By Pamodi Waravita and Dinitha Rathnayake

The price of a 12.5 kg cylinder of gas by Litro Gas Lanka has been hiked by Rs. 1,257 as of 12 a.m. today (11), Litro officials told The Morning yesterday (10), while The Morning learnt that the price of a Laugfs Gas PLC 12.5 kg cylinder has been increased by Rs. 984.

Accordingly, the price of a Litro Gas Lanka 12.5 kg cylinder was increased to Rs. 2,750 from Rs. 1,493, and the price of a 12.5 kg cylinder of gas by Laugfs Gas PLC was increased to Rs. 2,840 from Rs. 1,856.

Following a special Cabinet meeting held last Thursday (7) with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Government decided to remove the price controls on cement, LPG, milk powder, and wheat flour.

Contd. on page 2

{ MONDAY }

SAVE PARAKRAMA SAMUDRAYA»SEE PAGE 4

HOROWPATHANA: UNSUITABLE FOR ELEPHANTS?»SEE PAGE 12 »SEE PAGE 16

SELECTORS RETAIN STRUGGLING

DANANJAYA FOR WORLD CUP

MILK POWDER SHORTAGE TO

CONTINUE FOR 6 WEEKS

»SEE PAGE 9

� www.themorning.lkVOL 01 | NO 183 | Rs. 30.00

� Late CityMONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2021

COVID-19 TOTAL VACCINATION

THE ABOVE STATISTICS ARE CONFIRMED UP UNTIL 10.00 P.M. ON 10 OCTOBER 2021SOURCE: PRESIDENTIAL SECRETARIAT

1ST DOSE14,698,140 12,360,161

2ND DOSE

COVID-19 CASES

SOURCE: HEALTH PROMOTION BUREAU

ACTIVE CASES 32,955526,383TOTAL CASES

DEATHS RECOVERED

13,331 480,097

BY BUDDHIKA SAMARAWEERA

A meeting, scheduled to be held between Prime

Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and representatives of the teachers’ and principals’ trade unions at Temple Trees today (11), has been postponed indefinitely, according to the teachers’ trade unions.

The meeting was to be held to discuss the issues in the education sector, including teacher-principal salary anomaly, and according to the unions, the postponement has been made without providing any reasons.

Contd. on page 3

PM postpones meeting with teachers, principals

PM Mahinda Rajapaksa

BY PAMODI WARAVITA

Justice Minister M.U.M. Ali Sabry PC has stated

that a community-based correction system would

prove effective taking into consideration

the proposal of correcting those

who are imprisoned for less than two years within the community itself instead of imprisoning them.

Sabry had made these remarks at the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Justice Meeting held last Friday (8), according to a

parliamentary press release. “The Justice Minister

was of the view that there is no point in sending people behind bars without reforming them and therefore, a community-based correction system would be a more effective

method. Accordingly, possibilities of correcting those who are sentenced for less than two years within the community, without imprisoning them, was taken into consideration,” the press release noted.

Contd. on page 2

Out-of-prison correction proposed for minor crimes

Justice Minister M.U.M. Ali Sabry PC

z Milk powder price hike of Rs. 250 from today

Litro, Laugfs hike prices by Rs. 1,257 and Rs. 984

BY BUDDHIKA SAMARAWEERA

United National Party (UNP) Leader and MP Ranil Wickremesinghe has said that

the 20th Amendment to the Constitution is a failure and should be repealed, claiming that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa himself has admitted it is a failure through his recent statement to the Cabinet of Ministers.

Contd. on page 2

Ranil calls for 20A repeal z Claims President admitted it has failed z Wimal urges Prez to be more consultative

UNP Leader and former Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe

BY DINITHA RATHNAYAKE

The Covid-19 vaccination programme for 12-19-year-olds diagnosed with cancer, which commenced at the Maharagama Apeksha Hospital on 4 October, has seen some delays due to parents’ fears over getting their children vaccinated, according

to consultant microbiologist in charge of the programme Dr. Samanmalee Gunasekera.

Speaking to the media yesterday (10) regarding the progress of the hospital’s vaccination programme, Dr. Gunasekara stated: “This vaccination process is...”

Contd. on page 2

Parents reluctant to vaccinate kids with cancer

BY PAMODI WARAVITA

Detained poet Ahnaf Jazeem’s mother had met Jazeem for the first time since his detention over a year ago at the Welikada Prison Complex last Saturday (9), Jazeem’s legal representation Sanjaya Wilson Jayasekera told The Morning yesterday (10).

Jayasekera said that the meeting had only lasted a few minutes, adding that the process dehumanises the most important human relationship.

Contd. on page 2

Mother allowed to visit detained poet for first time

Artefacts emerge during Jetavana walkway constructionBY PAMODI WARAVITA

Officials at the Central Cultural Fund (CCF) told The Morning yesterday (10)

that although the CCF and the Archeology Department had given permission for a development project to commence along the “walkway” to the Jetavana Stupa, the emergence of stone artefacts had halted the process last week.

Archeology Department officials told us that permission has been given for the construction. However, they added that during the construction, artefacts had surfaced, which had immediately garnered the attention of the Archeology Department Director General Prof. Anura Manatunga. It is learnt that although excavation has not begun yet, the Department is currently assessing the available data to determine whether an excavation is necessary.

Contd. on page 2

Chief Government Whip and Highways Minister Johnston Fernando has claimed that the main Opposition SJB is on the verge of a major split in the coming weeks, according to a press release by the Ministry of Highways.

“Serious cracks have appeared and SJB is on the verge of splitting into several groups. The split is certain; what is not certain is whether it would be four or five splinter groups,” Minister Fernando had said last Saturday (9) during a ceremony held at the Provincial Council auditorium, Kurunegala, to launch aqua farming entrepreneurs in the District.

Responding to questions by journalists who demanded the Minister comment on recent statement by SJB MP Diana Gamage that the party would split into several groups, the Minister said...

Contd. on page 2

SJB split soon: Johnston

BY BUDDHIKA SAMARAWEERA

The Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka has claimed that the decision taken by the

authorities to suspend the import of organic fertiliser from a Chinese company (Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group), due to the presence of harmful bacteria in several samples of organic fertiliser imported to Sri Lanka, is problematic.

Following tests carried out by local testing agencies, including the National Plant Quarantine Service (NPQS), on the second set of samples of organic fertiliser made in China that have confirmed...

Contd. on page 2

China upset about fertiliser rejection

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Prez assures new Constitution and electoral system

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday (10) stated that steps would be taken to amend the Constitution and introduce a new electoral

system, as promised during his election campaign.

“The new Constitution that I promised back then will be introduced within the next year. I will also introduce the new electoral system that the public expects within the same year,” he said.

Contd. on page 2

z Says both will be introduced within‘next year’

z ‘No need for excuses; extend support to move country forward’

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, speaking at the 72nd Army Day celebration held yesterday (10)

BY PAMODI WARAVITA

Sri Lanka Tea Board Chairman Jayampathy

Molligoda announced yesterday (10) that the tea industry has been permitted to import “nitrogen-based chemical fertiliser” for the transitional period from chemical fertiliser to organic fertiliser, following the Government’s decision in late April this year to completely ban the use of chemical fertiliser within the country.

“The tea industry has been given permission

to import nitrogen-based chemical fertiliser during this transitional period along with mineral fertiliser. The Tea Research Institute (TRI), in consultation with the SLTB and other stakeholders, are now in the process of formulating tea mixtures for mature areas and immature fields. The Government decision this week is a pragmatic approach and is a temporary arrangement to provide the necessary balanced nutrients. It is not going back to the excessive use of

chemical fertiliser era at all. There is no change in the policy set out by the Cabinet on 28 April 2021,” Molligoda said on a Facebook post yesterday.

High-level officials at the Ministry of Plantations confirmed to The Morning that the Government did grant permission last week for the tea industry to import nitrogen-based fertiliser for the interim period.

Contd. on page 3

z Temporary measure during transition, says Tea Board Chairman

z Ministry of Plantations confirms permission granted

Sri Lanka Tea Board Chairman Jayampathy Molligoda

Tea industry to import chemical fertiliser

42

{ NEWS } � www.themorning.lk Monday, October 11, 2021

Out-of-prisons...He has further instructed that public views be

obtained regarding the draft report “Community Based Correction System in Sri Lanka”.

“Criminal law and the notion of justice is entwined and it is important to extricate an individual into society as a responsible citizen rather than labelling them as criminals,” Parliament Assistant Secretary General (Legislative Services) Tikiri K. Jayathilake was quoted as saying.

Thus, he had proposed a two-tier via the Ministerial Committee to achieve this objective. He had said that whilst the political tier work towards the requisite reforms, the professional tier contribute their expertise towards the creation and development of the relevant reforms.

The UN Resident Co-ordinator to Sri Lanka Hanaa Singer-Hamdy, who had been present at the aforementioned meeting, had commended the reforms to the criminal justice system, and had noted that community-based correction could prevent the exposure of potentially violent and unsafe prison conditions to offenders who would then be trapped in a cyclical system of punishment.

Ranil calls...Wickremesinghe was referring to the

statement reported to have been made by the President that he has limited political experience, and therefore Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa should play a bigger role than at present in the governance of the country.

“When the Cabinet of Ministers met recently, the President acknowledged that he has limited political experience. He has also said that the Prime Minister should come forward and experienced Ministers should also contribute,” Wickremesinghe said, speaking to the media yesterday (10).

He further claimed that due to the 20th Amendment, the Cabinet-based governance that was active in the country was lost. “There was a Government within the Government when it came to the economy and the Covid-19 situation. In addition, there was another Government outside the Government when it came to rice prices. As a result, the national economy and expectations collapsed,” he added.

Therefore, he said, the current governing system has no effect and should be returned to a traditional Cabinet-led system, adding that the 20th Amendment should be replaced with the 19th Amendment. He also said that the Cabinet of Ministers would be held accountable to Parliament through this.

“The current President and Parliament were elected under the 19th Amendment. When the 19th Amendment is implemented, the Cabinet is accountable to Parliament. If that amendment is reinstated, the next step is for Parliament to win the confidence of the people,” he said.

Speaking further, Wickremesinghe pointed out that the Government should hold discussions with the Opposition to resolve the current economic problems and the problems caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, he said that the GSP tax concession should be protected and through this it would be possible to solve the problems of the minorities, thereby building a strong Sri Lankan identity.

“I commend him for declaring the 20th Amendment a failure, and we shall work together to repeal the 20th Amendment and create a conducive environment by reinstating the 19th Amendment. The whole Parliament should come together to discuss and resolve these issues,” he said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Industries Wimal Weerawansa stated last Saturday (9) that instead of rushing Cabinet papers that are important to the country and having them passed in one day, it would be more appropriate to hold adequate discussions in the Cabinet of Ministers and get them passed. He said that this would enable the Government to take decisions that would not have to be changed later.

“The President should also be actively involved in politics as soon as possible. It is important for him to attend meetings such as party leaders’ meetings for collective decision-making. The President’s active involvement in politics will solve many problems,” he said.

The 20th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka was passed in the Parliament with 156 voting in favour, 65 against, and four

abstaining on 22 October 2020. It became a subject of political controversy as political activists, civil societies, and the international community expressed concerns that it was deemed to be in violation to the Constitution of the country.

The 20th Amendment reversed most of the reforms and amendments which were introduced in the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 2015. Accordingly, the 20th Amendment brought back most of the constitutional powers to the Executive President, which was previously abolished in the 19th Amendment. The 19th Amendment was the first instance in Sri Lanka where the executive powers were nearly equally shared by the President along with the Cabinet of Ministers.

Prez assures...The President made these comments

speaking at the ceremony to mark the 72nd Anniversary of the Sri Lanka Army, held at the Gajaba Regiment Headquarters, Saliyapura, Anuradhapura.

During his election campaign, the President had pledged to replace the 1978 Constitution with a new one. To this end, a nine-member expert committee to draft a new Constitution was appointed in September 2020, led by Romesh de Silva PC.

Last month, while an initial draft of its recommendations was being reviewed by the Legal Draftsman’s Department, the committee was given a three-month extension on its deadline to submit its final draft to the President, leaving it time until December to complete its duties.

Several members of the Government, including some senior politicians, had called for the abolition of the provincial council (PC) system and the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. The call for the removal of the legislation prompted Indian authorities to reaffirm their stance that the 13th Amendment to the Constitution should remain.

Additionally, a Parliamentary Select Committee to identify reforms needed in Sri Lanka’s electoral laws and system was appointed in May 2021, comprising 14 MPs and chaired by Education Minister Dinesh Gunawardena. Two more MPs were added to the committee on 23 September, bringing it up to 16 members.

Many Opposition parties have, in testifying before the committee, urged for retaining the proportional representation system, while the need for more female representation in the national lists of parties was also brought forward by MP Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.

President Rajapaksa inaugurated the newly constructed drill ground at the Gajaba Regiment Camp at Saliyapura and handed it over to the war heroes before observing the military parade accorded to him.

Parents...“...not going fast because of the fears of

parents. There is nothing to be afraid of. We only vaccinate children with the approval of a specialist. Those undergoing chemotherapy, especially, would need some time to recover, so get vaccinated.”

She noted that under said programme, 60 children diagnosed with cancer have been vaccinated against Covid-19 with the Pfizer vaccine and have not developed any complications or allergies thus far, adding that parents should not be afraid to give the vaccine to their children, as the vaccination programme has been very successful.

The vaccination is only given with the approval of the oncologist treating each patient, she explained, and is an attempt to ensure the safety of the children, especially as they often visit the hospital for clinics and tests and are thus more liable to contract the virus.

“Children from all over the country come to our hospital for treatment. Some children in the outlying areas had been vaccinated at hospitals in those areas. In case of any emergency, we have a separate team for that treatment as well,” Dr. Gunasekera added.

She also said the vaccine would be administered on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Maharagama Apeksha Hospital, and there are no queues to get vaccinated.

The Covid-19 vaccination programme for children over 12 years of age who are suffering

from chronic diseases commenced on 24 September from the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children (LRH) in Colombo.

Litro, Laugfs...As global market prices of gas have increased

significantly, both Litro Gas Lanka and Laugfs Gas have been requesting the Government that they be allowed to increase local prices as well. Although the Government rejected these requests on multiple occasions, it finally allowed Laugfs Gas Lanka to hike the LPG price by Rs. 363 for the 12.5 kg cylinder in August.

At the time, however, Laugfs Gas PLC Chairman W.K.H. Wegapitiya told The Morning that he was “unimpressed” by the permitted hike, due to the prevailing world prices. Consumers have constantly complained about a shortage of both Laugfs and Litro gas cylinders in the market over the past two months.

Meanwhile, in a media communiqué on 1 October, the Litro Surakeeme National Unity said that the “decision to not increase gas prices parallel to cost fluctuations during the past nine months resulted in a loss of Rs 10.5 billion for Litro Gas”.

Thus, the Unity warned that if the Treasury Department does not grant monetary assistance to purchase Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG), Litro Gas will not be able to import LPG from November onwards.

Meanwhile, the price of full cream milk powder has also been increased by Rs. 250 from today.

Speaking to The Morning, Milk Powder Importers Association member Lakshman Weerasuriya said the Association’s original request was for a price hike of Rs.350.

“The Government did not agree to the Rs. 350 price hike and the final agreement was Rs. 250,” he further stated.

Accordingly, 1 kg of milk powder will now be priced at Rs. 1,195 and 400 g packet price has increased up to Rs. 480. The previous price of 1 kg of milk powder was Rs. 945, and the 400 g packet price was Rs. 380.

For further details on the milk powder imports and availability, read our Business

section on Page 9.

Artefacts...Attempts to contact Prof. Manatunga

regarding the matter yesterday proved futile.Reports over the weekend alleged that the

Northern side of the ancient Stupa faced heavy construction due to the development of a car park. Prof. Gunawardena denied these allegations, claiming that they were “lies” created by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), whose members, he alleged, have “never walked into a temple”.

Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious, and Cultural Affairs Secretary Professor Kapila Gunawardana yesterday denied any allegations that a car park construction was done last week harming the historic Jetavana Stupa at Anuradhapura.

“We just did an ‘interlock’ style development there as the walkway to the Stupa gets very muddy during the rainy season and extremely dusty at other times. This development would aid devotees to access the site more easily,” Prof. Gunawardena told The Morning.

Meanwhile, speaking to The Morning yesterday, Jetavana Monastery Chief Monk Ven. Rathnapala Thera said that the construction over the weekend had not harmed the pilgrimage site in any manner, and had been done following the permission received from both the CCF and the Department of Archeology.

“This is merely an ‘interlock’ development along the ‘Vihara Mawatha’ that allows devotees to be more comfortable visiting the pilgrimage site. Vehicles carrying disabled devotees can also access it. It prevents mud and dust gathering near the area and allows devotees to consume food in comfort under the shade of the trees without dust settling near them,” said the Thera.

The Sacred City of Anuradhapura is deemed a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organisation (UNESCO) and is famous for its Bo tree, which grew from a branch of the same tree under which the Lord Buddha is believed to have gained enlightenment. The Jetavana monastery is located within the city.

SJB......the opposition party’s leader Sajith

Premadasa had lost twice, and party followers had no hope that he would be able to steer that party to a victory. “His impotence and immaturity are the main reasons for the inevitable split. In the face of this crisis, he goes on paddy fields in the rain without an umbrella to show that he stands for the cause of farmers. These are cheap theatrics. Such performances are actually to save his own skin and are not for the benefit of farmers,” the Minister said, according to the press release.

Asked to comment on the possibility of holding provincial council elections soon, the Minister had said: “Elections should be held on time. Holding elections shows the prevailing of democracy. All those shouting of the opposition will come to an end when an election is announced. The opposition is afraid of elections because it knows that it cannot win. Even last time they went before courts to delay the elections.”

When asked to comment on reports that some MPs are to resign to contest for chief minister posts, and monies had been allocated for electorates last week, the Minister said that funds had been allocated not for elections, but for improving infrastructure facilities in the rural areas and developing economies of farming communities: “We are ready for an election any time. We do not need to allocate funds and make preparations for elections to win them like other parties. We made impressive achievements such as restoring national security, winning against the pandemic and marched from strength to strength. People want a government that protects them. We are the only party that could save them and bring victory to them.”

Among those present were State Minister of Ornamental Fish, Inland Fish, and Prawn Farming, Fishery Harbour Development, Multi Day Fishing Activities, and Fish Exports Kanchana Wijesekera, MPs U.K. Sumith and Gunapala Ratnayake, local government officials, and politicians of the Kurunegala District.

Mother...“The Sri Lankan prison system dehumanises

both humans and human relationships. I condemn this system where men are incarcerated in the most squalid of conditions. It shows how brutally the ruling governments are treating the working class for whom the prisons are made. All prisoners meet the person that they have the closest relationship with during prison visits. This relationship is not honored in our prison system – Ahnaf and his mother had no privacy and no time with each other on Saturday (9),” said Jayasekera.

Jazeem was arrested in connection to his Tamil-language poetry anthology, titled Navarasam, which the authorities have alleged as promoting “extremist” ideologies. However, various quarters have since questioned these allegations, pointing out that translations of his work show the exact opposite, where his poems are explicitly against war and violence. A number of local and international organisations, including Amnesty International, have condemned this arbitrary arrest and called for the poet’s immediate release.

Last month, Jazeem’s mother submitted a written representation to the Advisory Board of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act No. 48 of 1979 (PTA) for his immediate release.

On 25 August, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed an Advisory Board under Article 13 of the PTA. According to Presidential Secretariat Director General – Legal Affairs and senior Attorney-at-Law Harigupta Rohanadeera, the Advisory Board is due to provide recommendations on 46 detainees and remand prisoners.

China upset......the presence of harmful bacteria in said

samples, the Ministry of Agriculture recently decided not to import organic fertiliser from the relevant Chinese company.

However, in a press release issued last Friday (8), the Chinese Embassy stated that the decision made by authorities to reject Seawin’s organic fertiliser based on the NPQS’s report is not only questionable, but also causes great financial loss to the company.

The Embassy said: “The NPQS claimed that the sample received contained harmful bacteria including Erwinia, after only three

days of test and analysis. It is noted that, according to the International Plant Protection Convention, it will take at least six days to detect Erwinia. The hasty conclusion made by NPQS lacks scientific basis.”

It further added that the Embassy hopes that the related parties in Sri Lankan side and the Chinese company could co-ordinate on the principles of respecting science and facts, and the spirit of contract, in order to resolve the issue promptly, adding that the differences should be addressed through dialogue in good faith for the mutual benefit of China-Sri Lanka co-operation.

“The Embassy of China in Sri Lanka contacted the product supplier Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co. Ltd. to examine the issue, and found that these reports and statements, which have already harmed the reputation of the company in question, directly contradict the facts,” it also claimed.

Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co. Ltd., known as Seawin, is a high-tech enterprise focusing on the production of a new-type of seaweed organic fertiliser, founded in 2000. Its fertiliser has been exported to more than 50 countries. The company was selected by the Sri Lankan Agriculture Ministry through an open tender to supply urgently needed organic fertiliser, the statement read.

“The company has undertaken obligations strictly in accordance with the signed contract. In its production process, organic fertiliser must be sterilised at 600 ℃. Thus all harmful microorganisms are killed by the high temperature, which is in line with the standards required in the bidding documents, the contract, the letters of credit and the widely accepted international standards for organic fertilisers,” the statement further noted.

Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, on 29 September, told media that a decision was taken not to import organic fertiliser from the relevant Chinese company due to laboratory tests that revealed that the samples contained harmful bacteria.

Since the mandatory tests carried out by several local institutions, namely the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI), the NPQS, and the Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Board (SLAEB), on initial samples of organic fertiliser from the Chinese company in question have failed, it was recently revealed that another set of samples were to be given to the local testing agencies.

However, the Agriculture Department Director General Dr. Ajantha de Silva recently told the media that tests carried out on said samples have once again confirmed the presence of harmful bacteria.

Recently, it was reported that a tender has been awarded to import 99,000 metric tonnes (MT) of organic fertiliser made in China, and that its value is approximately $ 63 million. It was also reported that the mandatory tests carried out by the SLSI, the NPQS, and the SLAEB on its samples have failed. According to the testing agencies, the stock of fertiliser could contain harmful micro-organisms, pathogens, and even diseases harmful to the soil, plants, and humans.

A letter sent to the Fertiliser Secretariat by the NPQS on the test results of the first set of samples stated that both fertiliser samples they received contain harmful bacteria. According to the letter, two samples of solid organic fertiliser samples bearing numbers 388 and 389 have been referred to the NPQS by the National Fertiliser Secretariat on 31 August 2021. The samples have been subjected to standard microbiological tests to find out whether they are contaminated with culturable micro-organisms. Accordingly, the letter sent by the NPQS read: “Sample No. 388 was found to be highly contaminated with gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Preliminary studies revealed the bacteria to be Bacillus spp and Erwinia spp, which can be pathogenic to plants. Similarly, sample No. 389 was found to be contaminated with gram positive bacteria, which is also a Bacillus spp.”

Therefore, the samples submitted for laboratory investigation are not sterilised, the NPQS concluded in the letter.

A proposal to ban the use and importation of chemical fertilisers, and agrochemicals such as pesticides and herbicides/weedicides, was submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers by President Rajapaksa, and the same was granted approval, following which the relevant gazette notification was issued in May 2021.

Contd. from page 1

BY RUWANI FONSEKA

Refuting claims that the Provincial Council Elections are being renewed as a result of pressure from India, Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris detailed reasons as to why a new bill must be passed in Parliament for the Provincial Council Elections to be held.

This statement was made during a press conference held on Saturday (9).

“There was no undue pressure exerted on

the Sri Lankan Government with regards to the 13th Amendment or the oil tanks in Trincomalee. It is the Parliament of Sri Lanka

that decides on how and when the elections of this country will be held. A date has not been decided yet. The Government accepts the responsibility of bringing an Act in Parliament, passing it, and then holding the provincial council elections,” stated Prof. Peiris.

Meanwhile, a statement was released earlier by the Indian High Commission, following the

Indian Foreign Secretary’s tour of the island, stating that the provisions of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution should be implemented, further mentioning that India is of the stance that steps must be taken to hold the Provincial Council Elections to ensure that devolution of power under the 13th Amendment to the Constitution is given meaning.

Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris

PC elections renewal not due to Indian pressure, says G.L.

4

{ NEWS } � www.themorning.lk

3

Monday, October 11, 2021

RECORD NUMBERS OF ARMY PERSONNEL PROMOTED

In a historic move to mark the 72nd Anniversary of the Sri Lanka

Army, also known as the Army Day (10 October), promotions have been granted to 567 Officers and 10,368 other ranks, the SL Army said. The promotions have been made with the approval of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on the recommendation of Chief of Defence Staff Army Commander Gen. Shavendra Silva.

Accordingly, Army Day promotions were given to eight senior brigadiers to the rank of major general, 17 colonels to the rank of brigadier, 42 lieutenant colonels to the rank of colonel, 60 majors to the rank of lieutenant colonel, 256 captains to the rank of major, 10 lieutenants to the rank of captain, 152 2nd lieutenants to the rank of lieutenant, and 22 probation officers commissioned to the rank of lieutenant (QM) in total yesterday.

