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New board to promote nutritious local food
View(s):The Government will set up a National Food Promotion Board (NFPB) to educate people “on the value of local and traditional food.”
It comes on a recommendation by Agriculture Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena and will replace the National Freedom from Hunger Campaign (NFHC)
Unlike the NFHC, the NFPB will have new objectives. They will include:
- Production and promotion of local and traditional food for enhancing the nutrition of the people.
- Providing necessary coordination and guidance for institutions engaged in the local and traditional food production.
- Ensure the availability of local and foreign assistance for production and promotion of local and traditional food.
- Playing the role of a mediator in providing assistance – technical, financial and otherwise for encouraging, coordinating and empowering of would-be investors towards local and traditional food production.
- Facilitating for diversion of agricultural production, value addition, productivity increase, marketing of output for promoting production and consumption of nutritious food.
Ministerial sources said yesterday that some of the objectives were deleted from the draft laws to be introduced shortly. This was because the Attorney General had observed that some of the objectives were “inconsistent with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of 1978.” These sources, however, declined to identify those objectives.
Legal safeguards for differently abled people
The Cabinet has directed the Legal Draftsman to work out legislation to provide legal safeguards to differently abled people.
A ministerial source said yesterday that such legislation would include the protection of their rights. Even the blind who use a white cane would be afforded the same safeguards, the source added.
These rights have been sought but delayed for a long time. Even though activists have taken the matter right up to the Supreme Court, and the country’s apex court has given directives, the Social Services Ministry is moving at snail’s pace to have them implemented. But that is in so far as the public sector is concerned; the private sector represented by the Chambers of Commerce, the Organisation of Professionals’ Associations and others, has also been slow at ensuring Sri Lanka join the modern world in affording amenities and facilities to those who are physically impaired, even temporarily.
Former CID chief to head SLRC
A former Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is to be made the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC).
D.W. Prathapasinghe is now a member of the Southern Provincial Council. He is to assume duties as head of the national television network next month. The incumbent, Mohan Samaranayake, is to continue as official spokesperson for the President.
Fasting MP first patient as hospital reopens
Palitha Thevarapperuma, UNP Parliamentarian for Kalutara District, was the first patient to be admitted when the hospital at Badureliya was re-opened on Friday.
Mr. Thevarapperuma had chained himself to a structure to prevent the Police from removing him from the hospital premises, where he was staging a hunger strike, demanding the re-opening of the hospital. Soon after the hospital began to function, he was admitted for treatment and was later transferred to the base hospital in Nagoda for further attention.
Wildlife Christmas for first family
President Mahinda Rajapaksa and family chose to spend their Christmas holidays at the Buttuwa Bungalow in the Yala National Park.
They toured the park watching wild life. They were lucky on Christmas Day being able to see elephants and leopards among others. Heavy security was in place as the President and his entourage moved around.
Ravi links up Yameen with MR
United National Party (UNP) Colombo District Parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayake has become the latest admirer of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
He heaped praise on Rajapaksa when he called on Abdulla Yameen (54), the newly elected President of the Maldives. The opposition MP flew to Male, the Maldivian capital, to congratulate his personal friend Yameen after he was elected President at last month’s Presidential elections. Yameen contested from the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) headed by the archipelago’s long-time President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.
That is not all. During the meeting, Mr. Karunanayake reached out to his mobile phone and rang President Rajapaksa. After a few words, he introduced Yameen on the telephone to the Sri Lankan President. They continued a conversation for a while.
As one UNP colleague remarked, “Ravi was not only the first foreign VIP to call on President Yameen. He was the first Sri Lankan to introduce the Maldivian leader to the Sri Lankan leader President Rajapaksa.”
Vaiko pushes for release of arrested Indian journalist
PVaiko, the maverick Tamil Nadu politician who held close ties with the now militarily defeated Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), has appealed to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to intervene and obtain the release of a Tamil journalist.
Maha Tamil Prabhakaran, a journalist attached to the Junior Vikatan Tamil publication was arrested by the Army whilst reportedly taking photographs of military camps in the North. He was later handed over to the Terrorism Investigation Division of the Police.
Vaiko has said in his letter that Mr. Prabhakaran arrived in Sri Lanka in the company of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian Sivagnanam Sritharan and Poopathi Pillai, a member of the Northern Provincial Council. TID sources said he had entered Sri Lanka as a tourist.
During questioning, he had denied that he was a journalist. He had then been confronted with his writings after a visit to Sri Lanka in March this year. Later he has admitted that he was a journalist attached to the Junior Vikatan.
Vaiko has referred in his letter to the killing of Lasantha Wickrematunga but has mistakenly identified him as being Editor of the Sunday Times.
Mahapola sweep again, also casinos
The Government is to re-launch the Mahapola Online Lottery scheme following a decision by the Cabinet. The move comes on a recommendation by Co-operatives and Internal Trade Minister Johnston Fernando. It was only last week that ministers gave approval for the setting up of three multi-million dollar resort projects. Officially no mention was made about the establishment of casinos in these projects. Those will come later is what everyone knows.
However, a gazette notification granting strategic enterprise status to these ventures says these ventures would include “high end shopping malls and high quality residencies and office spaces/service spaces with associated facilities.”
A Government source said the reference to “associated facilities” made clear there was no legal barrier to the setting up of casinos.
CBK-Ranil pow-wow at Mangala’s party
The UNP’s Communications Director Mangala Samaraweera held a dinner party last Sunday at his private residence overlooking the Bolgoda Lake. Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and UNP leader and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe were seen engaged in an animated conversation. It fuelled rumours that they were speaking about an opposition alliance.
However, a source at the party dismissed speculation saying that the duo were only exchanging views. Ms. Kumaratunga had no plans to return to politics, said the source. Among those present at the party were lawyers who appeared for Samaraweera in recent court cases and a group of his close supporters.