People’s Bank’s first loan to affected MSMEs View(s):People’s Bank has extended the first loan under a special Government-intervened loan scheme introduced to support the rehabilitation of micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) affected by Cyclone Ditwah. The first loan was recently disbursed by the People’s Bank Kalpitiya Branch to a leather goods manufacturing enterprise operating in the Kalpitiya area, enabling the business to resume operations following cyclone-related disruptions, the bank announced. The facility is provided under the Disaster Relief Fund – Working Capital Loan Scheme, which offers loans of up to Rs. The scheme is implemented through People’s Bank branches islandwide with the objective of assisting affected MSMEs to restore their working capital requirements, safeguard employment, and strengthen business continuity. Share This Post FacebookTwitterEmail × Send Email to FriendSend Please enter valid email WhatsappDeliciousDiggGoogleStumbleuponRedditTechnoratiYahooBloggerMyspaceRSS

Ditwah destruction engulfs 2025 View(s):As 2025 draws to a close the year will be defined mostly by one of the worst natural calamities to hit the country as cyclone Ditwah left more than 600 dead, thousands displaced and a trail of destruction caused by raging floods and treacherous landslides. In the political landscape the local government elections that saw the ruling party NPP winning most of the councils and the subsequent defeats of the budgets were key highlights. Following are some of the main events of the year:Share This Post FacebookTwitterEmail × Send Email to FriendSend Please enter valid email WhatsappDeliciousDiggGoogleStumbleuponRedditTechnoratiYahooBloggerMyspaceRSS

Sand washed up on northern farmland attracts dark hands View(s):By S. RubatheesanDozens of tippers and tractors have been seen at paddy fields trying to collect sand deposited from the late November flooding. Farmers in Kandawalai, Vattakachchi, Pannankandy, and Mahizaknkaadu of Kilinochchi say they have informed the authorities, including the Northern Governor’s Secretariat, about the plunder. “Our family was displaced since our house was also flooded, but someone told me that tractors are clearing sand from our land,” he told the Sunday Times. Temporary police posts have been set up in flooded paddy fields to prevent illegal sand mining. “The ongoing sand mining poses a huge threat to farmers, particularly those who depend on the Iranamadu tank for farming.

Lasith, Kamindu slam tons as CCC amass 382-3 By M. Shamil Amit cricket View(s): View(s):Lasith Croospulle and Kamindu Mendis struck commanding centuries as CCC posted a formidable 382 for 3 after electing to bat against Colts on the opening day of their SLC Major Club 3-day Cricket Tournament encounter at the P. Sara Oval yesterday. Lasith was in sublime form, scoring 155 off 174 balls with 21 boundaries and a six, while Kamindu cracked a fluent 134 that included 10 fours and three sixes. The pair shared a massive second wicket partnership of 267 runs, placing CCC firmly in control on day one. Brief Scores At P. Sara Oval: CCC 382-3 vs Colts CCC 382 for 3 (82) at stumps (Lasith Croospulle 155, Kamidnu Mendis 134, Pavan Ratnayake 48n.o., Dhananjaya de Silva 44n.o. ; Akila Dhananjaya 2/62) vs Colts At CCC: Nugegoda S&WC trail Bloomfield by 308 runs Bloomfield 320 all out (85.2) (Janith Liyanage 107, Lahiru Madusanka 41, Ravindu Fernando 38, Ron Chandragupta 32, Mineth Premaratne 31, Duvindu Tilekeratne 20n.o.

GovPay in final two provinces next month View(s):Sri Lanka’s national digital payment platform, GovPay, will be launched in the final two provinces, Uva and Central, in January, said Udaya Kasthurirathne, Lead – Digital Government and Digital Economy at ICTA. He told the Sunday Times Business that GovPay has processed a total transaction value of Rs. Among the participating institutions, Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) has emerged as the leading revenue generator on the GovPay platform, underscoring the system’s effectiveness in handling high-volume, high-value institutional payments, particularly within the higher education sector. According to ICTA, GovPay traffic spot fines have recorded a total transaction value of Rs. The Rebuild Sri Lanka Relief Fund, facilitated through GovPay, recorded a total transaction value of Rs.

Flood-hit Kandy lawyer goes to SC over negligence of duty in Ditwah relief response View(s):A lawyer from Kandy whose office was severely damaged by floods brought on by Cyclone Ditwah has filed a fundamental rights petition in the Supreme Court requesting the court to rule that the National Council for Disaster Management (NCDM) headed by the President, the Cabinet of Ministers and other government officials acted in transgression of their duties and functions when responding to the disaster. The lawyer, K.M. Keerthi Bandara Kiridena, has cited 37 respondents in his petition including the Attorney General, the NCDM, Cabinet of Ministers, senior officials of the Disaster Management Centre, Department of Irrigation, the Department of Meteorology, along with the Kandy District Secretary and other senior administrative and police officials in the district. In a petition filed through his attorney Sachintha Rodrigo, the petitioner states that his office in the Kandy Lawyers Complex located close to the KandyCourt Complex was totally damaged by the floods, resulting in over Rs 800,000 in damage, and that his computer, which is invaluable to the discharge of his professional duties, was also destroyed. Share This Post FacebookTwitterEmail × Send Email to FriendSend Please enter valid email WhatsappDeliciousDiggGoogleStumbleuponRedditTechnoratiYahooBloggerMyspaceRSS

65 SOEs to go public By Duruthu Edirimuni Chandrasekera View(s): View(s):With the State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Act for the proper management and maintenance of SOEs coming in the 1Q next year, certain such entities have agreed in principle to go public on the Colombo Stock Exchange, a deputy minister said. About 65 SOEs have agreed in principle to go for listing. He said that these selected entities will be brought under a holding company. The proposed Bill will enable the SOEs to be completely void of political influence and to appoint professionals with expertise in their fields to their boards of directors with professional qualifications, Dr. Fernando added. The Treasury will not take that burden.” In April Dr. Fernando participated in a high-level meeting with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and senior airline officials.