DON’T ASSUME COVID IS GONE, SAYS JAYASUMANA

State Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana yesterday urged citizens

not to mistakenly think that the threat of Covid-19 has completely faded, as the risks posed by public gatherings and the failure to follow health guidelines is still very high.

Speaking to reporters, he said that inter-provincial travel restrictions are still being maintained, and yet many people are gathering in large numbers at places of worship, funerals, weddings, and functions organised by family members or friends. He said that this is setting a bad precedent and that he had personally observed people gathering in large numbers near religious places such as the Ruwanweli Maha Seya and Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi yesterday.

STF SEIZES STOCK OF ILLEGALLY STORED EXPLOSIVES

Police Special Task Force (STF) personnel have seized a stock of explosives stored

illegally and also arrested a suspect in connection with the discovery. Based on intelligence reports received by the STF, a 39-year-old individual was arrested, along with the explosives stored illegally at two locations in Meerigama without valid permits.

Following the interrogation of the suspect, it was uncovered that the explosives in question had been procured after presenting forged documents and information in order to be sold to other individuals. The seized explosives material includes 81 water gel sticks weighing nearly 130g, 75 kg of ammonium nitrate, 107 non-electric detonators, and 360 m of detonating cord.

AT A GLANCE

Contd. from page 1

BY BUDDHIKA SAMARAWEERA

Railway station masters have commenced islandwide trade

union action to protest against several issues, including the Railway Department not granting promotions to station masters and failing to take the necessary steps to carry out annual classification of railway stations.

Speaking to The Morning, Sri Lanka station masters’ Union (SLSMU) General Secretary Kasun Chamara stated that they have withdrawn from duties pertaining to the preparation of monthly accounts of all railway stations and forwarding them to the Railway Department.

“There are many issues with the promotions of station masters. For example, there are 60 vacancies in the Railway Department for the post of Chief Station Master. An interview was held in January 2021 to recruit Grade 1 station masters for those posts, but no recruitment has been made yet. Some of those who attended the interview have even retired now,” he said.

In addition, Chamara said that all the Grade 2 Station Master posts in the Railway Department are currently vacant. Even though the current Grade 3 station masters should be promoted to Grade 2 in light of this, he claimed, there has

been no preparation towards this.He further said the Railway

Department was due to take action to classify islandwide Railway Stations in January this year, but no action has been taken in that regard. The process of granting promotions to station masters is also affected when Railway Stations are not classified properly, he charged.

Claiming that the Ministry of Transport and the Railway Department have been informed of these issues on several occasions, Chamara said that the SLSMU has decided to launch trade union action, as no solution has been found. However, he said that they hope to implement the trade union action in a manner that would not cause inconvenience to commuters after the commencement of train services, which are currently suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

When contacted by The Morning to inquire into this matter, Railway Department General Manager Dammika Jayasundara stated that he hopes to discuss these issues with the station masters at the departmental level within the week.

Transport Minister Pavithra Devi Wanniarachchi was not available for comment on the matter.

z Demand Railway Department to grant due promotions, conduct annual station classification

Railway station masters withdraw from duties in protest

CMC crisis resolved, says CMC CouncillorBY DINITHA RATHNAYAKE

The dispute between members of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) and the Municipal Commissioner has been resolved, according to CMC Councillor I.A. Rahuman.

He told The Morning that the issue was related to the allocation of funds for distributing dry rations among people who had lost their livelihoods due to Covid-19. However, Colombo Municipal Commissioner Roshini Dissanayake has now agreed to a budgetary allocation of Rs. 200 million for a dry ration distribution programme after discussion with Colombo Mayoress Rosy Senanayake, and the process will continue according to a formalised tender procedure.

“This issue was raised during the second lockdown. Council members suggested distributing dry rations among people who have low incomes, but the Commissioner did not agree with the decision. Colombo Municipal Commissioner Roshini Dissanayake said there are no funds, and she avoided attending the finance committee meetings,” claimed Rahuman.

He further stated that the distribution of dry ration packages worth Rs. 2,000-3,000 was planned to be carried out utilising taxes collected from within the CMC’s jurisdiction, so that extra government funds would not be needed for this purpose.

“The Commissioner had no reason to reject this proposal,” he added.

However, speaking to The Morning, Colombo Municipal Commissioner Roshini Dissanayake said the cost for distributing dry rations was Rs. 392 million, and the CMC had no funds to allocate such an expense.

“The council members wanted to do this programme without a tender process, which I didn’t agree with. Secondly, the CMC has other expenditures such as solid waste management, Covid-19 and Dengue control measures, and drainage maintenance which we manage through public tax for which we are responsible for. Since the tax money

has been reduced, we don’t have the budget allocations for such a project.”

She added that CMC has already spent over Rs. 573 million this year, and Rs. 173 million in the month of July, for distributing dry rations.

Meanwhile, stating that the dispute between CMC members and the Municipal Commissioner had put the CMC in crisis, UNP MP Ranil Wickremesinghe requested Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to intervene to resolve the issue.

Speaking in Parliament, he had stated: “There is a crisis in the CMC, as a dispute arose between the Municipal Commissioner and the council members. Distribution of relief to city dwellers who have been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic had come to a standstill as a result of this. Therefore, I request Prime Minister Rajapaksa to summon the Mayoress, members of the Municipal Council, and the Commissioner, and resolve the issue through a dialogue.”

The dispute had also led to protests outside Town Hall, staged by the council members and other officers attached to the CMC.

z Commissioner agrees to Rs. 200 m distribution programme after discussion with Mayoress

z Councillors and Commissioner butted heads over programme’s funding and tender process

Colombo Municipal Council members staged a protest on 27 September outside Town Hall over a disagreement with the Municipal Commissioner regarding the distribution of dry rations

The inauguration of the first College of Palliative

Medicine of Sri Lanka took place last Saturday (9), marking the establishment of a professional body to promote evidence-based palliative medicine and palliative care in the country.

The college will consist of a variety of medical multi-disciplinary professionals uniting under one umbrella to reach the single goal of improving the quality of life of palliative patients in the island.

The College of Palliative Medicine of Sri Lanka was founded by Dr. Samadhi Rajapaksa, established with the assistance of Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella, and with the encouragement of many eminent professionals in Sri Lanka as well as from around the world.

Ministry of Health Additional Secretary (Public Health Services) Dr. Lakshmi Somatunga was elected as the first President of the college.

Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients (adults and children) and their families who are facing the problems associated with life-

threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial, and spiritual. Palliative care begins at the time of diagnosis of a life-threatening disease like cancer and continues throughout the disease process until death and into the family’s bereavement period according to the current concept.

Palliative care has been identified under the broad strategic direction of “Promotion of equitable access to quality rehabilitation care” under the “Sri Lanka National Health Policy 2016-2025”. It is also a prioritised activity under the “National Multi Sectoral Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases 2016-2020”.

Sri Lanka’s first College of Palliative Medicine established

Inauguration of the College of Palliative Care in Sri Lanka

Reforms to the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions)

Act No. 48 of 1979 as amended (PTA), as well as reformations to Sri Lanka’s policing system – including increasing representation and diversity – were discussed between the UK High Commissioner Sarah Hulton and Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (Retd.) Sarath Weerasekara.

During the meeting, views were also exchanged on strengthening the longstanding ties between the UK and Sri Lanka in areas of mutual interest, including the enhancement of bilateral co-operation and the fortification of amicable relations between the two states.

Meanwhile, a new trilateral security partnership between Australia, the UK, and the US was announced on 15 September 2021 by the leaders of the

three countries, to “meet the challenges of the 21st Century” in the Indo-Pacific.

The underlying reason for this partnership is to contain China, though the Joint Leaders’ Statement on AUKUS does not refer to China as a threat.

Sri Lanka, the proponent of the Indian Ocean Peace Zone (IOPZ) in the 1970s, has not officially issued any statement on the AUKUS so far. However, on several occasions in the recent past, Sri Lankan leadership

has talked about the relevance of the IOPZ in the context of the growing militarisation in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea.

There have been concerns that militarisation in the South China Sea may anytime shift in the Indian Ocean. According to the Peace and Solidarity Organisation Sri Lanka (PASOS), the Sri Lankan branch of the World Peace Council, Australia is trying to instigate an arms race by signing the nuclear-powered submarine deal under the AUKUS.

Therefore, the PASOS has called for opposition to this submarine deal. However, amidst the ongoing economic crisis, when Sri Lanka is looking for solutions to overcome the crisis, it is unlikely that the Sri Lankan Government would outwardly oppose the submarine deal of the AUKUS.

UK High Commissioner discusses PTA, police reforms with Minister Weerasekara

Minister Sarath Weerasekara and UK High Commissioner Sarah Hulton

BY BUDDHIKA SAMARAWEERA

The Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association (LPBOA) has

alleged that despite the ongoing interprovincial travel restrictions, nearly 1,000 buses are being operated between provinces under the guise of transporting passengers travelling

for essential services.Speaking to the media yesterday

(10), LPBOA President Gemunu Wijeratne said: “Currently, nearly a thousand buses are running across the country under the guise of transporting passengers for essential services and health services.

They charge very high fares from passengers; there is information that passengers who travel from Ampara to Colombo had to pay Rs. 2,500.”

He further alleged that although several suspects have been arrested by the Police for such activity, they have now been released due to

political influence. Wijeratne also recounted several complaints from passengers about such buses.

“This situation has arisen due to the imposition of travel restrictions between provinces without proper planning. In this situation, the passengers are being exploited,” he said.

Transport Minister Pavithra

Wanniarachchi and Transport Ministry Secretary Monti Ranatunga were unavailable for comment on the matter. Meanwhile, State Minister of Vehicle Regulation, Bus Transport Services, and Train Compartments Dilum Amunugama yesterday stated that interprovincial public transportation services will resume from 21 October.

‘Nearly 1K buses operating between provinces despite restrictions’ z Private Bus Owners’ Association alleges corrupt practices and exorbitant fees in effect

Po p e Francis has

a p p o i n t e d Bishop Valence Mendis as the new Bishop of the Kandy Diocese.

The Vatican w e b s i t e confirms that Pope Francis has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Kandy, Sri Lanka, presented by Bishop Joseph Vianney Fernando.

The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Warnakulasurya Wadumestrige Devsritha Valence Mendis of Chilaw as Bishop of Kandy, Sri Lanka. Rt. Rev. Dr. Valence Mendis will concurrently serve as the Bishop of Chilaw.

Bishop Valence Mendis

Valence Mendis appointed Bishop of Kandy

PM...The meeting was arranged

following a request made by Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) Leader and MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who asked whether it was possible to arrange a meeting with the Prime Minister and trade unions to discuss the proposals to be announced through the Budget scheduled to be presented next month. Dissanayake said that arranging such a meeting and informing the trade unions about the solutions before the budget could help them withdraw from their TU action and resume teaching activities. “TUs can also propose their amendments if they are not in agreement with the proposals,” he said.

During a media briefing held yesterday (10), the Ceylon Teachers’ Service Union (CTSU) expressed its displeasure over the postponement of this discussion.

CTSU General Secretary Mahinda Jayasinghe stated that the Government is creating uncertainty about the future of the millions of students by postponing the provision of solutions of teachers’ and principals’ issues, despite nearly 100 days having passed since the series of trade union actions initiated by teachers and principals.

Meanwhile, speaking to The Morning yesterday, the Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) President Priyantha Fernando said that the trade unions were ready to accept the approximately 40% salary increase recommended by the Cabinet subcommittee, which was recently appointed to look into the teacher-principal salary anomaly issue. However, he said that if the Government is to provide it in installments, they would not agree to it.

“The Cabinet subcommittee has recommended a salary increase of approximately 40% for teachers and principals as a solution to the salary anomaly issue. Accordingly, we are ready to accept it, but it should be given at once. However, it should not be the final solution for this issue. As the final solution, the recommendations made by the ‘Subodhini’ Committee or a similar recommendation with regard to the salary anomaly issue should be implemented by the Government,” he said.

Nearly 30 teachers’ and principals’ trade unions have embarked on a series of trade union actions, demanding a solution to the teacher-principal salary anomaly issue, the provision of facilities for teachers and students to carry out online education activities, and several other issues since 12 July 2021.

The trade unions have withdrawn from all online teaching activities and duties related to sending applications for examinations, including the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced Level (A/L) examination, online. They have also withdrawn from teaching activities at regional learning centres recently established by the Education Ministry. Also, teachers and principals have withdrawn from practical examination duties of the GCE Ordinary Level (O/L) examination and have further warned that they would not attend the duties related to the GCE A/L and Grade Five Scholarship examinations that were to be held in November 2021.

Tea industry...They added that this an entirely

needs-based approach, although the larger goal and policy of organic agriculture still remains intact.

The Finance Ministry, through the gazette notification number 2238/45 of 31 July 2021, relaxed regulations on the import of chelated (a type of bonding of ions and molecules to metal ions) minerals and micronutrients for the purpose of producing fertiliser. Accordingly, nitrogen (N) fertiliser, phosphate (PO₄³⁻) fertiliser, potassium (K) fertiliser, fertilisers containing such minerals and chemical fertilisers containing a combination of fertilising elements, that were previously banned from import, have been brought under the import control licence (ICL) by the aforesaid gazette notification.

However, the Government stressed following this decision that it was not a reversal or even a relaxation of the ban on chemical fertiliser.

Various quarters of the industry have criticised the Government for its hasty ban on the use of chemical fertiliser, claiming that it has negatively affected and will continue to adversely affect the harvest and the quality of Ceylon tea.

On 30 September, the Planters’ Association of Ceylon (PA), at its 167th Annual General Meeting (AGM), predicted a 40% drop in tea exports next year due to the anticipated drop in tea production, driven mainly by the Government’s policy to ban the import of chemical fertilisers and agrochemicals. Although the PA claimed that it does not oppose a gradual and well-planned expansion of organic agriculture in Sri Lanka, it believes that the manner in which the current transition to organic agriculture has been managed is unfeasible.

However, in the aforementioned Facebook post, Molligoda said that “contrary to popular belief the tea production and auction sale figures have not shown any indication that the chemical fertiliser ban has adversely affected tea quality or production”.

He added that September ended with a total of 232 million kg of

tea sales, as opposed to last year’s 204 million kilogrammes during the same time period.

“Unfortunately exporters are faced with constraints in securing shipping space and containers due to global economic logistics issues, thus depriving speedy Forex inflows. Three million kg are held up to the end of September. As a result there is a slight drop in export figures which can be recouped,” said Molligoda.

He also accused the Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) and the smallholders of not paying enough attention to the production of liquid and solid organic fertiliser. He further claimed that the authorities are not taking the necessary actions to import the balance requirement of fertiliser (chemical and minerals) for the production of the correct mixtures. Thus, he said that both of these problems could have resulted in a drop in production and quality.

A proposal to ban the use and importation of chemical fertilisers and agrochemicals such as pesticides and herbicides/weedicides was submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and the same was granted approval, following which the relevant gazette notification was issued in May 2021.

BY BANDULA KENDARAGAMA

This article is written based on information collated through consultations that were submitted as a technical

report recently to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and other relevant Government authorities. The consultations were among those who had been interested in dam safety and directly involved in managing the narrowly-missed breach and the reconstruction of the Parakrama Samudraya bund after the cyclone in 1978. They considered it appropriate in sharing concerns and acquired knowledge with the public at this crucial juncture of decision making on the safety of the aging irrigation infrastructures in Sri Lanka.

The Parakrama Samudraya reservoir was built by King Parakramabahu the Great during his reign (1153-1186 AD) and it has a reservoir capacity of 116,000 acres-feet, feeding approximately 25,000 acres of paddy cultivation. This reservoir has a bund that is 52 feet high and 10 miles long.

The study on the Parakrama Samudraya bund was undertaken owing to information and misinformation that had been widely shared and debated in the formal media, and especially in social media, concerning the Parakrama Samudraya bund being proposed as a site to construct an eight-feet-wide walking path. Further, it is noted that similar walking paths will be constructed on bunds of other reservoirs such as Kantale and Udukirala Wewa.

Cyclone in 1978The 1978 cyclone started with

the onset of the storm formed on 20 November 1978 over the south west Bay of Bengal. It intensified gradually, reaching a super cyclonic storm status category four cyclone on 23 November

1978 with a gusty wind speed of 220 kmph. The 1978 cyclone was the second strongest super cyclonic storm to strike Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province since modern records began. The cyclone attained peak intensity on 23 November 1978 before making landfall in Batticaloa. The Eastern Province was heavily affected by the cyclone.

The cyclone had devastating impacts in Sri Lanka, killing about 915 people and an unaccounted number of cattle and other animals. An estimated more than one million people were affected, with over 250,000 buildings damaged, and one fifth of Batticaloa’s fishing fleet destroyed. Nine of the 11 paddy stores were destroyed and 90% of the coconut plantations (about 28,000 acres) in the Batticaloa District were destroyed. Also, in the Polonnaruwa District, the public and private infrastructure, paddy, and rice stored in the Food Commissioners Department and co-operatives, and coconut cultivations, were devastated.

Cyclone 1978 and Parakrama Samudraya

The cyclone reached the Parakrama Samudraya bund at about 6:30 p.m. on 23 November 1978 and lasted till about 4 a.m. on 24 November 1978. According to eyewitnesses, the height of the waves was 10-12 feet. Knowing the imminent catastrophic danger of overtopping, leading to a breach of the bund, the Irrigation Engineer in charge of Polonnaruwa A.D.S. Gunawardana,

the Government Agent – Polonnaruwa Austin Fernando, and a few other officials on duty, decided to be ready with a few bulldozers and retained them on standby at strategic locations; such as at the sluice and the spillway, to breach the bund at these locations if the need arose.

The idea behind this decision was that if the predicted overnight rainfall occurred and the anticipated inflow to the Parakrama Samudraya did really eventuate, the inflow would have been greater than the outflow with all 10 radial gates and the sluice gates kept open. Then there was a risk of overtopping and breaching the bund. Hence, an artificially-introduced breach of the bund to discharge floods along the existing channels would prevent a haphazard catastrophic breach at an unknown and unwanted location, which could inundate the heavily-populated downstream areas. Such an emergency rapid drawdown is the standard practice to prevent a dam breach. Fortunately, predicted overnight rainfall was low. However, the drawdown of the reservoir continued overnight.

Following the overnight drawdown, about two thirds of the 12-feet-wide bund top road and a fair portion of the upstream shoulder were found to have slipped into the reservoir, leaving only about one third of the bund top road intact. There were widespread such slips along the full length of the bund. The damaged areas were repaired

with earthfill and the ralapanawa (stone liners on the bank of the reservoir to avoid erosion due to water waves) reinstated as a short term risk reduction measure. The upstream face of the ralapanawa was not flattened to improve the safety margin (i.e., factor of safety) of the bund in case of future similar drawdowns as it was a long term risk reduction measure to be implemented by the Government authorities. Therefore, consideration should be given to implementing appropriate long term risk reduction measures.

Walking track proposalBased on the information available to

date, the proposed walking path will be constructed on the upstream side of the bitumen surfaced bund top road where there was a sliding failure during the 1978 cyclone and floods (see figure).

Several long tension cracks, sealed with tar, are present on the bitumen surfaced bund top road as seen in videos on Sri Lankan media. Most of them are located (parallelly) along the bund top road, thus increasing the risk of sliding failures similar to those that occurred during the 1978 floods. Additional loads due to the construction of a walking path would widen and deepen those tension cracks, compromising the safety of the bund, which is not known.

Therefore, it is the considered view that additional loading on top of the 1978 sliding mass for the construction of the walking path would increase the risk of reactivating the 1978 slides during a future rapid drawdown, similar to the situation in 1978.

It is understood and appreciated that the Irrigation Department is currently undertaking geotechnical investigations to assess the safety margin of the bund.

The highest concern is dam safety

Based on the information available, it is understood that there is a period of 741 years (i.e., from 1159 to 1900), where the performance of the bund is not documented and unknown. However, it is reported that the bund was totally breached during the colonial era. According to Ceylon former Deputy Surveyor General R.L. Brohier, the bund and the reservoir were abandoned for more than a century.

Given that the population at risk in case of a dam break is extremely high, it appears that the consequence category of this bund is “extreme” as per the current international dam safety guidelines. Therefore, the proposed walking path at the Parakrama Samudraya cannot be compared to that of the Kurunegala Wewa or the Boralesgamuwa Lake, constructed along the reservoir rim, and the walking paths constructed around the water bodies in the suburbs of Colombo.

It is understood that the Parakrama Samudraya is formed by combining three reservoirs of unknown history. Therefore, the bund may have been raised in several stages during the 741 years, associated with unknown performance. It is not known whether dam safety-related defects of the bund such as slips or slides, cracks, animal burrows, sinkholes, soft areas, root bowls, zones of desiccation cracking and zones of residual shear strength because of historical failures, were repaired to satisfactory standards, or not.

The aging of dams constructed of earth and rockfill material is due to time-related changes in the properties of the materials of the structure and its foundation. As reported in a technical paper published in May 2010 by the United States Society of Dams, the aging or deterioration of embankment dams and their foundations are of concern. These concerns extend throughout the entire life of the dam until safe abandonment or demolition.

Recent interventions on dam safety

Given the dam safety issues associated with this controversial walking path project, the Water Forum of the Institute of Engineers in Sri Lanka conducted a webinar on 9 September 2021 on “Usage of Inland Water Bodies for Recreation”. More than 280 personnel, mainly engineers, participated in this webinar and raised over 100 questions related to the safety of the bund. Several questions were raised on fundamental errors and potential failure modes associated with the proposed walking path. It appears that ad hoc decisions have been taken for reasons unknown. The lack of laws and dam safety regulations in Sri Lanka could be one of the reasons for such ad hoc decisions being taken by various individuals and organisations.

Contd. on page 7

Save Parakrama Samudraya

PHOTO © FREIE UNIVERSITAT BERLIN

Monday, October 11, 2021

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{ EDITORIAL/OPINION } � www.themorning.lk

The homes and hearths of Sri Lanka, doubly reeling as they are from the paroxysms of the Covid-19 pandemic and the long gestating economic crisis, the bitter fruits of the latter which are now in full bloom, is increasingly facing the dilemma faced by the Ancient Mariner in the British poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem – “Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink”. The Mariner’s rime has now extended to milk.

The metaphor is apt in that while the Governmental and state authorities proclaim the omnipresence and ubiquity of essential consumerist goods including specifically rice and sugar, and prevaricate when pressed on specifics regarding supply and distribution, the contrasting “gaslight” reality of the alleged ample and abundant availability of essential consumerist goods, is one of hoarding, overcharging, lengthy queues, rationing, and weather-beaten hands clutching their meagre stock of “essentials” or despondent faces turning back empty handed, peripatetically foraging the street side shops in search of “vitals” to feed the gaping maws in their households. Milk powder too, which is an essential commodity, has since become an exceedingly rare product.

Sri Lanka’s annual milk requirement is 722 million litres and the current production is 422 million litres, per the Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, who also noted that $ 365 million is spent per annum therefore to bridge the demand by importing milk powder.

Late last week, the Government, which whilst citing consumer protection and tax relief already afforded to importers in the form of removing the import taxes levied on milk powder, had denied permission for the milk powder importers to increase the maximum retail price of milk powder despite requests to the same (the sought hike was Rs. 350 per a kilo, which was subsequently amended to a phased-out price hike of Rs. 200 initially and Rs. 150 subsequently) and the Cabinet of Ministers Sub-Committee on the Cost of Living approving the same (per sources, a hike of between Rs. 175-200), has since however, removed price controls and thereby lifted the cap on the price ceiling along with those placed on liquefied petroleum gas, wheat flour and cement. In the wake of the decision, the importers have wasted no time in informing the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) of the proposed price hike and await the latter’s authorisation for the move. Previously, per the milk powder pricing formula that was formerly in place in 2019, the price of a kilo packet was increased by Rs. 50 and a 400 grams packet by Rs. 20. Under the most recent controlled prices, the price of a kilo packet of milk powder was Rs. 945 and for a 400 grams packet, it was Rs. 380. The Milk Powder Importers Association has announced the revised prices with a kilo packet being increased by Rs. 250, thus making the price Rs. 1,195 and the 400 grams packet is expected to go up by Rs. 100, thereby making the price Rs. 480. The Association has noted that any taxes imposed by the Finance Ministry would in turn lead to a further price hike.

While it would be natural to assign blame to the importers, the fact of the matter is that the realities of commerce entail the importers having to deal with the fluctuations in global market prices and the rise in shipping related costs at the international level, and closer to home, the vicissitudes of the ill-fated Rupee, the latter which is depreciating against the US dollar. All of this has meant that they have in actuality suffered losses. Following the rejection of repeated requests for a price hike, the importers, seeing their raison d’être threatened, closed ranks, and a shortage ensued in the market of an item that unarguably is fuel for most Lankans as it forms an integral element of the potent colonial hangover that is gulped down by most individuals, multiple times a day. Further, the resultant lifting of the import taxes levied on milk powder did little to assuage the importers concerns as the measure, in the absence of the non-exemption of Value Added Tax (VAT), meant that the reduction of their cost in terms of the import duty and Ports and Airports Development Levy was only Rs. 35, a wholly insufficient reduction.

