Gosl Reviewing Rpcs' Performance
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www.themorning.lk Late City VOL 01 | NO 11 | Rs. 30.00 { MONDAY } MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2021 SCHOOL RUGBY ‘LARGE TOURNAMENT DISCREPANCIES STRUCTURE TO IN OFFICIAL DATA CHANGE THIS YEAR SOURCES’ HOLISTIC CARE AFTER QUARTER-BOTTLE A LIFE-CHANGING BAN YET TO BE DIAGNOSIS FINALISED »SEE PAGE 16 »SEE PAGE 11 »SEE PAGE 7 »SEE PAGE 4 Ceramics makers and GoSL reviewing importers strike deal z 30% import duty z Rs 125 per kg cess RPCs’ performance BY SUMUDU CHAMARA recently issued in this connection. z The Sri Lanka Ceramics and Glass SLCGC Vice President Aravinda Perera, ‘Social wellbeing’ of z Tea Board submits report to Council (SLCGC) has requested President in a letter addressed to the President, said Gotabaya Rajapaksa to take steps to amend that the two parties had agreed to a custom labourers considered Plantation Ministry the current import duty and cess applicable import duty of 30% and a cess of Rs. 125 BY PAMODI WARAVITA welfare of the labourers,” a Ministry of to the import of ceramics and tiles in per kilogramme. The final report of a performance-evaluative study initiated by the Government Plantation Industries official, who wished to accordance with an agreement reached The agreement in question had been focusing on the performance of Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs), with remain anonymous, told The Morning yesterday by the importers and manufacturers of reached in a meeting held on 5 February. a special focus on the social wellbeing of labourers employed by them, will be (7). The official further said that while the initial ceramic products. The letter goes on to commend the released in one and a half months, The Morning learnt. report was handed to the ministry by the SLTB The association has also requested the President's “Saubhagye Dekma” plan. last month, field verifications are scheduled to President to amend the gazette notification Contd. on page 2 The initial study was conducted by the “The final report, expected to be completed be conducted in the coming weeks. Ministry of Plantation Industries, the Sri Lanka by mid-March, aims to reach a decision on The official added that the large employer- Tea Board (SLTB), and a private audit firm, whether the intended results of handing the employee disparities, in terms of the planters NATIONAL VACCINATION DRIVE and the report was submitted to the Ministry government assets to the RPCs has been and the labourers, are being considered. of Plantation Industries last month. achieved, especially with regard to the social Contd. on page 2 Medical students FOLLOW ME, FOLKS! ‘Hacking not due to outdated tech’ demand priority BY HIRANYADA DEWASIRI BY HIRANYADA DEWASIRI z Follows similar The cyber attack faced by the .lk domain on After private healthcare workers requested for Saturday (6) morning where many addresses demand by priority in receiving vaccination last week, students were affected by a malicious redirection, from the Faculties of Medicine and Nursing have including search engine giant Google, was private health also requested priority in receiving the Oxford- “not due to outdated tech”. AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine. Contd. on page 2 workers Contd. on page 2 Bus strike likely to be called off BY HIRANYADA DEWASIRI said that private bus owners The strike of private buses are likely to get solutions for that is scheduled to take place their problems following a Colombo District MP Madhura Vithanage participated alongside members of the public in the launch tomorrow (9) may be called meeting that is set to take place of the “Cycling Sunday” initiative to be held every Sunday from 4-7 p.m., encouraging citizens to take off as the Lanka Private Bus today (8) with State Minister up cycling PHOTO SAMAN ABESIRIWARDANA Owners’ Association (LPBOA) of Money and Capital Market anticipates a positive response and State Enterprise Reforms from the Government, The Ajith Nivard Cabraal. NEW NATIONAL UNITY OFFICE Morning learnt. “A meeting will take place Speaking to The Morning with State Minister Cabraal at yesterday (7), LPBOA 8 a.m. tomorrow. Good Yahapalana President Gemunu Wijeratne Contd. on page 2 plans to continue New prices on essentials at Sathosa from today BY PAMODI WARAVITA beneficial to the country by the previous The newly appointed officials to the Office office and carry them on to the future,” newly Twenty-four of the 27 essential yesterday (7), Lanka Sathosa Chief of National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) appointed ONUR Chairman Kushan de Alwis goods of which the Ministry of Executive Officer (CEO) Maj. would consider continuing the “beneficial” PC told The Morning yesterday (7). Trade reduced prices last week (Retd.) Anura Pandithage said that plans which were carried out by the previous De Alwis further said that the new officials would be available at