02. Cost of Survey Regulations made under the Partition Law - the proposal made by Rauff Hakeem, Minister of Justice, to amend the existing regulations revising the rates chargeable for surveys carried out in relation to Partition Actions, to publish the amending regulations in the Government Gazette and to present them thereafter in Parliament, was approved by the Cabinet.
03. Visit of HE the President to Shanghai, China for participation at the 4th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) - a delegation led by President, participated at the above Conference. Addressing the Conference President drew the attention to Asia being a vibrant and dynamic region with increased international focus, and bringing a multitude opportunities and challenges from both within the region as well as from external sources.
His Excellency had also stated that external forces under the guise of democracy, have sought to interfere in the domestic affairs of sovereign countries, resulting in de-stabilizing these nations and regions. At the meeting with the UN Secretary General, the latter had congratulated Sri Lanka on the successful conclusion of the World Youth Conference and had observed that Sri Lanka has made much progress to economically and socially develop the country. The above information was provided by Prof. G.L. Peiris, Minister of External Affairs.
04. Provision of Proper Marketing Facilities within the Local Market for Products of Coconut and Coconut related Producers - presently, about 150 coconut and coconut related finished products are produced in Sri Lanka, out of which around 50 selected items are exported, bringing in foreign exchange amounting to around Rs.50 billion annually.
On the proposal made by Jagath Pushpakumara, Minister of Coconut Development and Janatha Estate Development, to make arrangements to supply a percentage of the total requirement of Items such as coir mattresses, brooms, carpets, brushes etc. produced by manufacturers, to State Institutions through the Coconut Development Authority, with the view to enhancing the domestic market, the Cabinet decided to render 10% priority for the local entrepreneurs who engage in this Industry and submit their bids through the Coconut Development Authority, in the Bid Evaluation.
05. Electrification of Radial Gates with Centrally Controlled Operation System - Deduru Oya Reservoir Project - Deduru Oya Reservoir Project is being implemented by the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources Management to supply irrigation water to 30,000 acres of paddy lands and to provide drinking water to about 50,000 families in the Kurunegala and Puttalam Districts.
The proposal made by Nimal Siripala de Silva, Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Management, to install a centrally controlled electrical gate operation system for the Deduru Oya Spillway adopting new technologies, was approved by the Cabinet.
06. Construction of New Dialysis Unit and Kidney Transplant Unit in Teaching Hospital, Karapitiya, Galle - the Dialysis Unit and Kidney Transplant Unit at the Teaching Hospital, Karapitiya, Galle provide services to patients in the Southern Province as well as to those in the adjacent Districts of Moneragala and Ratnapura. It is proposed to construct a new five storied building complex at this hospital which would include, two Wards, Theatres for Kidney Transplant, Intensive Care Unit and a Research Unit for Kidney Diseases.
The proposal made by Maithripala Sirisena, Minister of Health, to award the above contract to the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau (CECB) for a total cost of Rs.884.89 million, was approved by the Cabinet.
07. Sale of Fly ash Produced from Unit 2 and Unit 3 of Lakvijaya Power Station Norochcholai - Puttalam Coal Power Project Phase II - Unit 2 commenced its operations in April 2014 and expects its Unit 3 to be operational in September 2014. Fly ash generated continuously while operating these plants has to be disposed of and it can be used for the cement manufacturing process and other industrial activities in the industrial sector. Fly ash production per unit annually is 75,000 tons and a total-of 150,000 tons per year will be produced from these two units. The recommendation made by the Cabinet Appointed Procurement Committee to sell fly ash to five qualified companies, was approved by the Cabinet.
08. Enhancement of Scope of Work of the Projects Implemented under ADB and JICA Loans by Utilizing the Balance Funds of Loans - the proposal made by Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Minister of Power and Energy, to enhance the Scope of Work of the Projects Implemented under Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) loans, in view of the savings generated by awarding the contracts at lessor prices than the cost estimates, due to competition, was approved by the Cabinet.
09. Award of Contract for the Construction of Migrant Resource Centre of Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment at Ratnapura - the proposal made by Dilan Perara, Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare to award the above contract as recommended by the Cabinet Appointed Procurement Committee (CAPC), was approved by the Cabinet.
10. Implementation of Integrated Road Investment Program - the Government has already taken initiatives to connect all major townships, airports and ports by the developing the country’s road network and is planning connect all the villages the road network by implementing the investment the investment plan for the rural road connectivity. About 1,000 villages will be selected under this programme as rural hubs based on the population and development potential. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to support this programme by providing financial assistance in a sum of US $800 million to implement the programme in five Provinces through five projects as given below and the Government contribution for the entire programme is US $106 million:
Project 1 Southern Province
Project 2 Sabaragamuwa Province and the Kalutara District of Western Province
Project 3 Central Province
Project 4 North Central Province
Project 5 North Western Province
The proposal made by H.E. the President, in his capacity as the Minister of Finance and Planning, to proceed with the activities relating to the loan arrangements to be made with the ADB, was approved by the Cabinet.
11. Dengue Control Programme - 2014 - Cabinet noted the successful implementation of the first stage of the Dengue Prevention Programme conducted by the Emergency Presidential Task Force deploying personnel of the Security Forces in addition to the employees of the Ministry of Health in Colombo, Kalutara and Gampaha Districts from 20th to 22nd June 2014, where l05,879 premises had been cleared, 6,347 potential breading sites detected, 3,796 notices issued and legal action. initiated against 1,787 premises.
The second stage of this programme is scheduled to be implemented from 03rd to 10th July 2014 in the same Districts and since this is a national issue where maximum public cooperation has to be given for the total eradication of the dreadful dengue disease, Cabinet of Ministers appealed to the public to extend their utmost cooperation when the relevant dengue prevention teams of officials visit their places of residence for inspection purposes,