Therefore, now that the price hike has taken place on the part of the importers, subject to CAA green lighting, it is incumbent upon the Government which is presently continuing with the much criticised emergency regulations that were imposed under the Public Security Ordinance on the supply and distribution of essential items and the appointment of a Commissioner General of Essential Services to ensure such, to guarantee adequacy, equitability and quality in the supply and distribution of milk powder. The CAA also has a responsibility to ensure that the consumers are charged the approved prices and are not fleeced or duped by errant traders of all shapes and sizes.

The crisis concerning the milk powder prices also belies another travesty – the Government’s promise to make Sri Lanka self-sufficient in liquid milk in four years whilst simultaneously phasing out milk powder – which plan, Aluthgamage announced to the Parliament early this year. With regard to the state of livestock-based pastoral agriculture, and specifically, the enhancing of the liquid milk production industry including boosting farmers capacity through the importation of milch cows, the Government has granted approval for the provision of a certain four digit acreage of abandoned land belonging the Janatha Estates Development Board and the National Livestock Development Board to private entrepreneurs to grow grass, and raise and graze herds, and for the import of milk cows by private companies. More however needs to be done including to promote liquid milk consumption.

It is not too late for Sri Lanka to find the milky way out of its milky woes.

The milky way out of our milky woes

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Monday, October 11, 2021

BY SUMUDU CHAMARA

As much as the Government’s decision to establish an organic agriculture system in

the country seems promising, there are a plethora of challenges pertaining to this decision, mainly owing to a lack of specific plans to address challenges faced by farmers. Despite the authorities having stated that the farmers’ issues would be addressed, farmers remain in an uncertain situation.

According to food and agriculture experts, switching to organic farming methods has a great deal to do with food security, amount and quality of yield, and soil management, and at the same time, the market and demand for organic food will also be concerns Sri Lanka will have to address after going organic.

These opinions were expressed during a webinar attended by Food and Nutrition Security Consultant Visakha Thilakerathne, Weligepola Women’s Federation Executive Director Renuka Bhadrakanthi, Ecological Agricultural and Co-operative Specialist J.M. Soorasena, and Nutrition, Dietetics, and Lifestyle Specialist Dr. Damayanthi Perera. The webinar, titled “Why organic? Grow right. Eat right”, the first instalment of a series of webinars titled “Building a Sri Lankan Organic Farming Model”, was held on Saturday (9) by Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR), Renaissance Sri Lanka, and Greenfem.

Increasing demand for organic food and market

Organic food, as pointed out during the discussion, is becoming a trend in urban areas, and the demand is on the rise. However, how much of food labelled and certified as “organic food” is actually organic, and whether organic food sold at supermarkets should be expensive, are concerns, according to Bhadrakanthi.

She noted that the market and demand for organic food have made it an expensive item, and there is a question as to who benefits most from organic food sold at supermarkets for higher prices. “Consumers should not have to spend

a lot of money compared to the cost of producing organic food, and it should actually be cheaper than it is now. In fact, the high price consumers pay is not taken by farmers; it is usually to cover costs pertaining to packaging, supermarkets’ charges, middlemen, and ‘organic’ certification, and are added to the product’s final price.”

During the discussion, it was also stated that supermarkets usually charge around 35-40% of the price of organic food, which results in organic food being expensive. She added that consumers also have a responsibility when making decisions about what they eat, and should change their attitudes with regard to certified organic food. She explained that a label does not give an assurance on how organic a food item is and that the demand for such certifications in turn causes organic food to be expensive.

Bhadrakanthi noted that the Government can create alternative places and networks to distribute organic food produced by rural farmers, which would make it possible for consumers to purchase organic food at lower or reasonable prices.

She explained the nature of the market that has been created around the increasing demand for organic food, noting: “Nowadays, there are separate places for organic food, and consumers seem to be concerned about the details regarding the quality of these products including a certification (that it is organic food). However, a lot of consumers do not purchase the food, but the brand and packaging, and food companies market organic food in such a way.

Human nature of seeking quality products is being used by these companies to market these products.

“Some are concerned about the quality aspect due to social status. Quality assurance mostly relates to organic food sold in urban areas, and most of the time, farmers in rural areas cannot reach that level as far as quality assurance is concerned, and they cannot get their products certified due to practical reasons. Farmers in rural areas do not have such a certification but a verbal assurance, and consumers do not want to accept that. However, certified organic food sold at supermarkets is extremely expensive compared to uncertified organic food sold by smallholder farmers who cannot afford to get their products certified.”

In response to a question regarding the Government’s responsibility to support smallholder farmers to compete with or come to the same level of big food companies that sell organic food, Bhadrakanthi said that the Government can devise a plan to facilitate smallholder farmers to reach consumers (seeking organic food) directly.

She further said: “The Government has a responsibility to empower these farmers, and it would in turn make it possible for consumers to get a quality product easily. Sometimes, only products that have some type of quality assurance certificate are allowed to be sold in some markets. In fact, consumers’ mindsets have been changed, and smallholder farmers have been rendered unable to sell their products with no certification. Taking this into account, the Government can build a proper network between these farmers and consumers.

Meanwhile, speaking on consumers, Soorasena highlighted the importance of a strengthened relationship between consumers and smallholder farmers, stating: “There is a concept called ‘prosumers’, which relates to a system based on greater engagement between producer and consumer, or community-supportive agriculture. It can be implemented at a village level, and usually this refers to farmers that farm for a group of consumers. This does not involve any packaging or certifications, and under this concept price also gets controlled.”

Organic/chemical fertilisers and yield

There are many unresolved and unaddressed matters related to the decision to go 100% organic, and farmers’ groups have claimed that without addressing these concerns, the Government’s plan would not bear fruit. According to farmers, even though they do not oppose this decision, they have concerns regarding the time and method of this transition, and uncertainty regarding proper soil management and yield.

According to Soorasena, traditional agriculture had all good qualities or practices as far as sustainable agriculture is concerned, and the only inadequacy was relatively low production.

He explained: “In the 1960s, with the intention of producing more food to feed the growing population, the green revolution became more widespread. During the initial era, a council was appointed regarding organic agriculture to prove that traditional agriculture that was prevalent in Asia was inefficient, and the green revolution became more prominent. After the green revolution, we are moving towards genetic revolution, and many predations in that regard are being made. As

a result, bigger issues are likely to emerge in future.”

Bhadrakanthi also spoke about traditional farming methods and organic farming methods, noting: “Sri Lankans used to have a traditional agricultural system that uses organic farming methods, but they were forcibly introduced to chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and now the Government wants to stop this practice. In fact, farmers are in a helpless situation, as no one is willing to give them technical knowledge. If the farmers are to embrace an organic farming method, they should be experts in organic agriculture, and our ancestors had this knowledge. Modern farmers are facing a huge issue as they are not familiar with this traditional knowledge and are used to using chemical fertilisers, and therefore, their transition to organic farming methods would be challenging.”

There are many issues in all stages in the process of providing food to consumers, which starts from farmers or farms, and the main issues relate to quality of food items (yield), according to Soorasena. He noted that food security, which relates to the ability to obtain food, as well as food safety, which relates to the quality of food, are both important, and the process of producing food using organic farming methods should also focus on these aspects.

“Despite the widespread opinion that more food production is necessary to feed the growing population, the actual problem the world is facing is not a shortage of food but a political issue related to food distribution. A small group handles food distribution using the ‘increasing food for increasing population’ concept,” he added.

Further, he said: “Prices and quality are changing rapidly, and food security in the world faces several challenges including increasing food prices, need of fuel and energy, increasing world population, limitations pertaining to the use of land and power, and climate change. There is also a huge discussion about food sovereignty, the right of people to determine their own food and agriculture policies, and the democratisation of food and agriculture, which is related to the environment, culture, and healthiness of food.

“The number of people dying from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is increasing, and the use of chemical fertilisers is one of the reasons leading to NCDs. Scientists are discussing kidney diseases and the agriculture sector; however, the chemical fertiliser mafia says that there is no connection between the two. Sri Lanka has not been able to prove it either. “Chemically produced food contains traces of pesticides, heavy metals coming from fertilisers, hormones, traces of antibiotics, as well as traces of preservatives. “Nitrogen-based fertilisers weaken the development of antioxidant qualities in food. Studies have proved that the use of nitrogen fertilisers reduce vitamin C in vegetables and fruits. In addition, they increase sodium and decrease potassium, and this situation poses a risk of heart diseases.”

He also highlighted the high use of chemical fertilisers among farmers, which goes beyond the amount of chemical fertilisers approved by the Agriculture Department. He took beetroot, cabbage, carrot, leeks, and potato farming as examples, which use 3.6, 4.4, 2.3, 2, and 3.2 times the approved amount of chemical fertilisers, respectively. He described how micronutrients decreased in

soil in India from 1950 to 2005, with the use of chemical fertilisers. While in 1950, soil was deficient in only one micronutrient i.e. nitrogen, by 2005, soil was deficient in nine micronutrients including nitrogen, iron, phosphorus, zinc, potassium, sodium, and copper.

Speaking on fruits and vegetables grown in Australia, some of which Sri Lanka imports, Soorasena pointed out a severe decrease in certain nutrients in them from 1948 to 1991. During that period, calcium in potatoes, magnesium in broccoli, vitamin A in carrots, vitamin C in apples, and vitamin C in oranges grown in Australia had decreased by 89%, 82%, 99.6%, 80%, and 100%, respectively. He emphasised that several fruits and vegetables in Sri Lanka too have lost the nutrients they originally contain.

Speaking on regenerative agriculture, a system of farming principles and practices that aim at rehabilitating and enhancing the ecosystem of the farm including soil and water, Soorasena noted that when switching to organic fertilisers, the focus should be on the soil rather than on the plant.

He explained: “But improving soil does not mean merely putting organic fertilisers instead of chemical fertilisers. Methods involving managing the soil should also be part of this process. However, it is not as big a challenge as some claim. We do not provide adequate support to manage soil or find ways to do that. What we are used to doing is trying to use conventional or foreign farming methods in Sri Lanka, instead of devising or adopting methods that match Sri Lanka’s farming conditions. In this process, importing inputs is also not sustainable, and it is a challenge that is to be identified. However, a proper environment has not been created in Sri Lanka yet (to stop the importation of necessary inputs to switch to organic farming methods). More attention, awareness, and collaboration with consumers and farmers are necessary to face the transition smoothly. It is evident that the current method is not sustainable.”

Meanwhile, speaking about how responsible consumption of organic or ecological food would support smallholder farmers in Sri Lanka (defined small farmers as those earning a small income or produce a small volume of harvest or cultivates a small land area, and smallholders as those who owns or have rented two acres of land), Thilakerathne said that smallholder agriculture is the main source of income for more than 23% of Sri Lankans living in poverty, and that smallholder farmers contribute more than 60% of the total agricultural production.

She added that the main challenge or argument in this discussion is comparing yields produced through organic agriculture and conventional agriculture. She noted: “Organic farming, as a system aimed at producing food with minimal harm to ecosystems, animals, and humans, is often proposed as a solution, and according to critics, however, organic agriculture may have lower yields, and would therefore require more land to produce the same amount of food as conventional farms. It, in turn, may result in an increase in deforestation and loss of biodiversity.”

Moreover, she disputed the widespread argument, that the use of organic fertilisers causes a decline in yield, adding that even though a certain decline in yield may be observed when harvesting, organic fertilisers extend the plant’s lifespan significantly, resulting in more yield from each plant in the long run.

Since the announcement about going 100% organic was made, farmers’ groups and civil society groups have been holding discussions about the inevitable challenges farmers will have to face when transitioning to organic farming, and methods to deal with and prevent those issues. Taking into account their concerns and getting their contribution – farmers being the main stakeholder in this process – would be vital to ensure a successful transition.

The price to be paid for chemical-free food

z Experts weigh in on the decision to implement organic agriculture

Replacing chemical

fertilisers with organic fertilisers not organic farming; soil management a vital aspect

46

{ SCIENCE } � www.themorning.lk Monday, October 11, 2021

BY RUWAN LAKNATH JAYAKODY

Citing the substandard treatment and management of unidentified skeletal remains by the police in the context of excavation, exhumation, and the recovery of evidence including bones due to the lack of training in archaeological methods, the local forensic academic community has called for

the recognition of the relevance of the nature, scope, study, application and practice of forensic anthropology and archaeology in Sri Lanka for the purpose of forensic identification including of humans. This is of particular importance, they note, as an expert trained in both forensic anthropology and archaeology could provide expertise on aspects pertaining to the identification of the site and site markings, giving an opinion regarding the soil and the environment, suggesting approaches to excavation, and for the detailed three-dimensional recovery, storage, and transportation of evidence.

This proposal was put forward by Dr. I. Goonerathne attached to the Peradeniya University’s Medical Faculty’s Forensic Medicine Department in an editorial on “Forensic archaeology – An emerging forensic science: Is there an opportunity in Sri Lanka?” which was published in the Sri Lanka Journal of Forensic Medicine, Science, and Law 2 (2) in May 2012.

With regard to the identification of humans in the forensic context and for forensic purposes, forensic anthropology, odontology (forensic dentistry), deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), forensic archaeology, and osteology (anatomy of the bones), are,

Goonerathne noted, essential. Forensic archaeology, as Goonerathne

explained, involves the application of archaeological theory and methods including techniques to investigate both ancient and old forensic situations (war crimes, genocides, murders, mass graves) and modern crime scenes (providing contextual information on where, how and when evidence were recovered in the forensic site) and to recover material including evidence from such scenes for the purpose of interpretation.

According to the American school which developed forensic archaeology as a subspecialty of both archaeology

and anthropology, archaeology is a subfield in anthropology. The British school, on the other hand, developed the tradition of archaeology as a branch of history with archaeology and anthropology as distinct divisions. Anthropology has the subfields of cultural or social anthropology which is the study of the belief systems and customs of people in different societies, archaeology which involves the excavation and study of artefacts, architecture and the material culture of ancient peoples, and physical or biological anthropology which concerns the study of the anatomy, growth, adaptation, and evolution of the human body through the study of skeletal remains.

Both forensic excavation and exhumation involve the collecting and recovery of evidence and therefore, there is a need for a controlled excavation to be conducted by trained professionals as there have been many instances where the total number of bodies has not been recovered or parts of bodies were damaged due to the involvement of unskilled personnel. Goonerathne pointed out that in the case of mass disasters in the US such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Rhode Island nightclub fire, the contributions

by forensic archaeologists and anthropologists aided in the recovery of evidence and the reconstruction of the events, for the purpose of administering justice. Forensic archaeology was also used in the recovery of the mummified body (trapped and preserved in glacier ice) of the 5,300-year-old Ice Man or Ötzi from the Austro-Italian Ötztal Alps and for the reconstruction of the events of his life peri-mortem (at or near the time of death).

Although there have been several mass grave excavations in Sri Lanka during the period of 1995-1998, in the “Adaptation of archaeological techniques in forensic mass grave exhumation: The experience of the ‘Chemmani’ excavation in Northern Sri Lanka”, P.R. Ruwanpura, U.C.P. Perera, H.T.K. Wijayaweera, and N. Chandrasiri noted that the knowledge and services of archaeologists and soil experts were utilised for the first time in Sri Lanka’s forensic history, in the Chemmani mass graves exhumation in September 1999 (approximately five years after the incident), in order to locate the pit, and for the pedestalling, the collection of human remains (six graves with one to six bodies in each) and artefacts without causing any damage and in the recording of the data.

Goonerathne explained that he too had, together with a forensic pathologist, in the context of an excavation pertaining to a suspected case of murder and disposal of the body in Gampola, assisted in the location of the ideal site and the recovery of a skeleton.

The forensic archaeology report by Prof. R. Somadeva on the “Human skeletal remains found at the District General Hospital premises in Matale”, noted that forensic archaeological observations made during excavations could be useful in arriving at conclusions which are of a medico-legal nature regarding the skeletons. The report also noted that due to the operation of heavy earth moving machinery for the purpose of digging by the building contractors, certain skeletons had been physically damaged and that therefore they had to be excluded owing to their incomplete nature and the disturbances that had occurred in their soil matrix. The technological methods employed in forensic archaeology, Somadeva emphasised, includes geophysical prospecting, remote sensing techniques, surveying, and excavation.

“The modus operandi of the entire burial shown by the arrangement of individual skeletons suggests that it is not compatible with the accepted cultural norms of treating the dead by any ethnic or religious group living in the country. Some of the physical deformations visible on the skeletons advocate that such were results of neither a natural disaster nor an epidemic but that they were forcibly induced and non reflexive. I am personally inclined to feel that, in this case, by whomsoever, for whatever reason, there has been an infringement of the fundamental right of 154 individuals to demise themselves on their freedom of will,” Somadeva concluded.

The forensic archaeological approach thus applied, as Goonerathne added, involves systematic spatial and depositional documentation, data and evidence collection, and crime scene recording through the use of standard methodological and procedural principles of archaeological recovery.

The aim of forensic archaeology is the proper scientific recovery of evidence, the preservation of documentation and the transportation of evidence from a suspected crime scene, while, Goonerathne elaborated, determining the contexts of human skeletal remains, identifying and contextualising the equipment and artefacts recovered, and distinguishing forensic contexts from an archaeological site, a shell midden (a shell mound consisting mainly mollusc shells), a cemetery, or a war trophy.

When it comes to excavation, in Sri Lanka, Gonnerathne explained, the Police, along with unskilled villagers, often collect bone samples from various places. These actions result in both damaging the specimens, thus even leading to false interpretations, and to the non-recovery of essential evidence. The same, Goonerathne argued, is true of the police approach to exhumations.

Hence, Goonerathne called for the recognition of the relevance to Sri Lanka, of the study and practice of the scope of forensic archaeology.

BY AMY MAXMEN

More than 130 years after the naming of the Plasmodium parasites behind malaria, the world now has its first approved vaccine against them. Many malaria researchers have celebrated the development, but others have expressed concerns over the deployment of a vaccine that has only moderate efficacy.

On 6 October, the World Health Organisation (WHO) backed the vaccine – called RTS,S – and recommended its widespread use among children in sub-Saharan Africa, which is home to the deadliest malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum.

“The RTS,S malaria vaccine – more than 30 years in the making – changes the course of public health history,” said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a press briefing announcing the endorsement.

Compared with other childhood vaccinations, RTS,S has only modest efficacy, preventing about 30% of severe malaria cases after a series of four injections in children under the age of five. (1)

Nevertheless, one modelling study suggests that it could prevent the deaths of 23,000 children a year, if the full series of doses were given to all kids in countries with a high incidence of malaria (2) – making a significant dent in the tremendous toll

of the disease, which killed 411,000 people in 2018.

Leaders across Africa are now considering whether and how to deploy the vaccine. In Mali, for example, University of Bamako malaria researcher Alassane Dicko told Nature that, soon after the WHO’s announcement, the nation’s minister of health asked him what Mali needed to do to get the vaccine.

“I told her we need to push as a country, at the highest levels of our government, to make this vaccine available at an affordable cost as soon as possible,” he said.

Three-decade effortResearchers have been developing

and testing the RTS,S vaccine – also known by its brand name, Mosquirix – since 1987, at a cost of more than $ 750 million. This was funded mainly by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle, Washington, and the London-based pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

Although clinical trials concluded in 2015, the WHO then recommended pilot studies to determine the feasibility and safety of this multi-dose vaccine outside a clinical trial.

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a health partnership based in Geneva, Switzerland, helped to fund the pilot programmes, which have distributed 2.3 million vaccine doses across

Ghana, Kenya and Malawi. It reports that in these studies, hospitalisations from severe malaria decreased by about 30%. These results gave the WHO the confidence to recommend that four doses of the vaccine be given to children living in regions with moderate to high levels of malaria transmission.

However, Dicko said countries might achieve even greater drops in hospitalisations and deaths through tailored rollouts.

In August, he and his colleagues published results from a clinical trial finding that the RTS,S vaccine reduced childhood malaria deaths by 73% if children received three doses

in the run-up to the rainy season – when malaria peaks – and another dose before the rainy season in the two subsequent years. (3) Notably, this was done in conjunction with a method called seasonal malaria chemoprevention, in which healthy children take a monthly dose of anti-malarial drugs to help prevent the disease.

In addition to deciding how to deploy the vaccine, countries will need to determine how much it will cost to purchase and distribute it – and whether donors will help to foot the bill.

The vaccine manufacturer GSK released a statement pledging to make

15 million annual doses available at just above the cost of production. However, roughly 100 million doses will be needed annually if all children in high burden countries are to receive the shots. (4)

Might existing measures be overshadowed?

Some researchers fear that the excitement over a vaccine will overshadow existing malaria control measures that are already often underfunded, including insecticide programmes and functional health systems.

At a potential cost of about $ 5 per dose, researchers suggest the vaccine rollout, including its distribution, would cost around $ 325 million to administer each year across 10 African countries with a high incidence of malaria. They point out that in some of these countries, other malaria measures have faltered because of a lack of support.

“I respect the researchers involved with this massive effort, but the reality is that so much money has been poured into this vaccine, even when the results from studies are disappointing,” said Dakar Institute for Health Research, Epidemiological Surveillance and Training malaria researcher Badara Cisse. “I don’t think a 30% effective vaccine would be acceptable for Americans.”

Still, he and Malaria Consortium in London Ugandan epidemiologist James Tibenderana said the RTS,S vaccine could be impactful in some regions. To achieve that, Tibenderana stressed the need for extensive communication campaigns, so that misinformation doesn’t hamper the rollout.

“People will wonder why a 30-year-old, partially effective vaccine is suddenly being introduced during a pandemic – and targeted only at Africans,” he said. “The misinformation around Covid-19 vaccines should teach us that we can’t take community trust for granted.”

Despite the long road ahead, he and others are grateful for the WHO’s decision. “With the devastation of Covid-19, and with progress stalled on malaria control, and news of resistance to anti-malarial drugs, it’s uplifting to see some positive news,” he said.

References1. RTS,S Clinical Trials Partnership.

Lancet 386, 31-45 (2015)2. Griffen, J. T. et al. PLoS Medicine

(2010)3. Chandramohan D. et al. N Engl J

Med 385, 1005-1017 (2021)4. Sauboin, C. et al. MDM Policy

Pract. 4, 2 (2019)(This article was first published

by Nature on 8 October 2021)

Police management of physical evidence for forensic identification is inadequate: Local forensic expert

z Notes substandard treatment of unidentified skeletal remains during evidence recovery

z Advocates for use of forensic archaeology/anthropology

PHOTO © FUTURE LEARN

Scientists hail historic malaria vaccine approval, but point to challenges ahead

A baby receives a dose of the RTS,S vaccine for malaria in Cape Coast, Ghana PHOTO © CRISTINA ALDEHUELA/AFP

As far as dam safety regulations are concerned, India is well ahead of Sri Lanka. Even Ghana has introduced dam safety regulations to ensure the safe design, construction, operation, and maintenance, as well as the decommissioning of dams.

Based on the statistics of embankment dam failures and accidents, 48% of dam failures are related to overtopping and the failures of appurtenant structures, and 46.5% are due to internal erosion. Due to the absence of an internal filter system in the bund, not only the slope instability, but the internal erosion is also likely to be a prominent potential failure mode.

It is understood that planning is underway to construct several fast food outlets, toilet facilities (including a changing room) at the toe of the bund, i.e., within the reservation area of the bund located immediately downstream of it. It is to be stressed that this stretch of land along the bund is a critical area to ensure the safety of the bund. The identification of dam safety features such as heaving the ground, cracks, wet areas, springs, and seepage locations in this area, is critical. The digging of lavatory pits and trenches could intercept permeable layers in the foundation and may trigger backward erosion tunnels leading to piping, which is a major failure mode in embankment dams (or bunds). Excavations in this area could lead to slides of the downstream face of the bund, compromising its safety margin.

Should there be a need to improve the safety margin of the bund, additional stabilising fills are to be constructed in this area over the downstream face of the existing bund.

An access road along the downstream toe of the bund is an essential item for repairs and the routine maintenance of the bund. Given the proximity to the dam, this reservation area should be used to stockpile materials to be used during dam emergencies such as filter sand, crushed rock, and rockfill, and the movement of construction machinery for maintenance and repairs. This area is an integral part of the bund, hence should not be used for either permanent or temporary constructions. Therefore, consideration should be given to providing these facilities at an alternate suitable location, perhaps close to the Government Agent’s residence, or thereabouts.

