimodal Transport Center, Kottawa today (Jan. 15) in the presence of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as a solution to the heavy traffic congestion surrounding Colombo city limits.

The “Park & Ride” aims to minimize the number of automobiles travelling to and from Colombo and suburbs by providing a comfortable, convenient and safe public bus transportation for passengers and riders who use cars and motorcycles as their means of transportation. It also seeks to reduce environment pollution, time wasted on the road and the mental stress of the passengers.

The luxury buses used for the service will only carry seated passengers and the bus fare will be twice the regular fare. The buses will stop at limited stops to admit passengers and will reach the destination in a lesser time than regular buses. In addition, the staff is trained to offer a disciplined, friendly and attractive service to all the passengers alike. To ensure the smooth functioning of the service, a follow-up inspection will be carried out using new technology on daily basis. It will operate as a Clockwise and Anti Clockwise service covering both arrivals and departures from Colombo and into Colombo.

Passengers are facilitated to park their cars in Makumbura Multimodal Transport Center Vehicle Park free of charge and following the examination of the progress of the program, the space allocated for the cars is expected to be expanded. The buses in the service will travel every 15-minute interval between 6 am and 8 am in the morning and from 4 pm to 9 pm in the evening.

The buses will only travel every 25 minutes between 8 am and 4 pm and a total of 64 trips will take place every day.

“Park & Ride”, public transport service will be rendered in collaboration with the State Ministry of Vehicle Regulation, Bus Transport Services and Train Compartments and Motor Car Industry and Sri Lanka Transportation Board.

In addition, The National Transport Commission, Sri Lanka Police, Road Development Authority, Urban Development Authority, Colombo Municipal Council will also assist the program.

The President was briefed about the app launched by the Ministry of Transport which contains how the program functions and the time table.

The President also traveled in one of the buses deployed to the new “Park & Ride” Service and inspected the facilities as well.

In addition to the new public transport service, the unmanned OREL Store with goods run by Orange Electric was also opened by the President.

Minister of Transport Gamini Lokuge, State Minister Dilum Amunugama, Secretaries of the Line Ministries and other officials were present at the occasion.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared open Ferentino Tire Corporation- PVT Ltd,  largest tyre and radial tyre manufacturing factory in South Asia today (14).

The factory has been set up on a 155-acre land belongs to BOI Industrial Zone in Wagawatta, Horana. Investment of the first phase is USD 100 million. Manufacturing will be carried out using European technology and state-of-art equipment.

Special tyres will be manufactured for SUVs while catering to the demand in the world market for tyres for cars, bicycles and three-wheelers. 80% of the production will be exported and the remaining 20% will be supplied to the local market. The first stock of production will be exported to the USA this month.

Promotion of the export market potential of this country, generating a large number of direct and indirect employment opportunities and the ability for local rubber producers to obtain a higher price are some of the benefits of the factory.

The management of the factory has taken measures to recruit qualified women to fill the vacancies for technical positions beating adopted standards in the industrial sector. The factory is an eco-friendly entity.

Upon arrival at the event President Rajapaksa was welcomed by the Chairman of Ferentino Tyre Corporation- PVT Ltd Nandana Lokuvithana.

After unveiling the plaque President inspected the entire manufacturing process at the factory.

President presented a memento to Dewmi Yasasmi of Sumanajothi Vidyalaya in Ingiriya who obtained 200 marks in the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination held recently.

Maha Nayaka of Sri Kalyani Samagri Dhamma Maha Sangha Sabha, Sri Jayawardenepura, Kotte Most Ven.  Iththapane Sri Dhammalankara Thero and Maha Sangha, Ministers Wimal Weerawansa, Rohitha Abeygunawardena, Mahinda Amaraweera, Ramesh Pathirana, State Ministers Piyal Nishantha, Kanaka Herath, D. V. Chanaka, Member of Parliament Sanjeewa Edirimanna, several officials of public and private institutes were among the gathering.

The 13^th Executive Council Meeting of the Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace was held with the participation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at Sri Sambodhi Viharaya in Colombo 7 today (14).

After the World War II, the Russian and Mongolian Buddhist leaders focused on the need for an international Buddhist organization aimed at promoting unity. Consequently, Buddhist laity and clergy gathered at Maha Viharaya in Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia on June 13, 1970 to hold the first meeting of the Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace. The second Conference was held in Sri Lanka. At present, all the Buddhist countries in the world are members of this organization.

Sri Lanka hosts the 13^th Executive Council Meeting. The Asian Buddhist Conference observed that acting as the host country in the face of Corona pandemic will bring special honour to Sri Lanka and result in forming closer ties with other countries.

Representatives of 25 countries joined today’s conference via Zoom.

Before attending the Conference President engaged in religious rituals at the Sri Sambodhi Viharaya.

Ven. Prof. Medagoda Abhayatissa Thero explained the objectives of the Conference.

Anunayaka of the Malwathu Chapter Most Ven. Niyangoda Vijithasiri Thero delivered the main speech on “Responsibility of Buddhists in the face of COVID – 19”.

The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Wijayadasa Rajapaksha.

Prime Minister of Mongolia Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh addressed the gathering via video technology.

The final speech in the first session was delivered by Ven. Dr. Maitipe Wimalasara Thero.

Following the opening of the Conference President Rajapaksa called on the Chief Incumbent of  Sri Sambodhi Viharaya Ven. Boralande Vajiragnana Nayaka Thero.

