Arrested Sri Lankan men sit inside the police Fraud Bureau after authorities cracked down on a people smuggling racket in Colombo yesterday. AFP

Govt targets revenue growth of 20 pc of GDP

Poorer sections to benefit:

Human Resources Senior Minister and COPE chairman D E W Gunasekera yesterday said the government has initiated a programme to increase state revenue to 20 percent of the GDP as soon as possible to enable the poorer sections of society to enjoy the maximum benefits from government revenue, than at present, where it is 14.5 percent of the GDP.

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North open to all Lankans - Defence Secy

Defence and Urban Development Ministry Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa yesterday said Sri Lankans, irrespective of their ethnicity and other differences, should be able to live in any part of the country. He said all Sri Lankans regardless of their race should have the freedom to live in any part of the country. In an interview with the BBC, Secretary Rajapaksa said it is not appropriate to view the Northern Province over which a war was fought, as a predominantly Tamil area.

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New disaster resistant measures targeting schools, highrises

School and student safety and high-rise building protection will be given major focus as the country’s disaster management experts introduce a ‘framework of action” for disaster resilience in due course. Disaster Management Center’s Director General Maj Gen Gamini Hettiarachchi yesterday told the Daily News that they are working out guidelines for student safety that would make schools a safer place for children in times of disaster of any kind, be it an earth tremor or floods.

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Consumers to receive an “all details” electricity bill

The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka has requested the Ceylon Electricity Board to provide all information pertaining to the calculation of electricity bills, including taxes, subsidies and any other charges related to electricity consumed, Director General of PUCSL Damitha Kumarasinghe in a media release states.

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President to visit Thailand

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will leave for Thailand today (Tuesday 29) as a guest of the Royal Thai government. During his visit to Thailand, the President will hold bilateral talks with Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Prime Minister Shinawatra will host a luncheon in honour of President Rajapaksa, according to a release issued by Presidential Spokesman and International Media Advisor Bandula Jayasekera.

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