Recommendations to maintain dam safety

Based on dam safety concerns and consequences discussed, it is recommended that;

y The crest of the bund is reserved for routine maintenance, including the replacement of displaced Ralapanawa if necessary, the placement of additional boulders if required, and the construction of a temporary overtopping protection bund using sandbags as and when required

y The stretch between the Ralapanawa and bitumen road should be reserved for the construction of a wave wall to meet the dam safety requirements of future hydrological reviews to be undertaken during the service life of the reservoir and bund

y A safe load capacity be imposed on the bund top road, and

arrangements be made to stop all heavy trucks plying on the bund top road as the bund has not been designed for such traffic loads

y The bund top road be completely closed for all traffic, say from 5:30-7:30 a.m. and then from 6-9 p.m. or as agreed by the local authorities, in the preferred 2-km-long stretch, and then the existing bitumen surfaced bund top road to be used as the walking path. Alternatively, only the upstream half of the bitumen surfaced bund top road should be used as the walking path while the downstream half of the bitumen surfaced bund top road should be kept open for one way light traffic only, subject to a nominated maximum speed in order to ensure the safety of the people using the walking path

y An alternative walking path (for example, in the reservoir rim), be investigated, which will not compromise the safety of the dam

y The reservation area located immediately downstream of the bund is not used for developments that are being planned by the Urban Development Authority, as this area is very sensitive to dam safety issues

y The reservation area located immediately downstream of the bund, which is an integral component of the dam, be a property of the Irrigation Department for the inspection and monitoring of critical dam safety features, the construction of a toe access road, the construction of stabilising fills if required, and the stockpiling of construction materials required during dam emergencies

y A potential failure modes analysis and risk assessment be undertaken in accordance with international dam safety standards

y A design and safety review of the dam and appurtenant structures be undertaken in accordance with the international dam safety standards incorporating the review of geotechnical parametres of the bund and foundation, hydrology, wave run up, seismicity, flood handling capacity, and the reliability of gates and instrumentation

y Sufficient funds must be allocated to undertake design and safety reviews of all “extreme” consequence category dams in Sri Lanka

y Sufficient funds must be allocated for the routine maintenance of dams (note: depending on their nature, some maintenance items, if not addressed in a systematic and timely manner, may eventually become dam safety issues, eventually leading to the failure of dams)

y Early arrangements must be made to implement the recommendations of the Cabinet memorandum number 11-2020, dated 26 October 2020, on the establishment of a dam safety consultation centre and a dam safety regulatory mechanism

(Those who narrated their experiences which form part of

this article include Fernando, Gunawardana, and Irrigation

Engineers – Hydrology in 1978 Tilak Nikapitiya and Palitha

Manchanayake) (The author is an engineer with

experience in working on the Kotmale Dam and Nilambe Hydro

Power Project, and a dam safety consultant in Melbourne, Australia.

He can be contacted via electronic mail at bandula.kendaragama@

gmail.com)The views and opinions expressed

in this column are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect

those of this publication.

Save Parakrama Samudraya

Breast cancer is every woman’s nightmare and in fact it is a serious disease that affects millions of people each year. It is

recorded as the most common form of cancer in women across the globe and was identified as the most commonly diagnosed cancer type during last year. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has estimated over 2.26 million new cases of breast cancer and almost 685,000 deaths from breast cancer worldwide in 2020. Further, it was the most common cause of cancer deaths in women and the fifth most common cause of cancer death in general. Although, the prognosis of patients with breast cancer is generally quite favourable, like in many other diseases there are disparities in survival between different socioeconomic groups. In low and middle-income countries, barriers to diagnosis and treatment lead to poor prognosis in comparison to high-income countries. According to IARC, in 2020 half a million women in low and middle-income countries died of breast cancer and almost three quarters of global deaths from the disease occurred in these countries.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM), was launched in October 1985 as a collaborative effort of the American Cancer Society and Imperial Chemical Industries (now part of AstraZeneca). It was originally intended to encourage women to get regular mammograms as the most effective investigation in the fight against breast cancer. While the momentum around breast cancer awareness continued, in the early 1990s the pink ribbon was established as its symbol.

Following is an excerpt of an interview with Batticaloa Teaching

Hospital Consultant Oncologist Dr. Nuradh Joseph, to raise awareness on breast cancer during breast cancer awareness month of October:

Why is it important to be aware of breast cancer?

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among females in Sri Lanka. Early breast cancer can be cured completely in a vast majority of cases. It is lethal only when it spreads outside the breast and lymph glands to other organs such as the lung, liver, brain, and bone. So increasing awareness is pivotal to ensuring that it is diagnosed and treated before this happens.

Are there any categories of women who are at high risk to develop breast cancer in their lifetime?

I think your question recognises two of the most significant risk factors – being a woman and getting older – which you really can’t do anything about. But apart from these, having a family member with breast cancer, early menarche and late menopause can also increase your risk. The oral contraceptive pill and certain hormonal treatment may also place you at a higher risk.

Are there any modifiable risk factors in breast cancer?

This is a very good question. Regular exercise, weight control and cutting down on alcohol will reduce the risk of getting breast cancer and a number

of other illnesses such as strokes, heart attacks, and diabetes. Pregnancy before 30 years and breastfeeding will also reduce the risk.

How can someone suspect that they are having breast cancer – what are the signs and symptoms?

A lump in the breast is the most common feature of breast cancer. In addition, lumps in the armpit and changes in the skin overlying the breast can also be signs of cancer. Nipple discharge is another feature, although not very common. It is important to mention that only about 10% of breast lumps turn out to be cancer, but women should be familiar with how their breasts normally look and feel and should report any changes to a doctor immediately.

When should women start screening for breast cancer and what are the facilities available in the healthcare system of Sri Lanka for breast cancer screening?

Screening means catching the cancer before it develops to a lump that can be felt. The most effective method of screening is mammography. Mammograms are low-dose X-rays of the breast. Women between 50-74 years should have a mammogram every two years, while those at higher risk should start screening earlier. Mammography facilities are available in all Provincial Hospitals in the country and steps are underway to establish units in each district.

In general, what is the prognosis of breast cancer? What are the factors affecting the prognosis?

Early breast cancer can be cured in more than 80-90% of cases. However, delays in seeking treatment will give the cancer time to spread to other organs and when that happens the cancer turns incurable. Larger tumours and those that have spread to lymph glands increase the risk of it spreading to these organs. In addition, there are certain features of cancer cells detected when observed under the microscope which indicate how aggressive the cancer is.

What are the treatment options available for breast cancer and for how long should patients receive treatments?

The primary treatment of breast cancer is surgery. Previously it was thought that the whole breast and all the lymph glands in the armpit have to be removed completely to cure it, but now it has been shown that removing only the lump and just the draining lymph gland (called the sentinel lymph node) is enough for most patients. In fact, latest research shows that women who have had only their lump removed live longer than those who have had the whole breast taken out. This is somewhat counter-intuitive, but we have always known that removing the whole breast and all the lymph glands triggers a reaction from the body which we call inflammation and this may help cancer cells to spread to other organs. So unless absolutely necessary, the whole breast should not be removed.

Apart from surgery, radiotherapy is another treatment that reduces the risk of the cancer coming back. There are lots of myths on radiotherapy – some think that it is an obnoxious form of “burning” of cells, but actually it is just a very small dose of high energy X-rays that is aimed at the breast and lymph glands. It is entirely safe and has very minimal side effects.

Along with surgery and radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and certain novel drugs called monoclonal

antibodies that target breast cancer cells with precision are also used in the treatment of breast cancer.

Are we having all required treatment options in Sri Lanka and are they distributed across the country to ensure equitable access?

Indeed, we are very fortunate to be blessed with a high quality state healthcare system which is free at the point of delivery. Every treatment for breast cancer be it surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy or the more expensive novel targeted drugs are available for free in Government hospitals throughout the country. So there is no necessity for any patient to spend any money out of pocket. The Health Ministry is also expanding radiotherapy and surgical facilities to further improve the quality of care. Recently, the National Cancer Control Programme and the Sri Lanka College of Oncologists published guidelines on treatment of breast cancer to ensure greater equity and consistency of care. The main factor that determines the outcome of your cancer is not where you live or how affluent you are but only how soon you seek treatment.

What are the commonest side effects of these treatments and are they reversible?

With the shift toward removing only the lump and draining lymph glands (sentinel lymph node biopsy), side effects of surgery such as arm swelling have reduced substantially. As mentioned before, radiotherapy is very safe. Chemotherapy has some side effects such as hair loss, nausea and risk of infection. Hair loss is probably the most devastating side effect for the patient – but this is reversible and the hair does grow back. Recently the Indira Cancer Trust, initiated a very innovative programme which provides natural hair wigs free to all cancer patients.

What is your message for the public on this ‘breast cancer awareness month’?

Breast cancer is eminently curable. You just need to catch it and treat it early.

(The writer is a Medical Officer at the Directorate of Healthcare Quality

and Safety, Ministry of Health) The views and opinions expressed

in this column are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of

this publication.

PHOTO © LANKA HOSPITALS

Batticaloa Teaching Hospital Consultant Oncologist Dr. Nuradh Joseph

BY DR. CHARUNI KOHOMBANGE

‘Cancer is a word, not a sentence’

4

{ WOMEN } � www.themorning.lk

7

Monday, October 11, 2021

BY ALISTAIR SMOUT

The Covid-19 pandemic led to a surge in anxiety and major depressive disorders across the world, particularly among women and young people, a study published in The Lancet last Friday (8) found.

Young people suffered as school closures kept them away from friends, and many women found themselves bearing the brunt of household work and facing an increased risk of domestic violence, the researchers said.

The study, led by academics at the University of Queensland, Australia, recorded 76 million additional cases of anxiety disorders and 53 million of major depressive disorders as Covid-19 spread in 2020.

“Sadly, for numerous reasons, women were always more likely to be worse affected by the social and economic consequences of the pandemic,” study co-author Alize Ferrari said.

“Additional caring and household responsibilities tend to fall on women, and because women are more likely to be victims of domestic violence, which increased at various stages of the pandemic,” she added, saying that school closures and other curbs limited

“young people’s ability to learn and interact with their peers”.

The research included 48 previously conducted studies from around the world, and pulled together their findings in a meta-analysis to quantify the prevalence of mental health disorders in 204 countries and territories in 2020.

That made it “the first global insight into the burden of depressive and anxiety disorders during the pandemic,” the authors of a linked comment piece, who were not involved in the study, said.

It found there was an estimated 28% increase in cases of major depressive disorder, to 246 million cases up from an estimated 193 million cases had the pandemic not happened.

There was a similar 26% increase in estimated cases of anxiety, with an estimated 374 million cases compared to 298 million without the pandemic.

The authors of the study warned that there was a lack of high quality data on the impact of the pandemic on mental health in many poorer countries, adding extrapolated estimates for those countries should be interpreted with caution.

(Reuters)

Anxiety surged during pandemic, particularly among women, study says

Contd. from page 4

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS

48

{ VIEWS/WORLD } � www.themorning.lk Monday, October 11, 2021

BY THE SRI LANKA ARMY

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s participation in the 72nd Army Day Anniversary celebrations at Anuradhapura, Saliyapura Gajaba

Regiment’s Regimental HQ on Sunday (10) is indeed a landmark visit. Not only because it was done by the Head of State for the first time, but also because of his attachment that takes him down memory lane as a former warrior in the Sri Lanka Army; for that matter, in the prestigious Gajaba Regiment (GR).

His visit was historic and marked a few firsts; he joined history as the GR-fostered first President of the country, the first President to join an Army Day and receive honours at Saliyapura, the first visit to the GR Headquarters after taking the mantle of Presidency in November 2019, and the first President to be accompanied to the location by the then Adjutant and now the incumbent Army Chief, groomed by the same prestigious GR itself when the President was commanding the 1 GR. His succession to the Presidency also joins history since he is the first Commanding Officer of the 1 GR to have reached these impressive heights.

It was President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who served as the Second-in-Command of the First Battalion of the GR, no sooner than the GR was founded on 14 October 1983 by Lt. Colonel Vijaya Wimalaratne after amalgamation of the Rajarata Rifles. Although the young officer, upon receipt of his commissions on 26 May 1972, was posted to the Sri Lanka Signal Corps, and subsequently to the Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment as an infantryman at that time, he began flexing his muscles only after joining the GR as a pioneer member of the Keterian family.

In his first military mission, the budding GR officer voluntarily pursued fleeing terrorists along

with GR members of his battalion, and destroyed them when they attacked the Mahavilachchiya Police Station in 1985, demonstrating bravery and determination. Similarly, it was he who commanded the men when the Muttur military base came under siege by the terrorists. He was compelled to march infiltrating dense jungles covering more than 35 km to reach the besieged military base with his troops, before he confronted terrorists and managed to merge with friendly forces while consolidating the security of the camp.

In another offensive, the “Operation Liberation” in 1987 to liberate Vadamarachchi, he was instrumental in taking a leading role in order to wipe out clutches of brutal terrorism as a true member of the Keterian family in the 1 GR Battalion. Again in 1990, he was fortunate to be under the command of the reputed military veteran, Maj. Gen. Denzil Kobbekaduwa who launched the military operation “Thrivida Balaya” in order to rescue desperate troops under

siege inside the Jaffna Fort without any supply route whatsoever. No doubt, his commitment to the cause earned him military decorations such as “Rana Wickrama” Medal and “Rana Sura” Medal three times and his acts of bravery in the face of the enemy were lauded by his superiors.

In view of his career prospects, Lt. Colonel Gotabaya Rajapaksa was afterwards appointed to the office of Deputy Commandant at the then Sir John Kotelawala Defence Academy, a post he held until his early retirement from the Army in 1992.

The golden chapter that went into history commenced in earnest upon his return to the country and took over the demanding seat of the Secretary to Ministry of Defence in November 2005, at a time when all citizens of our country were suffering immensely due to fierce terrorist attacks, suicide bombings, and the spate of brutal bloodbaths causing uncertainties in society. So much so that Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, had to

take the brunt of life-threatening challenges as the “War for Peace” was in the offing after so many rounds of negotiations and “so-called” peace talks with terrorists were collapsing one after the other. In December 2006, the ex-military leader cum the Secretary Defence had a narrow escape when LTTE terrorists rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into his car, but he survived the assassination attempt with minor injuries. Undeterred, Gotabaya Rajapaksa went on strategising, planning, co-ordinating, motivating, and managing with resources highly required for smooth conduct of military operations against LTTE terrorists, until durable peace was restored after the defeat of terrorists in May 2009.

In recognition of his immense contribution to the victory over terrorism, the University of Colombo conferred an Honorary Doctorate on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa soon after the culmination of the fight against the world’s most ruthless terrorist outfit. Upon the

conclusion of the violent war, the visionary leader oversaw the Army involvement in de-mining, reconstruction, resettlement, and the globally-recognised rehabilitation of ex-combatants, a feature that attracted all. He also ensured the gradual and methodical transition of law enforcement agencies to serve as peacetime proponents while effectively consolidating national security, their participation in national development as well as the intelligence apparatus.

His conceptual inspiration of hope to permanently injured war veterans saw that they are housed in a comfortable environment for continuation of their therapeutic care and medical treatment which cannot be easily done within domestic facilities. To make the remainder of their lives more pleasing, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa initiated the construction of wellness centres, like “Mihindu Seth Medura” and “Abimansala” which are now fully-functional, bringing a sigh of relief to all those disabled servicemen who had selflessly sacrificed their legs and limbs to make a better tomorrow for all Sri Lankans.

His incredibly successful urban development programmes, establishment of the Kotelawala Defence University Teaching Hospital, Colombo Army Hospital, and more importantly the Defence Services Headquarters in Battaramulla, Sri Jayawardenepura stand testimony to his visionary skills.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as a member of the family of Keterians by gracing the Army Day on Sunday (10) once again reaffirms his unfailing respect, devotion, appreciation, and recognition he has towards the role of armed forces in the country and his continued confidence in the troops who strongly believe, “Nothing is Impossible” for them.

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen on Sunday (10) vowed to defend the island from China’s rising pressure for reunification, after a week of unprecedented tensions with Beijing.

Speaking at the island’s National Day celebrations, a rare show of Taiwanese defense capabilities in the annual parade underlined Tsai Ing-wen’s promise to resist Chinese military threats.

“We will do our utmost to prevent the status quo from being unilaterally altered,” President Tsai said.

“We will continue to bolster our national defense and demonstrate our determination to defend ourselves in order to ensure that nobody can force Taiwan to take the path China has laid out for us,” the Taiwanese leader added.

China claims Taiwan as part of its national territory although the island has been self-ruled since it split from the communist-ruled mainland in 1949 after a long civil war.

Tsai emphasised the island’s vibrant democracy in contrast with Beijing’s deeply authoritarian, single-party, Communist state.

“The path that China has laid out offers neither a free and democratic way of life for Taiwan, nor sovereignty for our 23 million people,” Tsai said.

A choir of singers from Taiwan’s

various indigenous tribes opened the ceremony in front of the Presidential Office Building in the centre of the capital, Taipei.

Surveys show Taiwanese overwhelmingly favour their current de-facto independent state and strongly reject unification with China, which has vowed to bring the island under its control, by military force if necessary.

Tsai rarely singles out China in her public speeches, but in this speech acknowledged the increasing tensions that Taiwan faces as Chinese military harassment intensified in the past year. Since September of last year, China has flown fighter jets more than 800 times towards Taiwan.

Since last Friday (8), China has sent a record-breaking number of fighter jets towards international airspace close to Taiwan.

The island has strengthened its unofficial ties with countries like Japan, Australia, and the US in the face of these perceived threats.

“But the more we achieve, the greater the pressure we face from China,” Tsai said in her speech.

Following the address, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense showed off a range of weaponry including missile launchers and armored vehicles while fighter jets and helicopters soared overhead. These included a formation of F-16, Indigenous Defense Fighters, and

Mirage 2000’s, which left wide white contrails in their wake.

The show of air power was followed by a group of CM32 tanks, followed later by trucks carrying missile systems.

Tsai said Taiwan wanted to contribute to peaceful regional development, even as the situation becomes “more tense and complex” in the Indo-Pacific.

On Saturday (9), China’s leader Xi Jinping said that reunification with Taiwan “must be realised”, while claiming “peaceful” reunification was possible.

“No one should underestimate the Chinese people’s strong determination, will and capability to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Xi declared.

The parade Sunday in Taipei also featured Taiwan’s Olympic athletes who won medals at the Tokyo summer games, as well as public health officials, including those who staff a daily press conference about the pandemic, wearing their distinctive neon yellow-edged vests.

Tsai also called on other legislative parties to put aside politics in order to push for the reform of the island’s constitution, a document created by the then-ruling Nationalist Party in 1947 before it lost power and fled China ahead of the Communist takeover two years later.

(AP)

A suicide bomber attacked a mosque in Afghanistan’s northeastern Kunduz province last Friday (8), killing scores of worshippers in the country’s third attack this week on a religious institution.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack that state-run Bakhtar news agency said had killed 46 people and wounded 143. Two health officials told Reuters the death toll could be between 70 and 80.

Video footage showed bodies surrounded by debris inside the mosque, which is used by the minority Shi’ite Muslim community.

The blast, which the United Nations’ mission in Afghanistan called part of a disturbing pattern of violence, follows others in recent days at a mosque in

Kabul and a religious school in the eastern province of Khost.

There have been similar attacks in recent weeks, some of which have also been claimed by Islamic State, whose fighters are Sunni Muslims.

The attacks underscore security challenges facing the Taliban, which took over the country in August and have since carried out operations against Islamic State cells in Kabul.

(Reuters)

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said last Saturday (9) that he will step down in a bid to defuse a government crisis triggered by prosecutors’ announcement that he is a target of a corruption investigation.

Kurz, 35, said he has proposed to Austria’s president that Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg become chancellor. But Kurz himself will remain in a key political position: he said he will become the head of his conservative Austrian People’s Party’s parliamentary group.

Kurz’s party had closed ranks behind him after the prosecutors’ announcement last Wednesday (6), which followed searches at the chancellery and his party’s offices. But its junior coalition partner, the Greens, said last Friday (8) that Kurz couldn’t remain as chancellor and demanded that his party nominate an “irreproachable person” to replace him. The coalition government took office in January, 2020.

The Greens’ leader, Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler, welcomed Kurz’s decision as “a right and important step.”

“This means that we

can continue our work in government,” he said.

Kurz and his close associates are accused of trying to secure his rise to the leadership of his party and the country with the help of manipulated polls and friendly reports in the media, financed with public money. Kurz, who became the People’s Party leader and then chancellor in 2017, denies wrongdoing.

The Greens said the probe created a “disastrous” impression. In a separate case, anti-corruption authorities put Kurz under investigation in May on suspicion of making false statements to a parliamentary commission, an allegation he also rejected.

Opposition leaders had called for Kurz to go and brought a no-confidence motion against him last Tuesday (5) in parliament.

“We are still in a very sensitive phase in Austria –

the pandemic is not yet over and the economic upswing has only just begun,” while a reform of the country’s tax system to help curb greenhouse gas emissions has been negotiated but is not yet implemented, Kurz said.

“What we need now are stable conditions,” he told reporters in Vienna. “So, in order to resolve the stalemate, I want to make way to prevent chaos and ensure stability.” He insisted again that the accusations against him “are false and I will be able to clear this up – I am deeply convinced of that.”

Kurz said of the Greens’ demand for his replacement: “Many tell me that this is unfair and...you can imagine that I personally would also be grateful if the presumption of innocence in our country really applied to everyone.”

He insisted that the accusations against him were being “mixed up”

with old text messages that have surfaced in recent days. “Some of them are messages that I definitely wouldn’t formulate the same way again, but I am only a human being with emotions and also flaws,” he said. Kurz will keep his party’s leadership as well as becoming its parliamentary group leader.

He responded to the demand for an untainted new leader with Schallenberg, 52. Although loyal to Kurz, Schallenberg has a background in diplomacy rather than party politics. Schallenberg already served as foreign minister in a non-partisan interim government that ran the European Union nation of 8.9 million people for several months after Kurz’s first coalition with the far-right Freedom Party collapsed in 2019. Kurz pulled the plug on that government after a video surfaced showing the vice chancellor and Freedom Party leader at the time, Heinz-Christian Strache, appearing to offer favors to a purported Russian investor.

Austria’s next regular parliamentary election is due in 2024.

(AP)

President refreshes memories in Fort, Gajaba Regiment on Army Day

The 72nd Army Day celebrationsThe Gajaba Regiment’s Regimental Headquarters in Anuradhapura

PHOTO © SRI LANKA ARMY

Taiwan’s President refuses to bow to Chinese pressure

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen

Austrian Chancellor resigns amid corruption probe

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz

IS claims responsibility for Afghan mosque suicide attack

46 people were killed and 143 injured in a suicide bomb attack on a mosque in Afghanistan

businessMonday, October 11, 2021 � www.themorning.lk

9

BY SHENAL FERNANDO

Despite the increase in milk powder prices, the supply of milk powder to the local market is not expected to reach optimum levels for at least another one-and-a-half months, The Morning Business learns.

Speaking to us, industry sources assured that they will be doing their utmost to rectify the existing milk shortage in the local market by releasing their existing stocks.

However, their current existing stocks are limited as the repeated accumulation of losses over the past six months has severely affected their capacity.

Therefore, industry sources told The Morning Business: “We will be placing orders over the coming week. While shipments from New Zealand used to take one month, due to the current shipping delays, it will take about one-and-a-half months for stocks to arrive. Meanwhile, whatever the limited stocks we have, we will issue more to the market.

However, it will take a little time

for the milk shortage to be fully addressed.” In the interim, milk importers have called

on local milk producers to contribute and increase their supply to the local market to address the prevailing supply gap.

Milk importers further pointed out that local milk producers have also increased their milk powder prices in tandem with them although the latter aren’t being exposed to the increase in world market prices nor are they subjected to the same restrictive cost structure as milk importers, which includes costs such as freight costs, insurance costs, or duties.

As per milk importers, several local milk producers have, over the recent past, publicly stated that they possess sufficient capacity to meet the local demand. Therefore, the milk importers have pointed out that this is a perfect opportunity for local milk producers to increase their supply to the market to address the needs of the local consumers.

Contd. on page 10

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Milk powder shortage to continue for 6 weeks

z Stocks to take weeks to reach SL

z Asks local producers to walk the talk

z Importers yet to place orders

z Not happy about local producers’ price hike

BY SHENAL FERNANDO

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has announced that it will be introducing a national remittance mobile application titled “SL – Remit” to attract more remittances to Sri Lanka.

This “SL – Remit” mobile application was proposed by the Working Committee appointed by the CBSL to study and suggest new remittance channels for Sri Lanka and to make recommendations on reducing the cost of remitting money, having identified the need to introduce new and low-cost remittance channels with the objective of increasing inflows of foreign remittances while discouraging the use of informal channels.

Due to the CBSL maintaining the exchange rate artificially at Rs. 203, there has emerged a liquidity crisis within the formal foreign exchange (forex) market, which has prompted the Government to seek such measures to attract more remittances. Currently, most overseas workers are favouring the use of informal channels for remitting their earnings owing to such channels providing them better rates. The resulting significant loss of worker

remittance inflows through formal channels has exacerbated the forex liquidity crisis.

According to CBSL data, inflow of worker remittance decreased by 35.4% year-over-year (YoY) in July 2021 to $ 453 million from $ 702 million in July 2020.

According to the CBSL, this “SL – Remit” mobile application will contain “features such as self-registration of users, the ability to link to global money transfer operators and global fintechs to facilitate remittances from any country, instant fund transfer to any bank account/mobile wallet in Sri Lanka”.