Sri Lanka recalls four seniors and a newbie for Pakistan T20s cricket View(s): View(s):Former captain Charith Asalanka, Matheesha Pathirana, Dunith Wellalage and Dhananjaya de Silva are set to be recalled for the three-match home T20 International series against Pakistan next month. Ironically, his contribution in Sri Lanka colours this year has been limited. His pace, yorkers and death-over skills are expected to strengthen Sri Lanka’s bowling attack. Wellalage,who also missed the Pakistan Tri-Series, led Sri Lanka at the same tournament and produced solid performances with both bat and ball. Following the Pakistan series, Sri Lanka will host England for another three-match T20I series before turning their attention to the T20 World Cup, which Sri Lanka will co-host with India.

SSC benches Kusal and Shanaka for choosing franchise over club cricket View(s): View(s):Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) have left out Kusal Mendis and Dasun Shanaka from their playing XI for the SLC Major Club Tier ‘B’ 3-day match, against Negombo CC despite both players requesting to be considered for selection. The decision follows their move to leave the domestic tournament earlier in the season to take part in franchise cricket in Dubai. However, Mendis and Shanaka defied the directive after receiving permission from Sri Lanka Cricket to participate in the ILT20. “This is a very important year for us and we will play them as and when necessary,” a club spokesman said. Both players have since returned to the country after Sri Lanka Cricket recalled all contracted players to prepare for the home T20 International series against Pakistan, which begins early next month.

Post-disaster firecracker sales fall to new low View(s):By Kasun WarakapitiyaSales of fireworks hit an all-time low this year following the devastation of Cyclone Ditwah as well as the effects of sustained campaigns. A cross section of merchants who sell fireworks for Christmas and New Year celebrations reported weak sales ahead of Christmas. Mr Ratnayake said that he offers firecrackers at prices ranging from Rs 150 to Rs 3,000, yet sales were low. Mohomad Sameer, 24, a first-time firecracker seller who sells outside his electronics shop at Kelaniya near Thorana junction, said sellers are few and sales are low. Ms Fernando also suggested keeping pets indoors on a leash and comforting dogs jolted by loud fireworks.

TM Sampath defies time to become Sri Lanka’s oldest First Class centurion By Naushad Amit cricket View(s): View(s):Last Sunday, at 43 years and 181 days, TM Sampath became Sri Lanka’s oldest batsman to score a first class century. Since then, he has turned out for Badureliya Sports Club, Burgher Recreation Club, Galle Cricket Club and Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club. The absence of a properly maintained archive of first class records strengthens the acceptance of Sampath’s recent achievement. As a fielder, he has accounted for 334 catches across all formats, including 210 in first class cricket, along with three stumpings. Until such time, TM Sampath will continue to be recognised as the oldest Sri Lankan cricketer to score a first class century.

No balloons for Christmas this year View(s):I was nicely snuggled up on my sofa watching another episode of my favourite comedy series for the year, when I heard a loud incessant banging on my door. Where’s my usual tot?’I walked to the drinks cabinet and pulled out the best XO brandy I had reserved for such a Christmas Eve. The juicy news would become the talk of the town on Christmas morn, doing the rounds in church aisle pews: ‘Santa Claus is a closet gay.’Santa’s fears rose to an elevated pitch of alarm. I will get dressed in my Santa Claus kit, however wet it is, before anyone comes.’Soon he was donning his Santa Claus suit, and we resumed the conversation from where we had stopped. The police improvised with regular Christmas balloons, but even those ran out.

Over the past five years, small businesses have been battered and bruised, many have closed down with workers thrown onto the street, with a bleak future. These are made up of 5,639 micro enterprises, 4,636 small businesses, 2,986 medium-scale enterprises and 437 large-scale enterprises. This damage is equivalent to about 4 per cent of Sri Lanka’s GDP, the multilateral organisation said in a statement. In a separate, brief assessment, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said 374,000 workers were affected by the devastating Cyclone Ditwah. The affected workers were from the area directly impacted by floods and landslides.

Lanka’s nightingale is no more but her music and legacy will continue to inspire View(s):Veteran playback singer and cultural icon Deshamanya Latha Walpola, widely known as the “Helaye Geetha Kokilaviya” (Nightingale ofSri Lanka), passed away last night while receiving treatment at the Sri Jayawardenapura Hospital. Born Matharage Rita Genevieve Fernando on November 11, 1934, in Mount Lavinia, she later became known by her stage name Latha Walpola. Over the years, she recorded thousands of songs and provided playback singing for more than 600 Sinhala films.”Her death marks the end of an era in Sri Lanka’s music and cinema history, leaving behind an unmatched legacy in Sinhala song and film music. Dharmadasa and Latha Walpola had four sons and two daughters. Latha Walpola’s music and legacy will continue to inspire generations ofSri Lankans.

Chinese on package tours spend US$190.55 (about Rs 58,846) a day and individuals spend US$155.17 (about Rs 49,920). Solo travellers from India spend US$154.60 (about Rs 47,744) per day, while spending US$176.49 (about Rs 54,504) on package tours. Tourism earnings are calculated by multiplying average spend per day by the number of tourists and their average duration of stay. In May, Indians and Chinese spent 5 days, UK visitors 9 days, Germans 8 days, and Russians 10 days. Tourism earnings are relatively low at some leading hotel groups, which book a mere US$32 million in foreign exchange in a financial year.