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COLOMBO: The High Commission of India in Sri Lanka has clarified its stance on visa issuance for Sri Lankan pilgrims traveling to India, reaffirming its commitment to facilitating smooth and timely travel while reintroducing gratis visas for organized pilgrim groups. Responding to recent press queries, the High Commission stated that facilitating visa issuance for all Sri Lankan citizens remains a standing policy. Sri Lanka continues to be among the nations whose citizens can access India’s e-visa facility. Those choosing…

New Secretary Appointed to the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed Eng. (Dr.) Asiri Karunawardena as the new Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development. The letter of appointment was presented to him at the Presidential Secretariat by the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake. Prior to this appointment, Eng. (Dr.) Asiri Karunawardena served as the Director General of the National Building…

Take maximum measures to protect developing Northern and Eastern coastlines Projects must be implemented in harmony with environmental priorities and people's livelihoods President issues instructions at 2027 Pre-Budget Discussion of the Ministry of Environment President Anura Kumara Dissanayake instructed officials to take the maximum possible measures to protect the rapidly developing Northern and Eastern coastlines. The President also directed that the strongest possible legal action be taken to…

Government to Coordinate Kotte Rajamaha Viharaya Sri Dalada Maha Perahera A preliminary planning meeting for the Sri Dalada Maha Perahera 2026 of the Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte Rajamaha Viharaya was held at the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake. The meeting focused on preparations for this year’s Esala Festival, during which the 126th Kotte Rajamaha Viharaya Sri Dalada Maha Perahera will take place. The annual procession is scheduled to…

Strong Sporting Culture Vital for Nurturing a Healthy and Disciplined Future Generation • President Emphasizes During 2027 Budget Discussions on the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports President Anura Kumara Dissanayake emphasized that a change in attitudes is essential to make sport an integral part of people's daily lives and a culture. The President stated that fostering such a sporting culture would play a vital role in addressing current social challenges, including the rising number of road accidents and the…

Sri ‌Lankan shares closed lower for the third straight session on ​Tuesday, dragged by losses in utilities and energy stocks. The CSE All-Share index settled down 0.29% at 21,145.73 Paragon ‌Ceylon PLC ‌and Autodrome ​PLC were ‌the ⁠top ​percentage losers ⁠on the CSE All-Share index, falling 13.2% and 9.4%, respectively. Trading volume on the index fell to 38.5 million ⁠shares from 66.5 million ‌shares in the previous ​session. The ‌equity market's turnover rose ‌to 3.28 billion Sri Lankan rupees ($9.8 million)…

A group of 10 Aquaculturists and Assistant Aquaculturists from the National Aquaculture Development Authority (NAQDA) successfully completed a comprehensive capacity-building program in India, demonstrating a shared commitment to sustainable fisheries and regional developmental partnership. NAQDA functions under the Ministry of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources, Government of Sri Lanka. The two-week training was held at ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture in Odisha, India, from July 6 to 19. This…

Training Program on Innovative Leadership for Organization Growth and Excellence for minority youths A delegation of 30 minority youths representing 14 diverse political parties from Sri Lanka attended a 5-day training module on Innovative Leadership for Organization Growth and Excellence at the National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD), Noida, from July 13-17.. NIESBUD is a premier organization of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, engaged in training,…

Visit of Sri Lankan Parliamentary Officials to India for Capacity Building Program at PRIDE (13-17 July) A 24-member delegation of Sri Lankan Parliamentary Officials visited India from July 13-17 for an Orientation Program at Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE), New Delhi. The delegation was led by Mr. Herath Mudiyanselage Hansa Hemamalaka Sameera Abeyrathne, Assistant Secretary General of Sri Lankan Parliament. The week-long visit aimed to provide exposure to the Indian Parliamentary…

Sri ‌Lankan shares closed lower on Monday, dragged by losses ​in communication services and healthcare stocks. The CSE All-Share index settled down 0.9% at 21,208.10 SMB Finance PLC and Serendib ‌Land PLC were ‌the ​top ‌percentage ⁠losers ​on the ⁠CSE All-Share index, falling 10% and 9.1%, respectively. Trading volume on the index rose to 66.5 million shares from ⁠31.9 million shares in ‌the ‌previous session. The ​equity market's turnover rose to ‌2.64 billion Sri Lankan rupees ($7.86 million) from 722.63…

A meeting between the newly appointed Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, Vice Admiral Damian Fernando, and the Secretary to the President, Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, was held at the Presidential Secretariat. During the meeting, the Secretary to the President extended his congratulations to Vice Admiral Fernando on his appointment as the 27th Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy. To mark the occasion, the Navy Commander also presented a commemorative memento to the Secretary to the President.