Moreover, the application will provide value-added services such as direct bill payments, attractive foreign exchange rates, and low transaction fees.

The Working Committee comprises experienced professionals from Bank of Ceylon, People’s Bank, Sampath Bank PLC, Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC, Hatton National Bank PLC, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd., Cargills Bank Ltd., Dialog Axiata PLC, Mobitel (Pvt.) Ltd., and the CBSL.

Contd. on page 10

New app to attract worker remittances

z Central Bank announces plans for ‘SL – Remit’

z Liquidity crisis prompts Govt. to go for the app

Vidullanka PLC (VLL) had announced the commencement of commercial operations of its Monaragala Solar Power Plant from 8 October.

This solar power plant, established through its subsidiary Orik Corporation (Pvt.) Ltd., shall have an installed capacity of 1 MWp and is expected to generate 1.5 GWh per annum.

The Monaragala Solar Power Plant, which consists of 1,870 JA Solar 535 Wp photovoltaic (PV)

modules, is the first ground-mounted solar power project developed by the group, estimated to cost $ 0.7 million and is implemented under the Soorya Bala Sangramaya Phase II programme.

Moreover, the project has signed a power purchasing agreement (PPA) with the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) to sell the generated electricity at a tariff of Rs. 15.9 for a period of 20 years.

VLL raised Rs. 253 million in May

2021 from a rights issue, with the objectives including the development of the Monaragala Solar Power Plant.

VLL’s subsidiary Orik Corporation holds the right and approvals to develop this 1 MW ground-mounted solar power plant in Monaragala.

VLL acquired a 51% equity stake in Orik Corporation in February 2021. According to the share purchase agreement, VLL will further acquire a 10% stake in the company upon achieving the financial close of this project.

Contd. on page 10

z Utilises May 2021 rights issue moneyVidullanka announces new power plant

Board of Investment (BOI) Chairman Sanjaya Mohottala held mutually beneficial discussions with officials of Danone S.A., presenting Sri Lanka’s expectation of being self-sufficient in the dairy industry through the establishment of large-scale dairy enterprises which are capable of spearheading support for medium-sized dairy farms.

Mohottala met with officials of Danone S.A. as part of an investment exploration visit to France. The meeting is part of a series of 20 such

high-level discussions organised in Paris by private sector companies, finance institutions, as well as government agencies.

This in turn would empower over 230,000 cottage industries in Sri Lanka to generate added income streams, and further incentivise households that breed cattle for milk production.

As a multinational food-products corporation, Danone S.A. also renewed their commitment to accelerate programmes through sustainable

organic farming, owing to a common vision shared with Sri Lanka.

This is especially relevant given that Danone’s plant-based category could benefit significantly from functional attributes that stem through Sri Lanka’s rich heritage in Ayurveda and abundance of other plant-based materials.

The Chairman joined a delegation that comprises Minister of Tourism Prasanna Ranatunga and State Minister of Regional Co-operation Tharaka Balasuriya.

BOI discusses organic farming with Danone, France

BOI Chairman Sanjaya Mohottala and Danone Vice President – Global Public Affairs Facundo Etchebehere

David Pieris Holdings and Avonet Technologies announced the launch of a new joint venture (JV) that would power Affiniti FinTech Solutions and accelerate its global expansion at an investment of Rs. 100 million.

Affiniti is currently used by many banks, non-bank financial institutions, and telco establishments. Among them are Sampath Bank PLC, PABC Bank, HNB Finance PLC, HDFC Bank, CDB, LB Finance, Vallibel Finance, and Dialog Axiata.

Offerings of Affiniti are early warning signals-triggered customer hardship management for customers with financial

vulnerabilities, automated slippage detection and recovery action triggering with collection optimisation, machine learning empowered predictions, and cognitive conversational bot interactions with delinquent clients to track promises and recovery payment plans.

The David Pieris Group is known for its roots as an automotive company in the country. Over the past 25 years, the group has diversified into financial services with the largest specialised leasing company, third largest insurance broker, as well as logistics, racing, and leisure, and agri sector.

“With this JV, our intention is to make Affiniti the world’s number one digital recovery platform by 2030, initially focusing on South Asia, and then taking on Asia Pac, the Middle East, and the African regions,” explained David Pieris Group Chairman and Managing Director Rohana Dissanayake.

The partnership has a meticulously planned product and technology roadmap to meet this audacious goal which includes using artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) to increase predictive capabilities, extensive use of robotic process automation (RPA), chatbots for

increased, efficient, and effective customer engagement, and branded matrices for informed decision making.

Avonet Technologies Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Thilina Kumarapathirana said: “This collaboration is a significant achievement in our quest to make Affiniti a sought-after brand name for innovative software solutions internationally. The strengths of David Peiris Holdings will certainly enable us to concentrate on further improving our solutions and adding even more value to our clients.”

Contd. on page 10

David Pieris invests Rs. 100 m in a digital solution joint venture ICRA Lanka revised the

Associated Motor Finance PLC (AMF) issuer rating outlook from Negative to Stable.

The “Positive” outlook revision reflects the improvement in the capital profile with the capital infusion in case the company is able to improve its asset quality and earnings profile, and improve the capitalisation further while the outlook may be revised to “Negative” in case the asset quality and earnings profile of AMF shows deterioration, or if there is less-than-expected capital support

from the promoter group. This revision of rating follows

its 94% owned subsidiary Arpico Finance Company PLC (AFCP) merging in April 2021 and the combined entity, thus, is referred to as AMF.

ICRA pointed out that the capital position of AMF gradually improved as a result of the capital infusion that completed in August 2021, which consequently allowed the company to reach the minimum capital requirement of Rs. 2 billion.

Contd. on page 10

ICRA revises AMF rating to Stable

Aviation and Export Zones Development State Minister D.V. Chanaka

A modern airport technological facilities project was implemented with the objective of facilitating the passengers at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), in obtaining airport services while improving the air passenger journey.

The programme was implemented under Minister of Youth and Sports and State Minister of Digital Technology and Enterprise Development Namal

Rajapaksa and Aviation and Export Zones Development State Minister D.V. Chanaka.

“These automation processes, such as self-identification authentication and artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled processes, will definitely increase the passenger handling efficiencies at the airport,” said Chanaka.

Contd. on page 10

Technological facilities project begins at BIA

z To facilitate filling health declaration forms online

z Manual handling to be reduced

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Monday, October 11, 2021

ABANS PLC ABNS/BD/19/12/24-C2436-12.5 12.50 1 19-Dec-19 19-Dec-24 17-Dec-21 100ACCESS ENGINEERING PLC AEL/BD/18/11/21-C2326-10.45 10.45 2 18-Nov-15 18-Nov-21 17-Nov-21 100ACCESS ENGINEERING PLC AEL/BD/17/11/23-C2325-10.95 10.95 2 18-Nov-15 17-Nov-23 17-Nov-21 100ACCESS ENGINEERING PLC AEL/BD/18/11/22-C2327-10.72 10.72 2 18-Nov-15 18-Nov-22 17-Nov-21 100ASIA ASSET FINANCE PLC AAF/BD/20/08/24-C2488-8.76 8.76 1 20-Aug-21 20-Aug-24 19-Aug-22 100ASIA ASSET FINANCE PLC AAF/BD/20/08/24-C2486 9.44 12 20-Aug-21 20-Aug-24 17-Oct-21 100ASIA ASSET FINANCE PLC AAF/BD/05/10/23-C2456 10.76 1 5-Oct-20 5-Oct-23 1-Oct-22 100ASIA ASSET FINANCE PLC AAF/BD/20/08/26-C2487 9.43 1 20-Aug-21 20-Aug-26 19-Aug-22 100ASIA ASSET FINANCE PLC AAF/BD/20/08/26-C2489-9.26 9.26 1 20-Aug-21 20-Aug-26 19-Aug-22 100ASIA ASSET FINANCE PLC AAF/BD/05/10/23-C2455-10.28 10.28 1 5-Oct-20 5-Oct-23 1-Oct-22 100BANK OF CEYLON BOC/BC/21/09/22D8.25 8.25 1 22-Sep-14 21-Sep-22 17-Sep-22 100BANK OF CEYLON BOC/BC/21/09/22E7.42 6.45 2 22-Sep-14 21-Sep-22 17-Mar-22 100BANK OF CEYLON BOC/BD/28/12/24-C2377-12.75 12.75 1 29-Dec-16 28-Dec-24 24-Dec-21 100BANK OF CEYLON BOC/BD/28/12/21-C2376-13.25 13.25 1 29-Dec-16 28-Dec-21 24-Dec-21 100BANK OF CEYLON BOC/BD/05/10/23-C2321 8.24 2 6-Oct-15 5-Oct-23 4-Apr-22 100BANK OF CEYLON BOC/BD/28/12/21-C2379 6.42 2 29-Dec-16 28-Dec-21 25-Dec-21 100BANK OF CEYLON BOC/BD/05/10/23-C2317-9.5 9.50 1 6-Oct-15 5-Oct-23 4-Oct-22 100BANK OF CEYLON BOC/BD/28/12/24-C2378 6.42 2 29-Dec-16 28-Dec-24 25-Dec-21 100BANK OF CEYLON BOC/BC/24/10/21D13.25 13.25 1 25-Oct-13 24-Oct-21 23-Oct-21 100BANK OF CEYLON BOC/BC/24/10/23H13.75 13.75 1 25-Oct-13 24-Oct-23 23-Oct-21 100BANK OF CEYLON BOC/BC/24/10/22F13.25 13.25 1 25-Oct-13 24-Oct-22 23-Oct-21 100BANK OF CEYLON BOC/BC/24/10/21E11.12 6.13 2 25-Oct-13 24-Oct-21 23-Oct-21 100BOGAWANTALAWA TEA ESTATES PLC BOPL/BD/23/07/24-C2424-13 13.00 4 24-Jul-19 23-Jul-24 22-Oct-21 100BOGAWANTALAWA TEA ESTATES PLC BOPL/BD/23/07/26-C2425-13.5 13.50 4 24-Jul-19 23-Jul-26 22-Oct-21 100BOGAWANTALAWA TEA ESTATES PLC BOPL/BD/23/07/25-C2423-13.25 13.25 4 24-Jul-19 23-Jul-25 22-Oct-21 100CEYLON ELECTRICITY BOARD CEB/BD/15/04/26-C2475-9.35 9.35 1 16-Apr-21 15-Apr-26 15-Apr-22 100CITIZENS DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS FINANCE PLC CDB/BD/27/03/23-C2391-14.2 14.20 1 28-Mar-18 27-Mar-23 26-Mar-22 100CITIZENS DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS FINANCE PLC CDB/BD/30/01/24-C2414-15.5 15.50 1 31-Jan-19 30-Jan-24 29-Jan-22 100CITIZENS DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS FINANCE PLC CDB/BD/27/03/23-C2392-13.75 13.75 2 28-Mar-18 27-Mar-23 24-Mar-22 100CITIZENS DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS FINANCE PLC CDB/BD/09/12/24-C2434-13.43 13.43 2 10-Dec-19 9-Dec-24 8-Dec-21 100CITIZENS DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS FINANCE PLC CDB/BD/30/01/24-C2413-15 15.00 2 31-Jan-19 30-Jan-24 29-Jan-22 100CITIZENS DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS FINANCE PLC CDB/BD/09/12/24-C2435-13.88 13.88 1 10-Dec-19 9-Dec-24 8-Dec-21 100COMMERCIAL BANK OF CEYLON PLC COMB/BD/20/09/26-C2491-9 9.00 2 21-Sep-21 20-Sep-26 20-Mar-22 100COMMERCIAL BANK OF CEYLON PLC COMB/BD/22/07/23-C2404-12 12.00 2 23-Jul-18 22-Jul-23 20-Jan-22 100COMMERCIAL BANK OF CEYLON PLC COMB/BD/27/10/26-C2359-12.25 12.25 2 28-Oct-16 27-Oct-26 23-Oct-21 100COMMERCIAL BANK OF CEYLON PLC COMB/BD/20/09/28-C2492-9.5 9.50 2 21-Sep-21 20-Sep-28 20-Mar-22 100COMMERCIAL BANK OF CEYLON PLC COMB/BD/27/10/21-C2360-12 12.00 2 28-Oct-16 27-Oct-21 23-Oct-21 100COMMERCIAL BANK OF CEYLON PLC COMB/BD/22/07/28-C2405-12.5 12.50 2 23-Jul-18 22-Jul-28 20-Jan-22 100COMMERCIAL BANK OF CEYLON PLC COMB/BD/08/03/26-C2342-11.25 11.25 2 9-Mar-16 8-Mar-26 7-Mar-22 100COMMERCIAL CREDIT AND FINANCE PLC COCR/BD/04/03/26-C2471-9 9.00 1 5-Mar-21 4-Mar-26 4-Mar-22 100COMMERCIAL LEASING & FINANCE PLC CLC/BD/23/09/25-C2454-10.5 10.50 2 24-Sep-20 23-Sep-25 22-Mar-22 100COMMERCIAL LEASING & FINANCE PLC CLC/BD/23/09/25-C2453 10.52 2 24-Sep-20 23-Sep-25 22-Mar-22 100DFCC BANK PLC DFCC/BD/28/03/24-C2416-13.5 13.50 1 28-Mar-19 28-Mar-24 26-Mar-22 100DFCC BANK PLC DFCC/BD/09/11/23-C2367-12.75 12.75 1 9-Nov-16 9-Nov-23 6-Nov-21 100DFCC BANK PLC DFCC/BD/29/03/23-C2393-12.6 12.60 1 29-Mar-18 29-Mar-23 26-Mar-22 100DFCC BANK PLC DFCC/BD/23/10/25-C2458-9 9.00 1 23-Oct-20 23-Oct-25 22-Oct-21 100DFCC BANK PLC DFCC/BD/28/03/26-C2418-13.75 13.75 1 28-Mar-19 28-Mar-26 26-Mar-22 100DFCC BANK PLC DFCC/BD/23/10/27-C2457-9.25 9.25 1 23-Oct-20 23-Oct-27 22-Oct-21 100DFCC BANK PLC DFCC/BD/09/11/21-C2366-12.15 12.15 1 9-Nov-16 9-Nov-21 6-Nov-21 100DFCC BANK PLC DFCC/BD/28/03/29-C2417-13.9 13.90 1 28-Mar-19 28-Mar-29 26-Mar-22 100DFCC BANK PLC DFCC/BD/29/03/25-C2394-13 13.00 1 29-Mar-18 29-Mar-25 26-Mar-22 100FIRST CAPITAL HOLDINGS PLC CFVF/BD/07/02/26-C2465-10 10.00 1 8-Feb-21 7-Feb-26 7-Feb-22 100FIRST CAPITAL HOLDINGS PLC CFVF/BD/07/02/26-C2467 9.00 1 8-Feb-21 7-Feb-26 6-Feb-22 100FIRST CAPITAL TREASURIES PLC FCT/BD/30/01/25-C2445-12.75 12.75 2 30-Jan-20 30-Jan-25 29-Jan-22 100HATTON NATIONAL BANK PLC HNB/BC/31/03/2400F - 0 7-Jun-07 31-Mar-24 - 100HATTON NATIONAL BANK PLC HNB/BC/31/07/22B16.75 16.75 1 1-Aug-07 31-Jul-22 29-Jun-22 100HATTON NATIONAL BANK PLC HNB/BD/14/12/24-C2275-8.33 8.33 2 15-Dec-14 14-Dec-24 29-Dec-21 100HATTON NATIONAL BANK PLC HNB/BD/01/11/23-C2361-13 13.00 1 1-Nov-16 1-Nov-23 29-Oct-21 100HATTON NATIONAL BANK PLC HNB/BC/29/08/23A08 8.00 1 30-Aug-13 29-Aug-23 27-Aug-22 100HATTON NATIONAL BANK PLC HNB/BD/01/11/21-C2362-11.75 11.75 1 1-Nov-16 1-Nov-21 29-Oct-21 100HATTON NATIONAL BANK PLC HNB/BD/22/09/26-C2431-12.8 12.80 1 23-Sep-19 22-Sep-26 21-Sep-22 100HATTON NATIONAL BANK PLC HNB/BD/22/09/24-C2430-12.3 12.30 1 23-Sep-19 22-Sep-24 21-Sep-22 100HATTON NATIONAL BANK PLC HNB/BD/28/07/31-C2480-9.5 9.50 1 28-Jul-21 28-Jul-31 27-Jul-22 100HAYLEYS PLC HAYL/BD/31/07/23-C2406-12.5 12.50 2 31-Jul-18 31-Jul-23 29-Jan-22 100HAYLEYS PLC HAYL/BD/26/08/24-C2428-13 13.00 2 26-Aug-19 26-Aug-24 24-Feb-22 100HAYLEYS PLC HAYL/BD/31/07/23-C2407 6.65 2 31-Jul-18 31-Jul-23 29-Jan-22 100HAYLEYS PLC HAYL/BD/26/08/24-C2427 7.70 2 26-Aug-19 26-Aug-24 24-Feb-22 100HNB FINANCE PLC HNBF/BD/30/12/24-C2443-13.2 13.20 1 30-Dec-19 30-Dec-24 28-Dec-21 100HNB FINANCE PLC HNBF/BD/30/12/24-C2444-12.79 12.79 2 30-Dec-19 30-Dec-24 28-Dec-21 100HOUSING DEVELOPMENT FINANCE CORPORATION BANK OF SL HDFC/BD/20/11/25-C2330-12 12.00 1 20-Nov-15 20-Nov-25 19-Nov-21 100KOTAGALA PLANTATIONS PLC KOTA/BD/31/08/25-C2463-7.5 7.50 1 1-Sep-20 31-Aug-25 30-Aug-22 100KOTAGALA PLANTATIONS PLC KOTA/BD/31/08/26-C2464-7.5 7.50 1 1-Sep-20 31-Aug-26 30-Aug-22 100KOTAGALA PLANTATIONS PLC KOTA/BD/31/08/22-C2462-7.5 7.50 1 1-Sep-20 31-Aug-22 30-Aug-22 100KOTAGALA PLANTATIONS PLC KOTA/BD/31/08/24-C2461-7.5 7.50 1 1-Sep-20 31-Aug-24 30-Aug-22 100KOTAGALA PLANTATIONS PLC KOTA/BD/31/08/23-C2460-7.5 7.50 1 1-Sep-20 31-Aug-23 30-Aug-22 100L O L C HOLDINGS PLC LOLC/BD/30/07/22-C2385-13 13.00 2 31-Jul-17 30-Jul-22 29-Jan-22 100L O L C HOLDINGS PLC LOLC/BD/24/02/26-C2470-10.25 10.25 1 24-Feb-21 24-Feb-26 23-Feb-22 100L O L C HOLDINGS PLC LOLC/BD/24/02/26-C2469-9.85 9.85 4 24-Feb-21 24-Feb-26 20-Nov-21 100L O L C HOLDINGS PLC LOLC/BD/24/02/31-C2468-12 12.00 1 24-Feb-21 24-Feb-31 23-Feb-22 100L O L C HOLDINGS PLC LOLC/BD/27/09/24-C2432-15 15.00 2 27-Sep-19 27-Sep-24 24-Mar-22 100L O L C HOLDINGS PLC LOLC/BD/27/09/24-C2433 8.96 2 27-Sep-19 27-Sep-24 24-Mar-22 100LB FINANCE PLC LFIN/BD/11/12/22-C2387-12.75 12.75 2 11-Dec-17 11-Dec-22 10-Dec-21 100LB FINANCE PLC LFIN/BD/11/12/22-C2388-13.25 13.25 2 11-Dec-17 11-Dec-22 10-Dec-21 100LOLC FINANCE PLC LOFC/BD/31/07/23-C2409-0 - 0 31-Jul-18 31-Jul-23 - 100LOLC FINANCE PLC LOFC/BD/31/07/23-C2408-14.75 14.75 2 31-Jul-18 31-Jul-23 29-Jan-22 100MERCHANT BANK OF SRI LANKA & FINANCE PLC MBSL/BD/02/05/22-C2382-15 15.00 1 3-May-17 2-May-22 30-Apr-22 100MERCHANT BANK OF SRI LANKA & FINANCE PLC MBSL/BD/02/05/22-C2380 10.00 2 3-May-17 2-May-22 31-Oct-21 100MERCHANT BANK OF SRI LANKA & FINANCE PLC MBSL/BD/02/05/22-C2381-14.5 14.50 2 3-May-17 2-May-22 31-Oct-21 100NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT BANK PLC NDB/BD/30/03/24-C2419-13.5 13.50 2 31-Mar-19 30-Mar-24 29-Mar-22 100NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT BANK PLC NDB/BD/30/03/24-C2420-13.95 13.95 1 31-Mar-19 30-Mar-24 29-Mar-22 100NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT BANK PLC NDB/BC/19/12/25D14 14.00 1 19-Dec-13 19-Dec-25 30-Dec-21 100NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT BANK PLC NDB/BC/19/12/23C13.9 13.90 1 19-Dec-13 19-Dec-23 30-Dec-21 100NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT BANK PLC NDB/BD/24/09/25-C2452-9.5 9.50 1 25-Sep-20 24-Sep-25 23-Sep-22 100NATIONS TRUST BANK PLC NTB/BD/20/04/23-C2402-12.65 12.65 2 20-Apr-18 20-Apr-23 16-Oct-21 100NATIONS TRUST BANK PLC NTB/BD/20/04/23-C2401-13 13.00 1 20-Apr-18 20-Apr-23 16-Apr-22 100NATIONS TRUST BANK PLC NTB/BD/23/12/26-C2442-12.9 12.90 1 23-Dec-19 23-Dec-26 21-Dec-21 100NATIONS TRUST BANK PLC NTB/BD/08/11/21-C2365-12.65 12.65 2 8-Nov-16 8-Nov-21 6-Nov-21 100NATIONS TRUST BANK PLC NTB/BD/08/11/21-C2364-12.8 12.80 1 8-Nov-16 8-Nov-21 6-Nov-21 100NATIONS TRUST BANK PLC NTB/BD/23/12/24-C2441-12.8 12.80 1 23-Dec-19 23-Dec-24 21-Dec-21 100NATIONS TRUST BANK PLC NTB/BD/08/11/21-C2363 6.64 2 8-Nov-16 8-Nov-21 6-Nov-21 100NAWALOKA HOSPITALS PLC NHL/BC/30/09/22E14.4 14.40 4 30-Sep-13 30-Sep-22 29-Dec-21 100NAWALOKA HOSPITALS PLC NHL/BC/30/09/23F14.45 14.45 4 30-Sep-13 30-Sep-23 29-Dec-21 100PEOPLE’S LEASING & FINANCE PLC PLC/BD/18/04/23-C2398-12.8 12.80 1 18-Apr-18 18-Apr-23 16-Apr-22 100PEOPLE’S LEASING & FINANCE PLC PLC/BD/16/11/21-C2375-12.6 12.60 2 16-Nov-16 16-Nov-21 13-Nov-21 100PEOPLE’S LEASING & FINANCE PLC PLC/BD/18/04/22-C2399-12.4 12.40 1 18-Apr-18 18-Apr-22 16-Apr-22 100PEOPLE’S LEASING & FINANCE PLC PLC/BD/05/08/26-C2482-9 9.00 1 5-Aug-21 5-Aug-26 4-Aug-22 100PEOPLE’S LEASING & FINANCE PLC PLC/BD/05/08/24-C2484-8 8.00 1 5-Aug-21 5-Aug-24 4-Aug-22 100PEOPLE’S LEASING & FINANCE PLC PLC/BD/05/08/26-C2485-0 - 0 5-Aug-21 5-Aug-26 - 100PEOPLE’S LEASING & FINANCE PLC PLC/BD/05/08/24-C2483-0 - 0 5-Aug-21 5-Aug-24 - 100SAMPATH BANK PLC SAMP/BD/21/12/22-C2389-12.5 12.50 2 21-Dec-17 21-Dec-22 18-Dec-21 100SAMPATH BANK PLC SAMP/BD/28/02/24-C2415-13.9 13.90 1 28-Feb-19 28-Feb-24 25-Feb-22 100SAMPATH BANK PLC SAMP/BD/12/04/28-C2474-9 9.00 1 12-Apr-21 12-Apr-28 11-Apr-22 100SAMPATH BANK PLC SAMP/BD/20/03/23-C2390-12.5 12.50 2 20-Mar-18 20-Mar-23 17-Mar-22 100SANASA LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED SIC/BD/04/05/31-C2479-9.28 9.28 2 5-May-21 4-May-31 4-Nov-21 100SANASA LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED SIC/BD/04/05/26-C2478-9.05 9.05 2 5-May-21 4-May-26 4-Nov-21 100SENKADAGALA FINANCE COMPANY PLC SFCL/BD/30/08/24-C2429-12.875 12.88 2 30-Aug-19 30-Aug-24 27-Feb-22 100SEYLAN BANK PLC SEYB/BD/18/04/24-C2422-15 15.00 1 18-Apr-19 18-Apr-24 16-Apr-22 100SEYLAN BANK PLC SEYB/BD/29/03/23-C2395-12.85 12.85 2 29-Mar-18 29-Mar-23 27-Mar-22 100SEYLAN BANK PLC SEYB/BD/29/03/28-C2397-13.5 13.50 2 29-Mar-18 29-Mar-28 27-Mar-22 100SEYLAN BANK PLC SEYB/BD/15/07/23-C2354-13.75 13.75 2 15-Jul-16 15-Jul-23 13-Jan-22 100SEYLAN BANK PLC SEYB/BD/29/03/25-C2396-13.2 13.20 2 29-Mar-18 29-Mar-25 27-Mar-22 100SEYLAN BANK PLC SEYB/BD/18/04/24-C2421-14.5 14.50 2 18-Apr-19 18-Apr-24 16-Oct-21 100SEYLAN BANK PLC SEYB/BD/12/04/26-C2473-9.25 9.25 4 12-Apr-21 12-Apr-26 9-Oct-21 100SEYLAN BANK PLC SEYB/BD/12/04/26-C2472-9.75 9.75 1 12-Apr-21 12-Apr-26 11-Apr-22 100SINGER FINANCE LANKA PLC SFIN/BD/19/05/25-C2450-13.25 13.25 1 19-May-20 19-May-25 18-May-22 100SINGER FINANCE LANKA PLC SFIN/BD/25/06/26-C2476-9.25 9.25 1 25-Jun-21 25-Jun-26 24-Jun-22 100SINGER FINANCE LANKA PLC SFIN/BD/19/05/23-C2448-13 13.00 1 19-May-20 19-May-23 18-May-22 100SINGER FINANCE LANKA PLC SFIN/BD/05/05/23-C2446-13 13.00 1 5-May-20 5-May-23 4-May-22 100SINGER FINANCE LANKA PLC SFIN/BD/10/04/23-C2447-13 13.00 1 9-Apr-20 10-Apr-23 8-Apr-22 100SINGER FINANCE LANKA PLC SFIN/BD/10/04/23-C2449 8.85 2 9-Apr-20 10-Apr-23 8-Oct-21 100SINGER FINANCE LANKA PLC SFIN/BD/25/06/26-C2477 8.96 1 25-Jun-21 25-Jun-26 24-Jun-22 100SIYAPATHA FINANCE PLC SLFL/BD/04/10/22-C2384-12.5 12.50 1 4-Oct-17 4-Oct-22 1-Oct-22 100SIYAPATHA FINANCE PLC SLFL/BD/31/08/26-C2490-9.46 9.46 1 1-Sep-21 31-Aug-26 31-Aug-22 100SIYAPATHA FINANCE PLC SLFL/BD/03/10/22-C2383-12 12.00 1 4-Oct-17 3-Oct-22 1-Oct-22 100SIYAPATHA FINANCE PLC SLFL/BD/07/07/23-C2451-11.25 11.25 1 7-Jul-20 7-Jul-23 6-Jul-22 100SIYAPATHA FINANCE PLC SLFL/BD/08/08/24-C2426-13.33 13.33 1 8-Aug-19 8-Aug-24 6-Aug-22 100SOFTLOGIC CAPITAL PLC SCAP/BD/19/12/24-C2439-15 15.00 2 19-Dec-19 19-Dec-24 17-Dec-21 100SOFTLOGIC CAPITAL PLC SCAP/BD/19/12/24-C2440-14.5 14.50 12 19-Dec-19 19-Dec-24 17-Oct-21 100SOFTLOGIC CAPITAL PLC SCAP/BD/19/12/23-C2437-14.75 14.75 2 19-Dec-19 19-Dec-23 17-Dec-21 100SOFTLOGIC CAPITAL PLC SCAP/BD/19/12/24-C2438 9.24 2 19-Dec-19 19-Dec-24 17-Dec-21 100SRI LANKA TELECOM PLC SLTL/BD/19/04/28-C2400-12.75 12.75 1 19-Apr-18 19-Apr-28 16-Apr-22 100SRI LANKA TELECOM PLC SLTL/BD/19/04/28-C2403-12.75 12.75 2 19-Apr-18 19-Apr-28 16-Oct-21 100