Maha Sangha representing the three Chapters, Principal Advisor to the President Lalith Weeratunga and local and foreign Buddhist representatives were present on the occasion.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa sent the following message on the occasion of Thai Pongal:

“Thai Pongal, also known as the Festival of Harvest, is one of the foremost religious and cultural festivals celebrated by Tamils around the globe. It signifies paying gratitude to the Sun, on which farmers rely for a bountiful harvest and the traditional way of life tied to agriculture and Mother Nature. Tamils who live by the Hindu faith consider Thai Pongal to mark the dawn of a new year during which their expectations would be fulfilled. On this joyful occasion, I join our Tamil brethren to share their joy and happiness.”

“On this blessed day, they boil freshly harvested rice with milk with the wish for prosperity for themselves, their families, the country and the entire world at large. My sole objective and that of our Government is to usher in prosperity to all Sri Lankans irrespective of racial or religious differences. What contains in our government policy statement, ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour’, is the means to achieve this noble objective.”

“Paying gratitude is a hallmark of the Sri Lankan society. Thai Pongal festival which dedicates the first harvest to the Sun symbolises the values that our society cherishes since time immemorial. As such, Thai Pongal has become an integral part of the national culture.”

“I extend my best wishes to the Tamils of Sri Lanka who celebrate the Thai Pongal festival, which has earned the respect and recognition of the society and also which marks the noble virtues honoured by the people.”

E

• No investment will infringe country’s sovereignty and independence
• SLPA to manage after investment
• Trade Unions too have the opportunity to submit proposals

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa assured representatives of Port Trade Unions that the East Container Terminal of the Colombo Port will not be sold or leased.

The previous administration had agreed to sell the East Terminal to India. The agreement envisaged obtaining a loan from Japan after sale and purchasing construction equipment with the loan money. President pointed out that after the present Government negotiated with India on the contract it was possible to reach an agreement to retain 51% of the ownership and the control of the Terminal under the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA). President emphasized that he would not allow causing any harm to the sovereignty or independence of the country when investments are arranged.

President made these remarks during a discussion today (13) at the Presidential Secretariat on the East Terminal of the Colombo Port upon a request by Trade Unions.

The previous government had leased the Hambantota Port to the Government of China for 99 years. After coming to power, the present Government in consultation with China took over the responsibility for the security of the Port in to its hand,  President noted.

The President said that the East Container Terminal Development was planned after reviewing all the factors including the regional geopolitical concerns, sovereignty of the country, revenue and employment generation potential. President Rajapaksa explained that the Eastern Terminal will be “sustainably developed” under the investment programme. India contributes 66% of the East Terminal re-export operations. 9% is re-exports to Bangladesh and the rest to several other countries.

The President further said that the plan was to develop the terminal as an investment project that has 51% ownership by the Government of Sri Lanka and the remaining 49% as an investment by India’s Adani Group and other stakeholders. The President said that there should be no doubt about it and asked all the trade union representatives to submit their proposals and ideas on this programme. President Rajapaksa stated that he intends to hand over the operation of the West Container Terminal to the Ports Authority and stressed the importance of submitting plans for the development of the port, by the trade union representatives.

Mr. Basil Rajapaksa, the Head of the Presidential Task Force for Economic Revival and Poverty Alleviation, said that the expansion of operations in the Eastern Terminal would create a large number of job opportunities. Mr. Rajapaksa further said that the present government had completely stopped the plans mooted by the previous government to sell the Mattala Airport and the Norochcholai Power Plant.

Minister of Ports Rohitha Abeygunawardena, Secretary to the President P.B. Jayasundera, Secretary to the Ministry of Ports, Chairman of Sri Lanka Ports Authority and other officials and representatives of 23 trade unions were present at the discussion.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said yesterday that the third largest hospital in the country, the Kurunegala General Hospital will be constructed as a modern hospital.

He was speaking at a meeting held at the Kurunegala District Secretariat Auditorium to discuss issues related to the General Hospital and other hospitals in the district.

The Prime Minister instructed Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi to immediately fill the shortage of doctors, nurses and health staff at the Kurunegala General Hospital, parallel to other hospitals, until the construction of the new hospital is completed. Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi said that the shortage will be covered in a month. The Prime Minister also asked relevant persons to submit the basic plan of the hospital with rough estimates within two months.

About 1.2 million patients are treated at this hospital every year and according to the 2019 statistics report, the number of patients who received treatment from the outpatient department alone that year was 630,000. About 1,000 new births occur monthly. The hospital has 2,374 beds and performs nearly 18,000 surgeries a year. Government Medical Officers’ Association President Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya made a special revelation at this meeting. He pointed out that the total number of specialist doctors in the country which was limited to 600 from 1948-2008 was increased from 2008-2015 during the tenure of the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa to 2,100 and that number has decreased to 2,086 during the period 2015-2020. He added that 2,000 out of 4,000 doctors had left the country due to delays in medical appointments during the previous government, or did not know what had happened.

Dr. Padeniya said that although the number of patients admitted to the Maharagama Cancer Hospital was two or three a day, the number has now increased to 74 to 78 per day. He requested the Prime Minister to stop the use of agrochemicals and focus on traditional agriculture or organic farming.

Ministers Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Johnston Fernando, North Western Province Governor Raja Collure, State Minister D. B. Herath, MPs Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Jayaratne Herath, Shantha Bandara, Y.G. Ratnasekera, Asanka Nawarathna, Sumith Udukumbura, Samanpriya Herath, Manjula Disanayake, Prof. Charitha Herath, Kurunegala Mayor Thushara Sanjeewa, Secretary to the Prime Minister Gamini Senarath, Additional Secretary to the Prime Minister, Attorney-at-Law Chaminda Kularatne, Health Services Director General Dr. Asela Gunawardena, North Western Province Chief Secretary P.B.M. Sirisena, Kurunegala District Secretary R.M.R. Ratnayake, the Kurunegala General Hospital acting Director Dr. Pramitha Shanthilatha, GMOA President Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya and many others were present.