Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at the Army Hospital in Narahenpita this morning (17).
The Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Gopal Bagley was also present while the vaccine was administered.
The Indian High Commissioner Gopal Bagley had arrived at the Speaker's official residence this morning and accompanied the Speaker to the Army Hospital, a Press release from the Parliament said.
“The Speaker administered this vaccine to encourage the people to receive the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine which is currently being administered in Sri Lanka. The vaccine was given as a gift from the Government of India to control the COVID pandemic”, the release said.
The Speaker thanked the Indian Government for providing this vaccine to Sri Lanka and had a discussion at length with the Indian High Commissioner on further strengthening Indo-Sri Lanka relations.
Twenty four Government and Opposition MPs have received the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine until noon yesterday.
Meanwhile some of the MPs have criticised the decision to provide the vaccine to MPs when the vulnerable groups were yet to be provided with the vaccine.
In the wake of the ‘outing’ of parliament Speaker Ashoka Ranwala with accusations that his PhD was fake, there has been a flurry of articles on fake degrees.
A Sri Lankan wanted for financial frauds and under a red notice was arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport along with his wife and child as they were returning from India, Police said.
Mr. Gihan de Silva has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, the Government Information Department announced.
The Bribery Commission has apprehended former Provincial Councillor and businessman Salochana Gamage, along with another businessman, in Pitakotte over a Rs. 9 million bribery case.
The Government is considering abolishing the Office of the Chief of the Defence Staff (OCDS) when the term of office of its incumbent General Shavendra Silva ends on December 31.
New commanders have been appointed to the Sri Lanka Army and Sri Lanka Navy.
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