Company Name Security Code Coupon Coupon Issued Maturity Next interest Par Value Rate Frequency Date date due date

The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) facilitates the secondary trading of Corporate Debt Securities (Debentures). Debentures are unsecured, medium or long term, interest-bearing bonds issued by private sector companies.

The holders of debentures are considered creditors and are entitled to payment before shareholders in the event of the liquidation of the issuing company. An investor in a debenture is essentially providing a loan to the company, and is entitled to receive interest on that loan. In market terminology, the loan interest is referred to as coupons and there are different types of debentures available in the market depending on the basis of the coupon paid.

y In most debentures the coupon rate would be fixed and will be paid based at promised intervals (monthly, quarterly, semiannually or annually) mentioned at the point of issue

y Some debentures carry floating rate coupons where the coupon rate

changes with market interest rates. If interest rates in the market are going up, investors would receive higher cash flows from these types of debentures and vice versa

y In zero coupon debentures a coupon is not paid until it matures. The investment will accrue interest during the tenure of the debenture, however, will not be paid to the investor till maturity

Trading debentures in the secondary market will pave the way for investors to possibly make capital gains on their investment in addition to interest payments mentioned above.

The following list shows the latest trade details of Corporate Debt Securities that are currently listed on CSE. CDS account holders have the ability to trade in the corporate debt market. Contact your stock broker for more information on opportunities on trading Corporate Debt Securities in the secondary market.

CSE Corporate Debt Securities

Oman Air has appointed Najma Al Naamani as the Commercial Manager overseeing the territory of Sri Lanka. She is an experienced aviation professional, having garnered expertise in multiple domains across Oman Air since 2013.

“It is indeed an honour and a privilege to represent my beloved country, the Sultanate of Oman, managing key operations of our national carrier Oman Air in the beautiful and serene country Sri Lanka, which has been an important market for our network,” stated Al Naamani.

The aviation industry is recovering from the immediate effects of the pandemic, with airlines across multiple markets adopting various measures to address the downturn. Nevertheless, Al Naamani remains highly optimistic about the recovery of the industry and the growth plans of Oman Air.

She further stated: “Aviation is going through

one of its most challenging phases with the pandemic which has hit all commercial activities across the globe, with the airline industry being one of the first to be adversely impacted. However, we feel that it would also be one of the first to recover, which we see now with the opening of borders and the reduction in restrictions by many countries.”

Oman Air’s objective is to gradually strengthen the current

network by reintroducing services, which have been minimised since March 2020 due to pandemic-related restrictions. The company progressively commenced operations in late 2020 with charter flights to many countries to transport Omani nationals stranded across the globe and to repatriate international guests in Oman to their home countries. The repatriation operations were followed by the reintroduction of regular flights complying with travel protocols of different countries. Currently, more relaxations are expected by

nations to enhance the experience of guests who travel in compliance with regulations, which tend to vary regularly. Therefore, the Sultanate of Oman and Oman Air are ready to make necessary changes in their policies towards global recovery.

Commenting on Oman Air’s operation in Sri Lanka, Al Naamani stated: “I am incredibly excited to be here in Sri Lanka and look forward to making a difference whilst pursuing all opportunities to spread awareness of Oman and our national carrier. The warm welcome I received on arrival in Sri Lanka from our general sales agent, Hayleys Aviation, the aviation arm of Hayleys PLC, has been very encouraging. Over the following months, I plan to meet more of our partners and customers to better engage with them and work towards achieving excellence in our service offering. I have no doubt that these collaborations will bring prosperity to both nations as Oman and Sri Lanka are well known for their warmth and hospitality.”

Najma Al Naamani appointed Commercial Manager of Oman Air for Sri Lanka

Oman Air Commercial Manager – Sri Lanka Najma Al Naamani

Vidullanka...Moreover, VLL will continue to invest in

the equity of Orik Corporation, which would ultimately increase the ownership of VLL to 87%, whilst the balance 13% equity stake shall be held by the promoters.

VLL has further plans for the establishment of the Emerald Rooftop Solar Power Plant I, II, and III under its subsidiary Vidul Engineering Ltd. at an estimated cost $ 0.5 million. The project, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year, contains an installed capacity of 935 kWp and is expected to generate 1.3 GWh.

Moreover, VLL hopes to complete the ground-mounted Horana Solar Power Plant by March 2022 at an estimated cost of $ 1.6 million, which shall possess an installed capacity of 2.4 MWp and generate 4.4 GWh per annum.

VLL further hopes to commission the ground-mounted Vavunathivu Solar Power Plant by March 2022 as well, which is a joint venture with HiEnergy Services (Pvt.) Ltd. and WindForce PLC. The power plant is estimated to cost $ 7 million and shall have an installed capacity of 10 MWp and is expected to generate 20 GWh.

VLL Chairman Osman Kassim, in the 2020/2021 Annual Report, highlighted that the year ended March 2021 was a benchmark year for the company as it realised its highest-ever profit after tax (PAT) of Rs. 595 million from a revenue of Rs. 1.8 billion, which was also the highest on record.

ICRA...However, the company would still require

further external capital infusion to earn the minimum capital requirement of Rs. 2.5 billion by January 2022. ICRA Lanka also observed that the improvement of the risk-weighted capital adequacy levels is largely on account of portfolio moderation during the last several years. With regard to its credit strength, AMF was contributed by 2W leasing in percentage; 42% from the overall portfolio.

In terms of profitability in FY21, it was further affected by a Rs. 78 million one-off tax charge during the period while reporting a profit after tax (PAT) of Rs. 6 million in FY21, vis-à-vis loss after tax of Rs. 111 million in FY20 and for Q1 FY22, the loss after tax was Rs. 170 million.

Milk powder...According to an official from the Consumer

Affairs Authority (CAA) who wished to remain anonymous, State Minister of Co-operative Services, Marketing Development, and Consumer Protection Lasantha Alagiyawanna had removed milk powder, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), cement, and wheat flour from the essential commodities list via an extraordinary gazette on Friday (8), following which the Chairman of the CAA had removed the maximum retail prices (MRPs) on these products by issuing another gazette.

Moreover, according to milk importers, they had initially proposed a price increase of Rs. 350 for 1 kilogramme (kg) of milk powder and Rs. 140 for 400 grams (g).

However, following discussion with the Government and considering the current status of the country and the effect on the consumer, it was decided that the price of 1 kg of milk powder will be increased by only Rs. 250 and the price of the 400 g pack would be increased by only Rs. 100.

Therefore, following the price revision, 1 kg of milk powder would be sold at Rs. 1,195, while a 400 g pack would be sold at Rs. 480.

Milk importers further told The Morning Business that neither the Government nor they can control the world market prices and thus cannot be held responsible for the increase in milk powder prices, and that this current increase covers only their cost of sales.

They further stated that if the current status quo with regard to the exchange rate and world market prices remains the same, they will not pursue a further price hike.

David Pieris...Dissanayake went on to explain that this was

the first JV under the group’s DigiVentures Programme which identifies potential digital startups and partners them to grow and meet their full potential. During the first round of this initiative, over 60 companies were evaluated and eight shortlisted, with Avonet Technologies being selected for the first partnership. He added: “Round two has commenced and we invite startups to send their pitch decks and look forward to more successful partnerships such as this.”

New app... The CBSL will be implementing this mobile

application with the assistance of stakeholders,

including the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sri Lanka Banks’ Association, Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), and LankaClear (Pvt.) Ltd.

Technological...Further, he noted that a programme is being

implemented together with the Department of Immigration and Emigration to establish a paperless and touch-less service for border control, which will provide an enhanced passenger experience.

Under this initiative, the use of automation and reduction of manual handling is to be increased in a manner so that a more user-friendly experience can be delivered to the passengers. The establishment of a digital channel for departing passengers in Terminal 1 is carried out as a pilot project, which is keeping in line with the technological advancements planned for Terminal 2, and would enable the gathering of passenger experience levels and usage statistics during the post-implementation period. Adequate levels of safety and security standards will be ensured in the Terminal 1 operations while automating the passenger identification process using facial identification technology.

Addressing the present changes in passenger travel and its dynamism, Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Pvt.) Ltd. (AASL) is in the process of establishing a Covid-19 Online Health Declaration System at airports as well.

Under the project, a system will be introduced to passengers to fill their health declaration forms online, which will reach the health officers well in advance. Moreover, through the system, the health officers will have sufficient time to review and approve the process.

Moreover, under the new apron area development project, the apron area of BIA will be expanded to facilitate another new 23 apron parking stands for aircraft parking and increase the total capacity of aircraft parking up to 49. The current capacity of aircraft parking is 26. The new apron will be equipped with apron floodlights, flexible pavement connecting taxiways and taxiway lights, aerodrome ground lighting, and signage. At present, the final Polymer Modified Bitumen (PMB) Asphalt Surface Course is taking place and it will be completed by November 2021.

By increasing these capacities, the BIA will be able to meet the future demand in the aviation industry and that will contribute immensely to the socio-economic development of the country.

Contd. from page 9

Whilst welcoming Sri Lanka’s decision to evaluate the feasibility of cryptocurrencies, MTI Consulting has cautioned that developing countries should

ask “why?’’ before “how?”.MTI Consulting Chief

Executive Officer (CEO) Hilmy Cader noted: “Cryptocurrencies are essentially efficient transaction tools. The great focus needs to be on the underlying economic value creation – via responsible production and consumption. Most cryptocurrencies are decentralised networks based on blockchain technology and are not issued by a centralised sovereign authority. Currently, the adoption motivation is based on speculative investment; less on enabling widespread financial inclusion. Therein lies the pitfall to guard against, whilst pursuing the benefits offered by cryptocurrencies.”

MTI highlighted the

benefits of cryptocurrencies as high transaction speed and low transaction costs due to disintermediation. It’s secured by cryptography and blockchain technology, making it difficult

to counterfeit. However, this can also provide a “safe haven” for illegal activities such as money laundering, tax evasion, and terrorism financing. It’s vulnerable to cyber threats and manipulations by “whales” i.e. those that hold large amounts with the potential to manipulate currency valuation.

The billion dollar question

As humanity moved from a micro-regional-based barter system to a national currency system, it enabled central governments to collect taxes from its people and in turn spend these for greater social good. From education to healthcare, from roads to energy, from checking abnormal profit-taking to providing social security to the disadvantaged and vulnerable.

Imagine if a significant proposition of our transactions are done via private blockchains, who will the central government track and collect taxes and other forms of revenue based on consumption from?

There may well be an AI-based governance solution to this, but we must be clear that cryptocurrencies do improve financial inclusion and are not to be used as a manipulative-speculative tool by a few – that comes at the expense of the wider, poorer population.

Shouldn’t developing nations first focus on getting their basic rights, like agriculture, educat ion, heal thcare , transportation, access to justice, etc. before being tempted by what’s in “fashion” and aping them?

Cryptocurrencies only as good as their underlying economic performance: MTI

MTI Consulting CEO Hilmy Cader

{ CORPORATE }11

� www.themorning.lkbusinessMonday, October 11, 2021

At VMworld 2021, VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW) announced its strategy to help customers navigate the multi-cloud era with the launch of VMware Cross-Cloud services. This group of integrated services will help deliver a faster and smarter path to cloud for digital businesses, providing customers with the ability to build, run, and better secure apps across any cloud with freedom and flexibility.

To help customers navigate the multi-cloud era, VMware Cross-Cloud services will deliver three key advantages: an accelerated journey to the cloud, cost efficiency, and flexibility and control across any cloud. VMware Cross-Cloud services are comprised of five core building blocks: a state-of-the-art platform

for building and deploying cloud-native apps; cloud infrastructure for operating and running enterprise apps; cloud management for monitoring and managing the performance and cost of apps across different clouds; security and networking that spans across entire multi-cloud operations to connect and better

secure all apps; and a digital workspace to empower the distributed workforce along with edge solutions to deploy and manage edge-native apps.

At VMworld 2021, VMware also announced a variety of new innovations that span VMware Cross-Cloud services, including Cloud Infrastructure and Management, Apps, Edge, and Security and Networking.

For the latest news on how VMware is delivering a smarter path to cloud for digital

businesses, visit the VMworld 2021 media kit.

VMware delivers ‘cloud-smart’ approach at VMworld 2021

Aitken Spence PLC was ranked amongst the top 15 in the Most Respected of the nation’s most admired corporations for 2021. The annual ranking is by LMD through an exclusive survey conducted by NielsenIQ to gauge peer perceptions based on a weighted ranking system.

Amidst a business climate dampened by uncertainty, Aitken Spence moved up a position in its rankings and is widely recognised as a catalyst in the country’s social economic progress. With more than 150 years of experience, the group engages in pioneering ventures in key sectors of the economy, viz. tourism, maritime and logistics, energy, plantations, apparel, and other services. Driven by a team of over 12,000 employees, Aitken Spence has a dominant presence due to its diverse business portfolio in eight countries enabling the company

to create sustainable value. The company believes

that the cornerstones of a respectable corporate entity are trust, accountability, viability, transparency, integrity, and team spirit. It is how the business operates and creates value for all stakeholders. In the new era of change, respect is determined by an organisation’s agility, adaptability, and capacity to turn daunting challenges into a positive change while staying true to the values of the organisation.

Corporates play a crucial role in uplifting Sri Lanka’s image on the international stage. Among the numerous bold investments made across the years, the company responded to a crucial social and development need of the country despite the pandemic by launching Sri Lanka’s maiden waste-to-energy power plant that was launched in the middle of the pandemic.

Aitken Spence in the top 15 Most Respected Entities

DSI Tyres donates Philips multipara monitors

Management members of DSI Tyres handing over the equipment to Gampaha District Hospital officials

DSI Tyres recently donated Rs. 4.8 million worth of Philips multipara monitors to the Gampaha District General Hospital. The donation was made on the initiative of DSI Samson Group (Pvt.) Ltd. Managing Director Ranatunga Rajapakse. The monitors were handed over through the intervention of Dr. Shiran Dias at a ceremony presided by Samson Rubber Products General Manager of Human Resources M.H. Wasantha, Assistant General Manager of Human Resources Amitha Kumara Lokuwithanage, as well as Dr. Saman Senanayake, Dr. Mahesh, and Dr. Ileperuma.

A multipara monitor indicates the heart rate, central venous

pressure, non-invasive blood pressure, ECG, oxygen saturation (SpO2), and partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2). These monitors are crucial to the intensive care units and contribute much towards the national campaign against virulent diseases such as Covid-19. The donation was thus felt as a much-needed intervention by hospital officials. With a history of more than three decades, Samson Rubber Products exports tyre products to over 75 countries and supplies bicycle, motorcycle, trishaw, and agricultural tyres as well as tubes to the local market. It enjoys a considerable reputation abroad and a significant market share at home.

Sri Lanka@100, a private sector-led business development programme supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), hosted a public webinar with guest speaker Iora Health Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Co-Founder Rushika Fernandopulle to inspire mid-market companies with insight into creating a successful business.

Fernandopulle is a practising physician and entrepreneur who co-founded Iora Health, a startup healthcare provider in the US that scaled up to become a $ 2 billion enterprise within the span of a decade. He shared his knowledge and experience in creating and leading a new company, including identifying a target market, crafting a business model, raising capital, and enhancing brand awareness.

The event attracted more than 300 participants representing senior leadership of local large-cap corporations, healthcare and pharmaceutical organisations, and banks and financial institutions. The webinar was the fourth in a series of events hosted by Sri Lanka@100 to embolden local businesses to adapt to the shifting business landscape by working toward sustainable revenue growth, employing innovative strategies, and adapting business models to respond to a dynamic global economy.

Find out more about Sri Lanka@100 at https://srilanka100.lk/.

‘From Startup to $ 2 b’ webinar receives positive response

The “Performance First” work ethic embraced by First Capital Holdings PLC, a Janashakthi Group company, received industry recognition as a great workplace by the independent analysts at Great Place to Work® in Sri Lanka. First Capital employees engaged in a multi-faceted anonymous survey conducted by Great Place to Work® on their workplace and provided extensive ratings based on which the company earned this valuable credential.

First Capital team members work on a foundation of shared ideas, expertise, and k n o w l e d g e , confident in the belief that their s e r v i c e s t r u l y stand out due to an exemplary work ethic that encompasses both productivity a n d a virtuous way of d o i n g

business. The organisation is driven by the motto “Performance First” and “performance” is an integral part of the wider group’s values where people can look forward to a mutually rewarding career at First Capital.

According to Great Place to Work®, a great workplace is one in which employees no matter who they are and what they do for the organisation are having a consistently positive experience of trusting their leaders, enjoying the people they work with, and

having pride in what they do. It is an honour for the company to be recognised by their employees as an organisation that fosters respect, trust, and fairness.

Great Place to Work® certifies First Capital’s ‘Performance First’ culture

The Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) Business School virtually launched its inaugural edition of its first-ever research journal “SLIIT Business Review” to a distinguished audience recently.

To be published biannually, the SLIIT Business Review is a double-blind refereed journal with an objective to serve as platform for faculty, research scholars, and practitioners of business management and allied disciplines to highlight new knowledge, innovation, use of technology, and the application of the latest research tools in business and management. The SLIIT Business Review also seeks to bridge gaps between business management theories and practices.

Articles in the inaugural June 2021 – Volume 1 – Issue 1 cover a range of subjects, such as human resources,

finance, hospitality, in addition to a book review. Future issues will explore topics including business management, accounting and finance, business analytics, human capital management, marketing management, and logistic and supply chain management with a focus

on theorisation and practical modelling of issues in the business environment.

The SLIIT Business Review will maintain an open-access policy with the objective of sharing knowledge and scholarly work freely available to researchers worldwide.

SLIIT Business School unveils first ‘SLIIT Business Review’

Overview of the ‘SLIIT Business Review’

In an effort to bring in some excitement to the lives of the customers of National Development Bank (NDB) during these uncertain times, Sri Lanka Test Cricket Captain and the bank’s Brand Ambassador Dimuth Karunaratne personally joined with NDB to conduct the video know-your-customer (vKYC) verification process for customers.

Accordingly, Karunaratne made a surprise appearance in the online interview where customers were asked several questions to verify their identity prior to opening an account from the safety of their homes utilising artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

NDB is combining the most advanced technology and innovation to redefine what the future of banking would look like for its customers. At a time where minimum contact with others was encouraged, NDB introduced the NEOS Pay feature through the NEOS

app – a QR payment method through which customers can make payments to merchants, pay other bills, all the while having access to banking transactions via the same platform.

The activity caused surprise delight for many customers who were not expecting to see one of their favourite cricketing stars on the call conducting their verification and account

opening process. Most were also grateful to the bank for introducing such a service during this critical time.

A video of the activity can be viewed on

NDB’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.

com/ndbbankplc/videos/5106204729406446)

or YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=OGaKuUObyZw).

NDB Brand Ambassador Dimuth Karunaratne surprises new vKYC customers

Sri Lanka Test Cricket Captain

and NDB’s Brand Ambassador

Dimuth Karunaratne

surprising a vKYC customer

First Capital Holdings PLC Director/CEO

Dilshan Wirasekara

brunchMonday, October 11, 2021

412

� www.themorning.lk

BY NAVEED ROZAIS

Globally, breast cancer is one of the leading cancers in women. As of 2020, 24% of cancers in women were breast cancer. In Sri Lanka, that figure is 26%.

This October, to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and to further their vision of women’s empowerment, the Rotary Club of Colombo Centennial, will be hosting a breast cancer awareness panel discussion on 13 October. Speaking to Brunch Rotary Club of Colombo Centennial Member Rtn. Priyanwada Chadraratne shared that the panel discussion is the first step in a larger women’s empowerment programme envisioned by the Rotary Club of Colombo Centennial.

“Our women’s empowerment programme has identified several areas for women’s empowerment,” Chandraratne said: “These include health, hygiene, comfort, abuse, rape and harassment, and financial empowerment. Through this inaugural panel discussion on breast cancer awareness, the Rotary Club Colombo Centennial hopes to educate and inspire women, and men, on the risks, signs, and treatment of breast cancer.”

The panel discussion also looks to educate men, because, as Chandraratne put it: “Men are a significant part of women’s lives. Whether as partners, husbands, fathers, or sons, they have a responsibility to promote the safety of the women in their lives. We want to create awareness both ways and educate men as well to promote breast cancer awareness.”

The panel discussion will see the Rotary Club of Colombo Centennial consulting with an eminent panel of professionals on preventing and treating breast cancer; Family Health Bureau Well Woman Programme Focal Point and Consultant Community Physician Dr. Padmaka Silva, Colombo North Teaching Hospital (Ragama) University Surgical Unit Senior Lecturer and Consultant Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon Dr. Nalinda Silva, Kotelawala Defence University Senior Lecturer, Radiotherapist, and Senior Consultant Oncologist Dr. Jayantha Balawardana, and WHO Country Office (Sri Lanka) National Professional Officer Dr. Nalika Gunawardena.

The panel discussion will address the causes of breast cancer, spotting the signs of breast cancer, how to get medical help from Sri Lanka’s network of free clinics, how to treat breast cancer, and how to adjust to life as a survivor of breast cancer.