Lanka all items except samba, BCC soap, board under then Chairman former President will have their first meeting on Wednesday Sathosa outlets in Colombo from and imported canned fish would Chandrika Kumaratunge during the Yahapalana (10), where a roadmap to future decisions today (8) onwards, The Morning be sold at the reduced prices at all Government era. would be discussed. learnt. Sathosa outlets in the city today. “We will look into the actions that were Contd. on page 2 Speaking to The Morning Contd. on page 2 COVID-19 CASES Minority rights march concluded TOTAL CASES ACTIVE CASES BY THE MORNING NEWS DESK Chavakachcheri. during the march. Speaking to The The five-day Pottuvil to Point Pedro We are marching for our right to Morning last week, Illankai Tamil 69,348 (Polikandi) march of Tamil political memorialise the dead, the freedom Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) Parliamentarian parties, civil society activists, and the to conduct protests, and to stop Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, one of DEATHS RECOVERED public belonging to the Tamil and the unfair invasion of our Hindu the most prominent participants of Muslim communities in the North and temples,” a participant at the protest the protest, said the march, which 5,591 356 63,401 East Provinces, concluded yesterday told The Morning yesterday. began on Wednesday (3) aimed to SOURCE: HEALTH PROMOTION BUREAU (7). According to the participant who raise awareness on their primary THE ABOVE STATISTICS ARE CONFIRMED UP UNTIL 9.45 P.M. ON 07 FEBRUARY 2021 “We started the fifth day of our spoke to The Morning, they faced many demands. protest by remembering our dead at obstacles by the Police and the Army Contd. on page 2 42 www.themorning.lk { NEWS } Monday, February 8, 2021 FUTURE FOSSIL FUEL EXPLORATION Regulations must Glacier burst in India reflect the risks: PRDS DG leaves over 100 missing zRisks include potential oil spills z Rescue efforts were underway amidst floods z Hydroelectric dam project swept away BY PAMODI WARAVITA production, the regulations A Himalayan glacier broke and caused sudden, Ratan Singh Rana, 55, from the village of Raini near The Petroleum Resources must reflect the risk factors massive flooding in the Northern Indian State of the Rishiganga project, said the water rushed down the Development Secretariat that are involved. Uttarakhand yesterday (7), smashing two dam mountain around 10:30 a.m. (PRDS) is in the process of “I looked at some of the projects and forcing the authorities to scramble “I was sitting on the floor of my house,” he said. reviewing the drafts for the disasters that have happened in order to evacuate villages and try to save “I saw black liquid flowing from the Nanda Devi new regulations pertaining around the world and thought more than a hundred lives. mountainside – with a lot of noise – as if a volcano had to risk factors associated with that we are a small, beautiful Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat erupted.” “It was only 20-25 metres away from us,” he fossil fuel exploration by the country which cannot afford said that seven bodies had been recovered and about 125 added. “We ran uphill about 250 metres and kept on proposed National Oil and Gas that. All these things that people, many of them workers at the two hydroelectric crying and shouting, ‘Bhago, bhago! Bachao, bachao!’,” Company, The Morning learnt. we have been doing with dam projects that were largely swept away, were he said, using the Hindi words for “run” and “save us!” The National Oil and regard to exploration and unaccounted for. Mr. Rana said the muddy water swept big boulders Gas Company which is to development has to be done “An avalanche came and completely broke the and ice downstream. His daughter and granddaughter be introduced to handle the with minimum impact on the Rishiganga power project; almost all the workers there were trapped in the house with mud rubble closing off State’s new commercial treasures we have – our marine are missing,” said Uttarakhand Chief of Police Ashok the main entrance. They managed to rescue them from interests in oil and gas environment, our beaches, and Kumar. “By the time the water came downstream, we the back of the house. exploration will be monitored the fisheries resource,” said had alerted people.” Labourers rescued from the sediment inundated area “We thought that the whole world would drown in by the Petroleum Resources Ovitigama. The scenes were reminiscent of floods in Uttarakhand this,” he said. “And we would leave this world today.” Development Authority of The MT New Diamond oil in 2013, when heavy rain over several days led to River. India’s Home Minister Amit Shah said teams By late Sunday afternoon, it appeared that the worst of Sri Lanka (PRADSL), which tanker, owned by the Greek landslides that killed thousands of people and washed from the country’s disaster response force had been the damage from the flooding was over.