Incoming ‌British prime minister Andy Burnham will scrap the government's troubled plans for a digital ID scheme when he enters ​office on Monday, a spokesperson for the new Labour Party leader said. Resources devoted to the scheme, deemed a "fiasco" by a cross-party committee of lawmakers, will be redirected to Burnham's priorities, the spokesperson said. Burnham, elected leader of the governing Labor Party on Friday, becomes Britain's seventh ‌prime minister ‌in a decade on ​Monday, replacing ‌the unpopular ​Keir…

A high-powered delegation of Indian IT/Tech CEOs, led by Mr. Rajesh Nambiar, President, NASSCOM, visited Colombo from July 15-16. NASSCOM is the leading business chamber of Indian IT & software companies. On July 16, NASSCOM’s flagship Tech SME Mentorship Program ‘DISHA’ was launched for Sri Lankan Tech SMEs at an event organized by the High Commission of India. DISHA Program is a structured, high-impact initiative by the NASSCOM SME Council designed to support SME tech entrepreneurs with strategic business…

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake met with the officers of the Department of Prisons, including Superintendents of Prisons, Jailers and other officials, at the Presidential Secretariat. Extensive discussions focused on the challenges currently facing the prison system and the urgent measures required to address them. Special attention was also given to the recent incident at the Negombo Prison, with lengthy discussions held on the steps needed to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. The meeting…

Bollywood film Article 370, based on the events surrounding the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution in 2019, was named the best feature film at the 72nd National Film Awards on Saturday. Announcing the awards, the chairman of the central jury, Jayaraj, said the Telugu movie Kalki 2898 AD bagged the trophy for the best popular film. Malayalam superstar Mammootty won his fourth National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in Bramayugam, sharing the honor with Kartik Aaryan, who was recognized for his…

Sri ‌Lankan shares closed slightly higher on Thursday as gains in utilities ​and communication services stocks outweighed losses in real estate and healthcare. The CSE All Share index settled 0.14% higher at 21,447.57, snapping ‌a three-session ‌losing streak. Ceylon ‌Hotels Corporation PLC and ⁠CT Land Development PLC were the top percentage losers on the CSE All Share index, falling 7.76% and 7.18%, respectively. Trading ⁠volume on the CSE ‌All ‌Share index fell to ​43.3 million shares ‌from 56.9 million in ‌the…

Resolve Issues in the Proposed Contributory Pension Scheme for Overseas Workers and Include It in the Upcoming Budget —— President Issues Directive at the 2027 Pre-Budget Discussion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed the relevant officials to promptly resolve the outstanding issues relating to the proposed contributory pension scheme for Sri Lankan migrant workers and include the scheme in this year's Budget proposals. The…

After months of uncertainty, the makers of actor-turned-politician and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Vijay’s swansong film Jana Nayagan recently announced that the film will finally release in theatres on July 23. The news, which came a week after the film got its CBFC certification, has expectedly forced a slew of smaller Tamil films to reconsider or reschedule their releases. After months of uncertainty, the makers of actor-turned-politician and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Vijay’s swansong film Jana Nayagan recently…

Leading into the second ODI between India and England here in Cardiff, history at the Sophia Gardens — both recent and distant — had favored the chasing team. Eight of the previous 12 ODIs, including four of the last four, were won by sides batting second. For a brief while on Thursday, India threatened to upend it as Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna dismissed openers Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell with just eight runs on the board in a 234-run pursuit. But things soon regressed to the mean as Joe Root scored an…

2027 Pre-Budget Discussion of the Ministry of Energy Held Under the President’s Patronage President Instructs Officials to Develop Delft, Analaitivu and Nainativu as Green Energy Islands A review of the progress of projects implemented under the 2026 budget allocations for the Ministry of Energy, together with a pre-budget discussion for the 2027 Budget, was held at the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. During the meeting, extensive discussions were held on the…