Brunch reached out to one of the panellists, Kotelawala Defence University Senior Lecturer, Radiotherapist, and Senior Consultant Oncologist Dr. Jayantha Balawardana, for his perspective on the initiative and breast cancer awareness in Sri Lanka.

Speaking on the Rotary Club of Colombo Centennial’s breast cancer awareness panel discussion, Dr. Balawardana said that he was excited to be taking part in the panel. “Lots of patients are affected by breast cancer and people need to know the basic facts about it. It’s a good opportunity to educate the public in simple terms and educate them at the grassroots level without going into deep, technical details.”

One question Dr. Balawardana anticipates being raised at the panel discussion as to why the incidences of cancer are increasing, noting that incidences of cancer, not just breast cancer, but cancer in general, have been noticeably increasing over the last decade or so.

The reasons for this increased incidence in cancer, are varied, Dr. Balawardana said, explaining that, broadly, some key reasons for this increased incidence include; an increase in population which by default sees a greater number of illnesses, causative factors like ecological factors and other risk factors that contribute to the development of cancers, increased awareness that leads to a higher rate of diagnosis (and treatment and cure), and advances in healthcare and less infectious disease that sees people living longer which leads to more incidences of non-communicable diseases like cancer, kidney diseases, and heart disease.

While increased awareness on cancer has seen a lot of improvement over the years, Dr. Balwardana shared there is still a lot more to be done, which is why awareness initiatives like the Rotary Club of Colombo Centennial’s breast cancer awareness panel discussion are important, because they allow people to learn about the potential risk and signs of breast cancer and how to seek treatment.

Speaking on other ways in which awareness can be spearheaded, Dr. Balawardana said that one of the biggest challenges to building awareness is education at the grassroots level combined with more robust national screening programmes to drive early detection. Noting that the Government is doing a lot to drive awareness, Dr. Balawardana shared that knowledge on major non-communicable diseases like cancer, kidney disease, and heart disease should be included in school curriculum, even if it is not very deep, so that basic elements of the messages of what these diseases are, how to look for symptoms, and how to get treatment can take root from a young age.

Importantly, Dr. Balawardana urged people to always go and see a doctor if they have any symptoms where cancer could be a possible cause, especially with women who suspect breast cancer. “Any lump or change in the breast must be considered a cancer until proven otherwise,” Dr. Balwardana concluded.

The Rotary Club of Colombo Centennial’s Breast Cancer Awareness

Panel Discussion takes place on Wednesday 13 October at 6.45 p.m. via

Zoom and Facebook Live. For more details please visit the Rotary Club of Colombo

Centennial Facebook page.

Consider it cancer until proven otherwiseRotary Club of Colombo Centennial on marking Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Yohani joins hands with T-Series, releases first song from debut album With Manike Mage Hithe making headlines and gaining over 120 million YouTube views, it is no secret that Yohani has managed to enjoy runaway success, thanks to her unique vocals that has enchanted fans all around the world. The rap artiste recently met the head of T-Series – India’s number 1 recording agency – Chairman and Managing Director Bhushan Kumar when she sang Shiddat a few weeks after her success with Manike Mage Hithe. The world will be able to listen to several tunes by Yohani herself in the near future, courtesy of T-Series. Yohani also released her first song from her debut album titled Kella last Saturday (9).

Among nearly 450 designers from 18 countries and regions, Ruwanthi Pavithra Gajadeera from Sri Lanka won the 2021 “Taiwan Fashion Design Award” (TFDA), winning a cash prize of $ 10,000.

TFDA was promoted to be an international contest in 2013 and has attracted the attention and participation of personnel from many overseas fashion schools.

The international jury connected with each other online in real time and included Nao Takekoshi, Stephane Dou, Christina Dean, Valéria Bessolo Llopiz, Jane Singer, Tomonori Matsui, and Charlotte Chiang.

In conjunction with the Taipei Fashion Week series, today (11) is the final day all works of the finalists of 2021 TFDA will be displayed at Warehouse No. 3 of Songshan Cultural and Creative Park.

Ruwanthi’s previous wins With her collection “kǣli”, Ruwanthi

incorporated her Sri Lankan heritage and the many sustainable mechanisms of ancient Sri

Lankan culture to support slow fashion and produce eco-friendly attire. Having designed under four key principles (low impact,

low waste, longevity, and recyclability), Ruwanthi’s oeuvre allowed her to

follow through with her vision of exploring sustainable fashion avenues.

“The sustainable catwalk collection of Ruwanthi Gajadeera

shown at the 30th anniversary of Graduate Fashion Week in London, flew the national Sri Lankan flag for the quality artisan skills practised on

the island, and achieved a well-deserved position of first runner-up in the International Award category,” said Graduate Fashion Foundation London Chairperson Douglas MacLennan.

If your creative side is calling out for attention, call AOD on 0775727772,

email info@aod.lk, or walk in between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. from Monday to

Friday – Colombo Innovation Tower (CIT), at No. 477,

R.A. De Mel Mawatha, Colombo 4.

Ruwanthi Pavithra

Gajadeera

The $ 10,000 cash prize awarded for Ruwanthi’s collection at the 2021 TFDA

AOD GRAD RUWANTHI GAJADEERA WINS 2021 TAIWAN

FASHION DESIGN AWARD

Ruwanthi’s collection at the 2021 TFDA

BY VENESSA ANTHONY

With the shrinking of forest population due to development projects initiated in parallel to the population growth, migration patterns of the elephants too have changed. As a result, elephants invade the villages and cause damages to the properties and human lives by behaving violently. This has severely aggravated the human-elephant conflict, thus claiming approximately 60 to 70 human lives and 200 to 300 elephants annually. In addition, a large number of physical, property, and crop damages have been reported.

Even though, after having captured the rogue elephants, they had been released to national parks located in various parts of the island as a remedial measure, those elephants had returned to their original habitats and caused hazards to the people as usual. Therefore, provisions had been allocated by the 2012 budget proposal, to construct four elephant retention holding grounds to retain and rehabilitate the wild elephants that behave causing severe hazards to the people.

As the first phase, for the establishment of a wild elephant conservation holding ground within a land area of 997 hectares at Horowpathana in the Anuradhapura Zone, approval had been received in

accordance with the Cabinet Memorandum No.12/0151/549/001 dated 17 March 2012 and that centre constructed at a cost of Rs. 345 million was opened in 2015.

The Horowpathana Elephant Holding Ground (EHG) is the world’s first-ever Elephant Holding Ground. It has an area of 997 hectares and has the capacity to hold 40 elephants. It was established in order to retain and rehabilitate rogue elephants captured from around the country. Many elephants from all over the island have been translocated to the Horowpathana EHG this way.

According to reports, the EHG has housed up to 64 elephants since its inception, out of which 16 elephants have died; 10 from malnutrition, three from electrocution, and three from being shot.

A severe lack of food The food requirement of a well-fed wild

elephant is 300 kg per day on average and an elephant spends nearly 17 hours to have meals in order to meet its food requirement.

While partaking meals, a vast quantity of food is wasted by crushing and thrashing by the elephants. Therefore, in addition to its normal food requirement of 300 kg, another 100 kg or an approximate amount of food should be provided in supplying foods. Accordingly, if 30 elephants are retained in the holding ground, their daily food requirement is 12,000 kg. Scientist Dr. Prithiviraj Fernando stated that elephants are dying of malnutrition due to the holding ground lacking sufficient food sources. “A typical wild elephant would require up to 200-300 kg of food. EHG had external sources of feeding in the past, which stopped in 2019,” he explained.

It was also brought to light that the Horowpothana Wildlife Range Office lacked the necessary instruments to weigh the externally supplied foods and therefore, a scale fixed in a private rice mill was used for that purpose. Nevertheless, an officer had not been deployed to carry out supervision at the weighing holding ground and payments had been made without confirming the accuracy of the weight of food items. At the same time, it was also observed in audit that the

insertion of the externally supplied foods in the food retaining section of the holding ground (over the fence) was difficult and a platform had not been prepared to insert the foods conveniently in the food retaining section.

Unsuitable habitat for elephants When in conversation with Department

of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) Director General Chandana Suriyabandara in terms of the holding grounds’ many alleged issues, he commented that the DWC is managing as per the requests by convenors. “We have not observed any issues with the holding ground and we have implemented measures to deal with issues that arose when the ground was first established,” he further commented.

On this same note, Department of Wildlife former Director-General Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya stated that the EHG location is a forest area with both primary and secondary characteristics, which is unsuitable for elephants. He further explained that most elephants’ preferred habitats are grassland forests.

The forest in which the Horowpathana Elephant holding ground is located is a mixed and dry evergreen forest of secondary nature. Similarly, apart from the elephants, various animals such as buffalos and deers live in this forest reserve and an electric fence is required to be erected around the land in which the elephant holding ground

is expected to be constructed. Dr. Fernando highlighted that all the animals living in the area should be recognised through the conduct of a census and removed before the construction of the holding ground. Similarly, he added that some trees of the forest reserve have to be removed before the construction of an electric fence. Therefore, an assessment on the impact that may pose to the environment should be carried out before the commencement of this project, whereas no assessment whatsoever had been carried out in that connection.

According to the report of the elephant census conducted in June 2019, out of 52 elephants retained in the holding ground, only nine elephants were remaining and 12 elephants had died for various reasons. The Department lacked information as to whether the remaining 31 elephants had either died or fled the holding ground. On this topic, Dr. Fernando highlighted that it is simply not possible for elephants to “go missing” and questioned why there was no proper management of the holding ground.

While elephants continue to suffer from severe malnourishment within the Horowpathana EHG, the Government plans on building another EHG in the Lunugamvehera National Park. The Horowpathana EHG is merely a stop-gap measure to the long-standing Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) in Sri Lanka.

Horowpathana Elephant Holding GroundAn unsuitable habitat for elephants?

PHOTO © KUSHAN JAYASUNDARA

PHOTO © SHASHIKALANA

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.”

– Rabindranath Tagore

With the ever-changing world it is evident that students need to be equipped with skills which assist them to face the challenges in life. The 21st Century demands knowledge beyond the subject matter, to improve their thinking and problem-solving skills which are imperative to thrive in the current world. ACT Education Solutions Regional Director Christine Hoe, who is also an experienced educator, shared her views to highlight the importance of inculcating 21st Century lifelong learning skills.

4Cs of 21st Century learningThere are several abilities which

students must acquire to succeed in their careers during the information age. Among these the most important skills are critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity.

Critical thinking and problem solvingWe all think, but do we all think

critically? The term “critical” is derived from the Greek word “kritikos” which means to analyse and question. The Oxford Dictionary defines critical thinking as the objective analysis of a problem in order to form a judgement. A learner who thinks critically is open minded, gives importance to accuracy, and suspends judgement until the information provided is complete. Greek philosopher Socrates stated that educators should engage students in thoughtful dialogue in order to discipline the mind. Therefore, developing critical thinking skills is vital for life.

CollaborationWorking in teams is an essential aspect

of personality development. Collaboration is required for individuals to work together towards a common goal. Respecting each others’ views, developing good listening skills, willingness to compromise when

necessary to reach a goal, and fostering leadership skills are some attributes which are imperative to succeed in the working world. Classrooms must include activities for students to work in collaboration with their peers. Diverse activities and group projects will aid students to become competent in working with different individuals.

CommunicationBeing able to articulate one’s thoughts

and ideas clearly is a component of effective communication. Providing opportunities to improve language and literacy skills for students from a very young age is a crucial aspect of development. Using oral, written, and non-verbal skills in a variety of contexts aids in language development. Fostering good listening skills to decipher meaning, values, and intentions develops both intrapersonal and interpersonal skills which are requisites for success.

Creativity and innovationAuthenticity and originality in a piece of

work requires one to be creative. In a broader sense, creativity is “thinking out of the box”. Benjamin Bloom’s revised taxonomy, which classifies learning objectives, gives prominence to creativity. It’s the highest level a student reaches to synergise the fundamentals of all concepts learned. Creativity requires one to conjecture, design, and assemble. To foster creativity in students, educators must provide authentic experiences, allow mistakes to occur, and provide ample time. Great innovators such as Thomas Edison, Isaac Newton, Walt Disney, and more recently Steve Jobs, all changed the world through their inventions.

How can educators and learners foster 21st Century skills?

The development of metacognitive skills will enhance and boost the acquisition of learners’ 21st Century skills such as critical thinking and creativity. Explicitly

teaching our learners about their thinking makes them understand and realise what they know, what they do not, and what they like to learn. “I have witnessed a teacher delivering a reading lesson using the ‘Think Aloud’ strategy. The teacher explicitly taught the skills by modelling the appropriate behaviour, patiently coaching her students step by step, and followed by helping them reflect on the process leading to the mastery of the skills to skim text for gist,” stated Christine Hoe. To reiterate, educators must model and demonstrate how skills are acquired. It is not effective to simply talk about it in class.

She shared her personal experience on how these skills have aided students to reach better opportunities: “Our Grade 10 students are taught the skills to brainstorm and identify a probable list of universities and majors of their choice. They are also guided to prepare for their mock interview with a university admissions staff who will review the submitted resume and personal statement. The interview aims to provide a foretaste of what a formal interview might entail. This is a bite-sized mini project which is a scaffolding strategy that helps students to develop their life skills when progressing into Grade 11 where they are expected to conduct their own interviews to collect research data for two projects. They will be put into groups where they collaborate, assume ownership of assigned tasks and responsibilities, and take initiative to manage deadlines, etc. The cumulative experiences have certainly helped develop a higher level of college and career readiness.”

Parents’ role in fostering 21st Century skills

The parents and home environment play a vital role in language and communication development in children. Thus, it is of utmost importance that parents provide ample opportunities to foster language skills. Psychologist and advocate of social constructivism Lev Vygotsky emphasised

that the development of a child’s language skills depends on the social interactions he/she is exposed to. For example, parents could introduce phrases such as “thank you” and “please” from different languages to expose children to different ways of thinking, which stem from diverse cultures and ethnicities. Read stories to children in a way which grabs their attention to listen and remember.

Encouraging out-of-the box thinking such as by asking children to come up with their own rules for a game would help them think independently. Furthermore, children can reflect on the activity and provide ideas for further improvement. Children can help parents in engineering solutions for common household problems. For instance, asking children to come up with a solution for a tap which is leaking or think of ways to fit all the suitcases in a car without blocking the driver’s view strengthen their problem-solving skills.

Parents and elders must create an environment conducive for children to enhance their cognitive development which is the basis for nurturing the 4Cs.

There are a few debates on 21st Century skills. One of the arguments stems

from the lack of consensus for a clear and unified definition of the 21st Century skills which could be determined and adopted internationally. According to Voogt and Robin, this ambiguity is affecting how the competencies and skills are interpreted and taught. Another relates to the position of “digital literacy” and “digital or ICT skills” within the existing frameworks. Likewise, a lack of clarity remains. Finally, findings from existing literature suggest the life and career skills could be made more relevant by integrating the emerging globalised workforce challenges with mental and emotional resilience needed. However, the 4Cs undoubtedly enable students to gain a broader perspective and prepare them towards reaching the pinnacle.

In today’s context, the education system, which is widely prominent in Sri Lanka, gears up students towards memorising facts. The system promotes rote learning, hence analysing and evaluating information is not given much prominence. It is crucial for educators and policy makers to change the landscape of the education system. Education must engage students in problem solving to improve their analytical skills and foster creativity for the application of the concepts learned in practical situations.

Based in Singapore, Christine Hoe’s purview involves managing the overall academic quality and compliance of the ACT-Global Assessment Certificate programme in authorised teaching centres in Southeast Asia through ongoing teacher training and academic moderations. Her other key role includes extending the programme’s reach to markets outside Asia via direct sales and partnerships. She is a Master of Business Administration (MBA) graduate from Strathclyde Business School with a postgraduate diploma in applied linguistics and bachelor’s degree in computing.

(The writer is reading for her doctorate in education. She has over a decade of experience in the education sector as a

lecturer, mentor, and facilitator specialised in educational psychology, currently

serving as the Director of Academics at Prospects Academy, Colombo, Sri Lanka)

21st Century skills: Learning for life

ACT Education Solutions Regional Director Christine Hoe

4

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� www.themorning.lkMonday, October 11, 2021

Have you ever asked yourself “what makes a business work?”? The answer is the people behind it. Whether it is a little home-based business or a global multinational corporation, it is people and teams that make businesses tick. As a result, businesses that manage their people best end up succeeding.

Dialog Enterprise, the corporate ICT solutions arm of Dialog Axiata PLC, is keenly aware about how a lack of good HR support is holding small and medium enterprises (SMEs) back. These companies make up the backbone of our economy, providing jobs and driving economic growth for the

majority of the population. Still, the costs associated with implementing and running top-notch HR management systems is usually beyond the capabilities of these smaller companies. So, naturally, they are unable to manage their people as well as they would like to. Thus, to help address this important need within the SME community, Dialog

Enterprise, working together with MiHCM HR Software, has launched MiHCM Lite, an HR management solution designed especially for SMEs. MiHCM Lite is powered by the latest cloud technology using Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform and gives SMEs access to a fully fledged enterprise-level HR platform that is scalable, secure, and reliable.

DIGITISING HR MANAGEMENT NOW AFFORDABLE TO ALL

Coca-Cola in Sri Lanka has launched the new Coca-Cola Zero with an even more delicious and refreshing recipe and bold, new packaging to deliver a taste that brings consumers even closer to the iconic classic Coke.

Coca-Cola Zero was launched globally in 2005 and reformulated in 2017 to align the taste closer to the classic taste of Coca-Cola. While all listed ingredients and nutritional information remain the same, the new Coca-Cola Zero recipe has bridged the gap even further, enabling Coke fans to enjoy their

favourite beverage and embrace a balanced lifestyle.

Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka Managing Director Mayank Arora stated: “Coke Zero has tasted great success across the world and here in Sri Lanka. We are pleased with the strong consumer response to Coke Zero since its launch in Sri Lanka a few years ago. With the introduction of this new Coke Zero we are giving consumers a beverage that is even closer to the classic Coke taste.”

Coca-Cola Zero is now available at all supermarket

chains and leading grocery outlets islandwide in 400 ml bottles.

New Coca-Cola Zero launched in Sri Lanka

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� www.themorning.lk Monday, October 11, 2021

BY DIMITHRI WIJESINGHE

While Sri Lanka has an abundance of dog lovers and pet owners who wish only the best for their pooch – there’s really very little access to pet-related services, particularly when it comes to doggy daycares and pet sitting in general.

The availability of these services are certainly growing however, owing

to the obvious demand there has been with regard to a recent surge of services catered to taking care of your pets, including numerous kennels, pet boarding, sitting, and grooming service providers.

“Aisshi’s Paw Sitting” is one such initiative, a recent entry to the scene founded by freelance model and entrepreneur Aisshi Ragawan, who shared with us that Aisshi’s Paw Sitting was entirely borne of her personal struggle to find a reliable and trustworthy source who would care for her six dogs with the same level of love and affection that they are accustomed to.

She shared that often when pet owners are unable to take their pets with them, for a myriad of reasons, either when they are travelling for just one night or a few more days, they are faced with the challenge of entrusting their beloved pets to a stranger. It is of course hard enough to part with your pets, but it is even more difficult when you do not know how well your pet will be treated. Aisshi’s Paw Sitting allows pet owners; currently accepting cats and dogs only, to either drop off their pets at her place or the service also provides for home visits. Aisshi shared that with home visits, the owners need only allow access to a cordoned off area of their living quarters, just enough to care for their cat or dog. For an extra level of security, if you are a first timer calling on Aisshi’s services, there are safeguards which can be discussed upon request.

Aisshi stated that she would differentiate her service from a traditional day care owing to the personalised care they offer. She shared that at Aisshi’s Paw Sitting, they do not use cages or rooms to isolate and lock away your pets, and they pay special attention to their meals and additionally, they maintain a line of connection with a dog trainer who would be available if things do get out of hand.

Being a dog lover herself, Aisshi too has her own pooches to care for, and if your pets are to ever mix with hers then Aisshi guarantees that such an interaction will only ever take place if the pet owners are in full agreement

and following an interactive session between the two parties with the owners present.

Pet owners will have full access to their pets at any time of the day, and the service will share images and videos sporadically during their care and they also allow any assigned neighbours or family members to drop in and check up on your pets if they wish.

Aisshi shared that so far, since early 2021 when she first started offering these services they have not run into any major challenges, as she makes sure that each dog has enough space for themselves and so they do not feel overwhelmed. Providing the best possible pet care being her ultimate goal, Aisshi’s Paw Sitting guarantees that your beloved dogs or cats will be well taken care of while you enjoy a moment of quiet respite and return to you in high spirits.

To ensure that your dog is comfortable and feels at home grooming such as fur trimming and nail cutting is offered. Aisshi prefers preparing home cooked meals for every dog that is left at her care instead of dog pellets.

“A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.” – Nelson Mandela

Shiro Abhyanga is one of the major upakrama described in Dinacharya. Shiro Abhyanga, a Sanskrit term, is a combination of two words: “Shiro” meaning head – it is the upper or anterior division of the animal body that contains the brain, the chief sense organs, and the mouth; and “Abhyanga” meaning massage. It falls under Murdha Taila, which is a type of external oil application. Shiro Abhyanga is defined as a complete massage and relaxation of the upper body involving the head, neck, and shoulder regions. This Ayurvedic procedure involves massaging with dosha-specific, herb-infused oils. The massage oil is usually pre-mixed with potent, natural herbs which alleviate specific conditions.

Shiro Abhyanga helps to prevent Shira Shoola (headache), Khalitya (hairfall), and Palitya (greying of hair). It gives strength to the scalp and forehead, strengthens the hair root, and makes the hair long and strong. The Acharya Susrutha states that head massage cures diseases of the head, softens the hair, increases the density and black colour of the hair, and nourishes the sense organs. Ayurveda notes that Shiro Abhyanga is indicated in a dry scalp associated with itching.

Shiro Abhyanga cannot be prescribed for certain conditions. It is contraindicated to people who have digestive problems and fever because if it is performed in this condition these conditions can become worse. It is contraindicated to perform Abhyanga after body purification therapeutic procedures

and detoxification procedures because it can cause irregularities in digestion. It is contraindicated for those who have conjunctivitis or any other eye diseases, ear diseases, catarrh, diseases that increase phlegm in the body, especially around the head, neck, and shoulders. It is contraindicated immediately after consumption of food, exercises, day sleep, and exposure to cold climates. It is advised to practise Abhyanga once in a day or once in two days or once in three days regularly, as it does not vitiate Dosha.

Abhyanga should be performed with cold or lukewarm oil because the head is the place of all senses and it is explained as the most vital part. Head massage should be performed gently with fingertips, because forceful massage may damage the hair. During these head massage techniques, the internal fluids of the skin are subjected to movement in the massage because of osmotic pressure. Here, massage is causing mechanical hydrostatic pressure in the extracellular compartment. Massage helps the fluid enter the viscera and tissue and dilute the accumulated toxins. After the completion of the procedure, when it refills the peripheral vessels, the diluted toxins are brought into general circulation and during the course, they are expelled out via elimination procedures. As such, lymphatic drainage will be the primary effect of Abhyanga. Lymphs exhibit a large amount of the amino acid tryptophan. It is believed that after massage, amino acids like tryptophan increase in the blood. Massage causes an increase in the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is made from

tryptophan at motor-end plates. Head massages in Ayurveda

has benefits such as reducing muscle tension, improving blood circulation, inducing better lymph movements, stimulating lymphatic drainage, increasing mobility and range of motion of joints, stimulating or soothing the nervous system, strengthening the nervous system, enhancing the condition of the skin, reducing grey hair, preventing hair fall, inducing sleep, curing insomnia conditions, reducing stress conditions, mentally and physically, relieving fatigue and clearing the mind, thus improving vision and all other sense organs, and aiding all diseases related to the head, neck, and shoulders. Other than that, head massage acts as anti-aging therapy and helps in relaxing one’s eye and facial muscles. Before undergoing a Shiro Abhyanga session by an Ayurveda practitioner, you should prepare for the session beforehand to reap the numerous benefits. Here are a few points to keep in mind: additional rest may be required after the therapy session. As this Ayurveda therapy purifies one’s senses and mind in general, this time may be used to avoid any unwanted stressful thoughts. Try to avoid large gatherings post session. Spend the rest of the day in a quiet, relaxed ambience. Avoid having a heavy, full meal before the session; instead, opt for a light, healthy snack or meal.

(The writer holds a BAMS [Hons] from the University of

Colombo and a Diploma in Panchakarma, and is currently

reading for an MSc in Food and Nutrition from the University of

Peradeniya)

BY VENESSA ANTHONY

Pick a Book is a community that aims to help nurture promising individuals, build future leaders, and bring about change through the wisdom from in between the pages of books.

Speaking to Pick a Book Consultant – Operations Hamsadhwanie Devadas, she described Pick a Book Co-Founders K.V.T. Ramesh and Ragulan Tharmakulasingam as being the backbone of this community. They have taken a Sri Lankan idea global; they now have communities in India, the UK, and Singapore, which are all connected. With this globalisation, the members of these communities are exposed to other cultures, which teaches them people and social skills as well.

