The Government will be involved in the paddy procurement this time, according to the Minister of Agriculture and Plantation Industries Mahinda Amaraweera.
Minister Amaraweera acknowledged that the farmers are having difficulty with the paddy prices.
The Minister emphasized the need of consulting farmer organizations before arriving at decisions.
He said one of the recommenations was starting the cultivation beforehand so that all cultivation be completed prior to the Tamil and Sinhala New Year.
“There is an issue over the cost of paddy. The Ministry of Finance will have oversight over the paddy procurement process. Banks will be made used to enable financial support, through the intervention of the Government,” Minister Amaraweera further said.
The Government in the past few years has failed to purchase stocks of paddy from farmers, thereby giving an additional advantage to the private sector where they are able to purchase paddy at lower prices.
Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told Parliament today that the suspect in the rape of a lady doctor at the Anuradhapura teaching hospital has been identified as an army deserter and he will be apprehended shortly.
Police have arrested the suspect connected to the sexual assault on a female doctor at the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital today morning in Galnewa.
The Dutch Public Prosecutor suspects two companies of paying bribes in the construction of hospitals in Sri Lanka, according to an investigation by FD, the Dutch financial newspaper.
The Government today tabled in the House the Report of the Commission to Inquiry into the Establishment and Maintenance of Unlawful Places of Detention and Torture Chambers in the Batalanda Housing Scheme.
Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe said today he wholly rejects the Batalanda Commission report and that it was appointed wholly with the intention slinging political mud at him.
Leader of the National People’s Party (NPP) and one time Propaganda Secretary of the JVP Wimal Weerawansa accused the Government of bringing back the “Batalanda Commission” for a media spectacle instead of a genuine concern for those who suffered during the 1988-1990 period.
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