Fire destroys 35 acres of forest land
Around 35 acres of forest was destroyed on Saturday in a fire that erupted in the protected areas of the Castlereagh reservoir and Devon Falls. Police suspect that the fire has been deliberately caused
Daily News (Sri Lanka)
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SAARC nod for Food Bank
The 15th SAARC Summit has placed food security high on its agenda with the promise of more state intervention including a SAARC Food Bank to help any Member State in case of exigencies. Foreign Secretary Dr. Palitha Kohona addressing media at the conclusion of Standing Committee meetings said that all Member States had reached a consensus on the concept of a SAARC Food Bank. Dr. Kohona added that a preliminary draft as a proposal would be forwarded to the Foreign Minister's meeting for further perusal.
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Donor assistance for flood mitigation
The Government has taken special moves with the assistance of UNDP to mitigate the floods and landslides in various parts of the country including Ratnapura, Nuwara-Eliya, Badulla, Kandy, Kalutara, Colombo and Gampaha Districts owing to the rains, Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said.
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Moves to develop backward villages in Matara
Arrangements have been made to develop 42 backward villages in Athuraliya, Hakmana and Mulatiyana Divisional Secretariat areas in the Matara district under the Gemi Diriya development project. Funds amounting to Rs. 90 million has been set aside under the project improve infrastructure facilities and to upgrade the livelihood activities and vocational skills in this 42 backward villages in the three Divisional Secretariat areas, according to the Matara District Officer of Gemi Diriya project, K. Jayamuni.
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80% of cancer cases due to smoking
80% of cancer patients in Sri Lanka have got the diseases from smoking. Hence the challenge before doctors and health administrators is to carry out not only curative medicine but preventive medicine as well, said Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva yesterday. Addressing a batch of 200 doctors who had completed their medical internships at the Narahenpita National Blood Transfusion Centre, he said that cancer had become one of the major health problems in the country.
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Make maximum use of Kalu Ganga waters for national development - PM
A development programme to utilise the waters of the Kalu Ganga to the optimum level for the benefit of people living around its banks is to be implemented shortly by the Government. Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka directed irrigation officials to draw up a plan to facilitate this and submit a report before the end of October this year. The Prime Minister issued this directive when the special Ministerial Committee on the development of the Kalu Ganga basin met at his office on July 14.
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Go ahead for Sethu
The Indian Government will file an affidavit in the Supreme Court today asking for work to progress on Sethusamudaram project. The Government is also planning to submit that ASI survey is not important. The government's turnaround will come as a major boost to DMK. DMK has been pushing for the project to go ahead.
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Floods affect 33,000 persons
The heavy rainfall during the past few days have affected at least 33,222 people from 7,848 families while three persons died in Kegalle, Gampaha and Matale as a result of floods in districts including Rathnapura, Gampaha, Kegalle, Colombo, Matale and Kandy. According to the Director of the National Disaster Relief Services Centre (NDRSC) N.D.Hettiarachchi the Government has already provided sufficient relief assistance including an allocation of Rs.500,000 from the Ministry of Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services.
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Govt moots housing programme for shanty dwellers
The Government has launched a programme to provide houses to 1,000 families dwelling in shanties and other temporary shelters. Under the programme launched by the Urban and Sacred Area Development Ministry, 70 families in the Badaowita area in Mount. Lavinia were provided housing facilities yesterday. The Government has contributed Rs. 175,000 for the construction of each house, while 40 more houses are to be built shortly. The housing programme is implemented in 10 districts where a large number of people are in need of housing facilities.
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Education and screening can prevent over 30pc cancer deaths - Health Minister
More than 30 per cent of cancer deaths can be prevented through effective education and screening saving thousands of lives a year in countries like Sri Lanka, Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said. He was speaking at a conference for professionals on caner treatment at the Centre for Cancer Research in Lyon, France yesterday.
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Rs. 158m for 204 projects
Director of Planning and Implementation in Matale District P. Hewapathirana said under the national plan of Gama Neguma programme 204 projects were launched in 204 Grama Niladhari Divisions in Matale district during the year 2007. In the first step 148 projects were started and in the second step 56 projects. In this project, dilapidated roads, public buildings community hall and water supply schemes were repaired. Government has allocated Rs. 158 million for setting up of rural development projects.