She explained that the community also does monthly events such as “Why I Read?” where they get authors and prominent characters on board to speak about the importance of reading and how it has benefited their lives. These are usually conducted in the form of webinars, Devadas informed us.

Their most recent event was held during Children’s Day where they organised a writing competition. Sharing more about it, Devadas commented: “For the first phase, we got an Indian children’s book author to speak about his literacy journey and how to write a book. This was held online in order to provide this valuable information to a larger audience.” For the next phase too, they got down two child authors; one from Sri Lanka and one from India to discuss questions like how they began writing and what inspires them. The motivation behind this event was to promote children to begin writing; be it stories, or journalling, or essays.

Next, they held a writing competition with the topic of “my quarantined life” after they had learned the basics of writing from these authors.

Finally, the participants were given a riddle where they were asked to create and craft the object that was the answer to the riddle. “We wanted kids to run around the house, use their creativity, and come up with the object that they thought was the answer to the riddle. We incorporated arts and crafts again to promote creativity in these young minds,” Devadas explained. She also added that as Milo was a sponsor, they thought this kind of activity that stimulates the brain would be a good representation of the brand as well.

The event featured more than 200 participants and many fun activities for the kids to engage in. Devadas added that they will be picking a winner of these competitions this week and it is soon to be announced.

Benefits of Pick a Book By encouraging the reading

habit and getting all participants to select a book, read and research on it thoroughly, and present a summary, Devadas explained that Pick a Book helps to hone his or her public-speaking, communication and presentation skills. By doing this, Pick a Book not only inculcates the habit of reading, but also helps to impart a wealth of knowledge.

They also develop a thorough understanding of the reading material and pick up on little things that they might not have noticed at first skim of the book.

A life without books is an unfulfilled life. “From within the pages of a book, is a wealth of knowledge, life lessons, and inspirations where we have the enriching experience of living the lives of others as we find our own feet in the world and discover within ourselves what we never knew we had,” Devadas expressed.

She also informed us that when these events weren’t held online, the participants had to present their summary of the book in front of a forum, which taught them body language and presentation skills. These skills are often not focussed on in schools, but are invaluable when one enters the corporate sector. They also have about four/five leaders appointed that are made to lead teams, and thus they learn leadership skills and teamwork as well.

They have more events coming up for Halloween and for Christmas where they plan to have 20 consecutives days of activities for members. They want to teach kids skills like crafting, cooking, dancing, gardening, and baking, which will all be elements involved in the upcoming holiday event.

‘Aisshi’s Paw

Sitting’

HOW TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF THE HEAD, NECK, AND SHOULDERS IN AYURVEDA

Pick a Book

Building future leaders with the help of books

Pick a Book Co-Founder Ragulan Tharmakulasingam

Pick a Book Co-Founder K.V.T. Ramesh

Pick a Book Consultant – Operations Hamsadhwanie Devadas

BY DR. HIRUNI POORNIMA

aisshiragawan@gmail.com aishigirl95@gmail.com

@aisshi_ragawan

{ SPORTS }415sports

� www.themorning.lkMonday, October 11, 2021

COMPILED BY RANJIKA PERERA

This is the first of a five-part series on The Morning Sports regarding the seventh edition of the International Cricket Council

(ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, to be held from 17 October to 14 November at Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Part 1 will explain some useful information on the event as was described by the organisers, the ICC, on Saturday (9).

Five years on from the last edition, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup returns this month as 16 teams duke it out for supremacy in the game’s shortest format.

Commencing on 17 October at the Oman Cricket Academy Ground, the showpiece event is scheduled to finish on 14 November in Dubai when the tournament’s two best teams meet in a decider that has plenty to live up to after 2016’s epic conclusion.

Defending championsCarlos Brathwaite etched his name into

cricketing folklore in 2016 when he hit four consecutive sixes in the last over of the final to power the West Indies to their second Men’s T20 World Cup trophy.

The West Indies will be out to become the first team to ever defend their status as Men’s T20 World Cup champions this time around, having already become the first to win the trophy twice.

They won’t have an easy time doing that however with 15 high-quality opponents ready to make the trophy theirs.

Here’s everything you need to know about the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021:

Tournament format y This year’s Men’s T20 World Cup takes place in three stages

y Round 1 sees two groups of four teams participating in a round-robin. The top two teams from each group progress to the Super 12 stage. Each of the Round 1 Groups features three teams from the 2019 Qualifier and one of the two automatic qualifiers – Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

y The top seed from Group A and the second seed from Group B enter Group 1 of the Super 12s, with the top seed from Group B and the second seed from Group A going into Group 2

y The Super 12 stage sees two groups of six play a round-robin with the top two teams from each group progressing to the knock-out stage, consisting of two semi-finals and a final

y The two Super 12 groups each feature four of the automatic qualifiers – tournament hosts India and the top seven teams on the ICC rankings at the cut-off date – and two Round 1 qualifiers

The points systemIn both group stages, the following points

system will apply:

y Win – Two points

y Tie, no result, or abandoned – One point

y Loss or forfeit – Zero points

Reserve days y There will be reserve days for both semi-finals and the final. No other

matches shall have a reserve day allocated

y For both the semi-finals and final, every effort will be made to complete the match on the scheduled day with any necessary reduction in overs taking place. Only if the minimum number of overs necessary to constitute a match (at least 5 overs per side) cannot be bowled on the scheduled day will the match be completed on the reserve day

y If a match starts on the scheduled day and overs are reduced following an interruption but no further play is possible, the match will resume on the reserve day at the point where the last ball was played

Key dates y Tournament commences – 17 October

y The event kicks off with a Round 1, Group B match between co-host Oman and Papua New Guinea at Oman Cricket Academy Ground in Al Amerat. Later that day, Group B opponents Bangladesh and Scotland will begin their campaign against one another at the same venue

y Group A begins the following day in Abu Dhabi, with Ireland and the Netherlands playing the afternoon match, and Sri Lanka and Namibia in the evening encounter

y Round 1 finishes – 22 October

y Round 1 concludes after a Group A Namibia-Ireland and Sri Lanka-the Netherlands double-header at Sharjah

y Group B’s final matches take place in a double-header at Oman Cricket Academy Ground on 21 October

y The top two teams from each group progress to the Super 12 stage

y Super 12 stage commences – 23 October

y The Super 12 stage of the tournament kicks off just a day after Round 1 concludes, with Group 1 sides Australia and South Africa meeting in Abu Dhabi

y Group 2 begins the following day with a clash between India and Pakistan in Dubai

y Super 12 stage concludes – 8 November

y The Super 12 stage wraps up on 8 November with India playing the final match of the phase at Dubai against their group’s Round 1 Group A qualifier

y Semi-finals – 10 November and 11 November

y The top two teams from each Super

12 Group progress to the semi-finals, scheduled to be played at Abu Dhabi and Dubai on 10 and 11 November, respectively

y Final – 14 November

y The tournament reaches its conclusion on 14 November at Dubai International Stadium

Venues1. Dubai International Stadium, Dubai,

the UAE:The record-holder for the most Men’s

T20Is hosted, the Dubai International Cricket Stadium has witnessed 62 matches in the format.

A part of Dubai Sports City, the ground opened its doors in 2009 and hosted its first international match the same year.

Famous for its “ring of fire”, Dubai International Stadium features over 300 floodlights fixed around the circumference of the stadium, reducing the appearance of shadows during night-time cricket.

The ground hosted the 2018 Asia Cup Final between Bangladesh and India, and the Final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019.

It will host 13 matches, including one semi-final and the final of this year’s T20 World Cup.

2. Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah, the UAE:

First used for international cricket in 1984, Sharjah has hosted an incredible 263 international men’s matches – only the Sydney Cricket Ground or SCG (277) and Melbourne Cricket Ground (275) have hosted more games. The 240 men’s ODIs it has hosted is 91 more than the next most used venue, the SCG (159).

Unsurprisingly, with so much cricket played at the ground, the venue is rich in the sport’s history. In 1986, it witnessed Javed Miandad’s famous last-ball six against India and in 1998 Sachin Tendulkar’s incredible back-to-back centuries against Australia.

The T20 World Cup will be another chapter added to the famous ground’s story. The venue will host 11 matches.

3. Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, the UAE:

The second most used venue in Men’s T20I history, Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium has hosted 48 matches in the format.

Opened in 2004, the ground hosted its inaugural first-class match later that year, with Scotland taking on Kenya. The ground’s first official international fixture came two years later when India played Pakistan in an ODI.

Alongside the ICC Academy and Dubai International Stadium, it hosted the qualifying tournament in 2019.

It will host 15 matches including one semi-final.

4. Oman Cricket Academy Ground, Al Amerat, Oman:

Opened in 2012 and endowed by the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the Oman Cricket Academy Ground is the jewel in the crown of Omani Cricket.

Holding official ICC Test accreditation, the ground has so far hosted 30 T20Is, as well as 15 ODIs.

Blessed by a background of the Al Hajar Mountains in the distance, the ground sits in a basin just outside of Muscat, about a twenty-minute drive from the middle of town.

It will host six T20 World Cup matches.

GroupsRound 1Group A:Sri Lanka, Ireland, the Netherlands, and

NamibiaGroup B:Bangladesh, Scotland, Papua New Guinea,

and OmanSuper 12Group 1:England, Australia, South Africa, the West

Indies, top seed Group A, and second seed Group B

Group 2:India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan,

second seed Group A, and top seed Group B

Sri LankaGroup: A, Round 1ICC T20I ranking: 10Squad (15): Dasun Shanaka (Captain), Kusal

Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Dinesh Chandimal, Charith Asalanka, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dhananjaya De Silva, Chamika Karunaratne, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Maheesh Theekshana, and Akila Dananjaya

Reserves (3):Kamindu Mendis, Shiran Fernando, and

Pulina TharangaTravelling reserves (6):Nuwan Pradeep, Praveen Jayawickrama,

Minod Bhanuka, Ashen Bandara, Lakshan Sandakan, and Ramesh Mendis

Fixtures:

y Monday, 18 October – vs. Namibia

y Wednesday, 20 October – vs. Ireland

y Friday, 22 October – vs. the Netherlands

Other squadsIreland

Group: A, Round 1ICC T20I ranking: 12Squad: Andrew Balbirnie (Capt.), Mark

Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Josh Little, Andrew McBrine, Kevin O’Brien, Neil Rock, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, and Craig Young

Reserve players: Shane Getkate, Graham Kennedy, and Barry McCarthy

The NetherlandsGroup: A, Round 1ICC T20I ranking: 17Squad: Pieter Seelaar (Capt.), Colin

Ackermann, Philippe Boissevain, Ben Cooper, Bas de Leede, Scott Edwards, Brandon Glover, Fred Klaassen, Stephan Myburgh, Max O’Dowd, Ryan Ten Doeschate, Logan van Beek, Timm van der Gugten, Roelof van der Merwe, and Paul van Meekeren

Reserves: Shane Snater and Tobias Visee

NamibiaGroup: A, Round 1ICC T20I ranking: 19Squad: Gerhard Erasmus (Capt.), Stephen

Baard, Karl Birkenstock. Michau du Preez, Jan Frylinck, Zane Green, Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo, JJ Smit, Ruben Trumpelmann, Michael van Lingen, David Wiese, Craig Williams, and Pikky Ya France

Reserves: Mauritius Ngupita

BangladeshGroup: B, Round 1ICC T20I ranking: 6Squad: Mahmud Ullah (Capt.), Naim Sheikh,

Soumya Sarkar, Litton Kumer Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Shaif Uddin, and Shamim Hossain

Reserves: Rubel Hossain and Animul Islam Biplob

ScotlandGroup: B, Round 1ICC T20I ranking: 14Squad (provisional): Kyle Coetzer (Capt.),

Richard Berrington, Dylan Budge, Matthew

Cross, Josh Davey, Alasdair Evans, Chris Greaves, Oli Hairs, Michael Leask, Calum Macleod, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Chris Sole, Hamza Tahir, Craig Wallace, Mark Watt, and Brad Wheal

Papua New GuineaGroup: B, Round 1ICC T20I ranking: 15Squad: Assad Vala (Capt.), Charles Amini,

Lega Siaka, Norman Vanua, Nosaina Pokana, Kipling Doriga, Tony Ura, Hiri Hiri, Gaudi Toka, Sese Bau, Damien Ravu, Kabua Vagi-Morea, Simon Atai, Jason Kila, Chad Soper, and Jack Gardner

OmanGroup: B, Round 1ICC T20I ranking: 18Squad: Zeeshan Maqsood (Capt.), Aqib

Ilyas, Jatinder Singh, Khawar Ali, Mohammad Nadeem, Ayaan Khan, Suraj Kumar, Sandeep Goud, Nester Dhamba, Kaleemullah, Bilal Khan, Naseem Khushi, Sufyan Mehmood, Fayyaz Butt, and Khurram Nawaz Khan

EnglandGroup: 1, Super 12ICC T20I ranking: 1Squad: Eoin Morgan (Capt.), Moeen Ali,

Jonathan Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Tymal Mills, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, David Willey, Chris Woakes, and Mark Wood

Reserves: Liam Dawson, James Vince, and Reece Topley

AustraliaGroup: 1, Super 12ICC T20I ranking: 7Squad: Aaron Finch (Capt.), Ashton Agar,

Pat Cummins (vc), Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner, and Adam Zampa

Reserves: Dan Christian, Nathan Ellis, and Daniel Sams

South AfricaGroup: 1, Super 12ICC T20I ranking: 5Squad: Temba Bavuma (Capt.), Keshav

Maharaj, Quinton de Kock (wk), Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, W Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Rassie van der Dussen

Reserves: George Linde, Andile Phehlukwayo, and Lizaad Williams

The West IndiesGroup: 1, Super 12ICC T20I ranking: 9Squad: Kieron Pollard (Capt.), Nicholas

Pooran, Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Roston Chase, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Lendl Simmons, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Oshane Thomas, and Hayden Walsh Jr.

Reserves: Darren Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Jason Holder, and Akeal Hosein

IndiaGroup: 2, Super 12ICC T20I ranking: 2Squad: Virat Kohli (Capt.), Rohit

Sharma, Lokesh Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Mohammad Shami

Reserves: Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Chahar, and Shardul Thakur

PakistanGroup: 2, Super 12ICC T20I ranking: 3Squad: Babar Azam (Capt.), Shadab Khan,

Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Sohaib Maqsood

Travelling reserves: Khushdil Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, and Usman Qadir

New ZealandGroup: 2, Super 12ICC T20I ranking: 4Squad: Kane Williamson (Capt.), Todd

Astle, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, and Tim Southee

Reserves: Adam Milne

AfghanistanGroup: 2, Super 12ICC T20I ranking: 8Squad: Mohammad Nabi (Capt.),

Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hazratullah Zazai, Usman Ghani, Asghar Afghan, Rashid Khan, Najibullah Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mohammad Shahzad, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Karim Janat, Gulbadin Naib, Naveen ul Haq, Hamid Hassan, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Dawlat Zadran, Shapoor Zadran, and Qais Ahmed

Reserves: Afsar Zazai and Farid Ahmed Malik

ROAD TO T20 WORLD CUP — PART 1

What you need to know about

T20 World Cup

The West Indies won the previous T20 World Cup, beating England by four wickets on 3 April 2016 in Kokat, India

Monday, October 11, 2021

sports

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� www.themorning.lk

England announces Ashes squad

England are to take their strongest available squad to Australia for the 2021-22 Ashes Test series beginning in Brisbane on 8 December. All 17 players have been capped at Test-level.

England squad for the Ashes: Joe Root (Captain), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler (wk), Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Chris Woakes, and Mark Wood.

A goal by Ali Ashfaq helped the Maldives to register a 1-0 win over Sri Lanka in yet another fixture of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship, played off here at the National Football Stadium, the Maldives.

The hosts scored in the sixth-minute when a brilliant through-ball found the experienced striker who easily tapped it in, to take the early lead.

Nepal was to meet India yesterday (10) evening. The last two matches of the ten-match league phase of the tournament are set for Wednesday (13), between Bangladesh and Nepal at 4 p.m. before India vs. the Maldives encounter at 9 p.m.

The final is scheduled for Saturday (16) at 8 p.m. with the top two nations out of the five participants being expected to lock horns.

Sunday, 10 October 2021

y Sri Lanka vs. the Maldives kicked off amid grand fanfare

y There were protests outside the stadium by

fans who could not buy tickets for the match

y The Sri Lankan Minister of Youth and Sports Namal Rajapaksa was present in the stadium to witness the match

SAFF FOOTBALL

Sri Lanka go down fighting against the Maldives

SAFF DIARY FROM MALÉ

The Maldives team and fans celebrate Ali Ashfaq’s sixth-minute goal yesterday (10)

PHOTO © FFSL

BY CHATHURA RANASINGHE IN THE MALDIVES

BY REVATHA S. SILVA

The national cricket selectors, headed by Pramodya Wickramasinghe,

have raised many eyebrows when they announced Sri Lanka’s final 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup that starts on Sunday (17).

Their final 15-player squad, announced yesterday (10) on the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) deadline included “mystery spinner” Akila Dananjaya, who scarcely displayed any “mystery”, particularly since the day he was whacked for six sixes in an over by West Indies batsman Kieron Pollard in March, just after taking a hat-trick in the same match.

Picked over two other spinners

Dananjaya has, somewhat surprisingly, been chosen over two left-arm spinners in the travelling squad; Praveen Jayawickrama and Kamindu Mendis (both left and right arm).

With Dananjaya, Sri Lanka’s final squad includes three specialist spinners – Dananjaya, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Maheesh Theekshana – who are all right-armers.

The se lect ion panel , which also includes Romesh Kaluwitharana and Hemantha Wickramaratne, seems to have gone for experience rather than performance. If form and performance were the criteria, Dananjaya’s recent record does

not provide a satisfactory picture (see boxed info).

Four strike bowlers The UAE pitches for the

World Cup, as was evident during the second stage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches since last month, necessitate spinners to contain the flow of runs by the batters.

With that in mind, will the ploy of including four main strike bowlers in the squad - Dushmantha Chameera, Chamika Karunaratne, Lahiru Kumara, and Binura Fernando – be a productive one?

‘The DDS fiasco’

Now comes the “DDS fiasco”. The player was reportedly warned of not giving his fullest support to the team’s cause during the previous South Africa series in Colombo.

Yet Dhananjaya de Silva aka DDS has been included in the final squad even without testing him in the two practice games against Oman last week.

How will they fare? It will be interesting, and

somewhat shaky too, from the point of view of the Sri Lankan spectator, to see how Sri Lanka are going to fare tomorrow (12) against Bangladesh and on Thursday (14) against Papua New Guinea (PNG)

before taking up Namibia, Ireland, and Netherlands once the tournament proper gets underway on Sunday (17).

The way Sri Lanka beat Oman last week was far from convincing – this is not an understatement.

Do the selectors still have their strings attached? Are some influences unavoidable? Have the selectors picked the best available combination for the World Cup? Will this supposed selection blunder cost Sri Lanka dearly?

Only hours and days will provide us the answer.

COMPILED BY RANJIKA PERERA

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Robert Lewandowski are among the nominees on the 30-man 2021 Ballon d’Or long list to have been released by France Football.

Other superstar performers to get the nod include Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema, and Romelu Lukaku. A Golden Ball, heading in the direction of any of those mentioned, above would come as no surprise, but the likes of Euro 2020 winner Jorginho and his Chelsea teammate N’Golo Kante also have their sights set on a shock win.

Nominees: Cesa Azpilicueta, Nicolo Barella, Karim Benzema, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Dias, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Bruno Fernandes, Phil Foden, Erling

Haaland, Jorginho, Harry Kane, N’Golo Kante, Simon Kjaer, Robert Lewandowski, Romelu Lukaku, Riyad Mahrez, Lautaro Martinez, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Luka Modric, Gerard Moreno, Mason Mount, Neymar, Pedri, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mohamed Salah, Raheem Sterling, and Luis Suarez

£ 300 m takeover of Newcastle United

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consortium being completed as Mike Ashley’s 14-year tenure at St. James’ Park comes to a close. Change behind the scenes on Tyneside had been mooted for some time, with several proposals speculated on down the years as a disgruntled fan-base longed for fresh investment.

Lukaku and Hazard return home with injuries

Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard have been excused for the remainder of the international window due to concerns over their fitness, Belgium Coach Roberto Martinez confirmed on Saturday (9). The Chelsea and Real Madrid stars both played in Belgium’s UEFA Nations League semi-final defeat to France on last Thursday (7), with the former scoring in the 3-2 reverse.

Selectors retain struggling Dananjaya for World Cup

z Is Sri Lanka to suffer due to glaring selection blunders?

Far from marking the end of nationalism, the IPL (Indian Premier League) is the

ultimate triumph of that principle; a global tournament in which the same nation always wins. Gideon HaighGideon Clifford Jeffrey Davidson Haigh, 55, is an English-born Australian journalist and non-fiction author who writes about sport – especially cricket, business, and crime. The above statement highlights IPL’s challenge posed on the age-old “inter-national” cricket while also hinting at the undue advantage the league creates for only one nation – India.

Qu tefrom a legend

Here is the final 15-member Sri Lanka squad for the 2021 T20 World Cup as was submitted to the International Cricket Council (ICC) yesterday (10):

Squad (15): D a s u n S h a n a k a

(Captain), Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Dinesh Chandimal, Charith Asalanka, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dhananjay De Silva, Chamika Karunaratne, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Maheesh Theekshana, and Akila Dananjaya

Reserves (3): Kamindu Mendis, Shiran

Fernando, and Pulina Tharanga

Travelling reserves (6):Nuwan Pradeep, Praveen

Jayawickrama, Minod Bhanuka, Ashen Bandara, Lakshan Sandakan, and Ramesh Mendis

Right-arm spinner Akila Dananjaya’s performance since he was hit six sixes by Kieron Pollard at Coolidge, West Indies on 3 March 2021 (that match also included).

y Played nine Twenty20 International matches

y Bowled 31.1 overs

y Gave away 289 runs

y Took six wickets

y Average runs given per a wicket: 48.16

y Average runs given per an over: 9.29

y Overall: 31 matches; 28 wickets at 32.46; 8.20 runs per an over during 2012-21

y His figures in the T20 practice matches against Oman last week: 0/16 (2 ovs.) and 0/33 (3 ovs.)

Sri Lanka’s final World Cup squad

The Dananjaya conundrum

FOOTBALL NEWS FROM EUROPE

30-man list for Ballon d’Or released

1902 The first day of the inaugural cricket Test between South Africa and Australia, in Johannesburg

1937 Birth of English footballer Sir Bobby Charlton, who had 106 caps for the country

and won the World Cup in 1966. He was also a legend at Manchester United and managed Preston North End Football Club

1943 US’ professional baseball team New York

Yankees beat Cards 4-1 in the 40th World Series, to become the first team to win 10 World Series’ titles

1946 Birth of Japanese gymnast Sawao Kato. He won eight Olympic gold

medals through 1968, 1972, and 1976

1956 Pakistan and Australia blocked their way through the slowest day in Test history. They mustered only 95 runs between them in a yawn-inducing full day’s play, for the loss of 12 wickets! Pakistan bowler Fazal Mahmood won it for Pakistan, though, with match figures of 75-28-114-13

1982 Birth of New Zealand women’s off-spinning all-rounder Aimee Watkins, who led them to the Twenty20 (T20) World Cup final in 2009

1993 Birth of Indian seam-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya, the popular Mumbai Indians player in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He is remembered for

defending two runs off three balls against Bangladesh at the 2016 T20 World Cup

2000 The South African Cricket Board issued their former cricket Captain Hansie Cronje a life ban as a result of shocking match-fixing allegations

2018 When Australia lost ten wickets for 60 runs in the first innings in Dubai against Pakistan, no one expected them to bat 140 overs for a draw in the second, but they did so thanks to a valiant effort by Usman Khawaja, who stayed close to nine hours at the crease for his 141 – the second-longest ever knock in a fourth innings of a cricket Test

2020 Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic in the French Open tennis men’s final 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 to claim his 20th Grand Slam singles title and record

13th French Open singles title

2020 Los Angeles Lakers beat Miami Heat 106-93 in Game-6 to win a record-equalling 17th title. Lebron James was named the Most Valuable Player and also became the first to win the

award with three different teams

2020 British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won the Eifel Grand Prix at Germany’s Nürburgring to equal Michael Schumacher’s record of 91 Formula 1 victories

ON THIS DAY11 OCTOBER

English football legend Sir Bobby Charlton was born today

In Karachi, Pakistan met Australia in a Test for the first time to have the slowest day in Test cricket history as Fazal Mahmood (left) took 13 scalps to guide hosts to nine-wicket win

Former South Africa cricket Captain Hansie Cronje suffered a life ban on cricket for match-fixing

Hardik Pandya (left) saved two runs off three balls to bring victory for India, against Bangladesh, in the 2016 T20 World Cup

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Akila Dananjaya took his hat-trick in Coolidge, West Indies on 3 March. Yet West Indies Skipper Kieron Pollard spoiled his party pretty soon by whacking the mystery spinner for six sixes in a single over in the same match