business Sri Lanka

Accelerating local game development and gamification while helping to foster the developer community of Sri Lanka, Dialog Axiata PLC, Sri Lanka’s premier connectivity provider, will be powering the Sri Lankan edition of Game Jam+, a global movement by Google promoting entrepreneurship in the creative industry.

Aiming to help transform games into businesses, the 5th edition of this local game development and gamification marathon will feature 100 cities worldwide with more than 50,000 participants, 4,000 projects (100 incubated over 2 months), and 1,000 volunteers, in addition to companies such as Google Games, Epic Games, Sebrae, Nuuvem, Unity and Wild Life.

Dialog Game Jam+ series, spanning four months, is set to kick off on 9th October at 3 locations simultaneously (Trace Expert City, Peradeniya University and Jaffna University) in a 48-hour game development immersion. Developers are invited to register for the first stage via www.gamejamplus.lk. During this first stage, over 200 participants from each city will receive mentorship from 10 industry professionals. In the second stage, two finalist teams per city will be accelerated by renowned international experts and regional professionals. Finalists from the second stage will proceed to meet in 5 major events to compete for continental first place, where two representatives from each continent will get the opportunity to compete in the World Grand Final.

Commenting, Supun Weerasinghe, Group Chief Executive of Dialog Axiata PLC said, “We are pleased to host the local extension of the globally renowned Game Jam+ (Dialog Game Jam+) to bring together creators from all over the country and help build a sustainable local industry by providing access to industry mentors, creating opportunities within the region and enabling global exposure through this programme. This endeavour is in line with our mission of fostering innovation and technology entrepreneurship through the Ideamart platform and its 30,000-strong local developer community, as we strive to be the main agent of change to help advance and transform the highly promising local developer ecosystem while improving the adoption of eSports in Sri Lanka which is being accepted as a mainstream sport.”

“We are delighted to bring a massive international event such as Dialog Game Jam+ to Sri Lankan soil, together with Dialog Axiata. Digital Gaming Industry is the world’s fastest growing sector in technological entertainment and new media and this event will put Sri Lanka firmly on the world map as a destination for game development and esports events. Moreover, this monumental event shall mark Sri Lanka’s first ever global leap and foray into digital gaming and thus we see countless opportunities and new doors for Sri Lankan IT industry and BPO sectors get open in digital gaming.” said RavihansWetakepotha, Chairman Le Fantastical Holdings and Executive Director in Asia for Dialog Game Jam+.

“Le Fantastical, Game Jam+ and Dialog Axiata share the belief that technology could uplift people and economies,” added Lahiru Rajapaksha, Chief Organizer Dialog Game Jam+ Sri Lanka. “Working with Dialog Axiata we are embarking on a true global mission to showcase and uplift Sri Lankan interactive media and gaming talents globally and we couldn’t be happier to do that with a strong partner such as Dialog Axiata.

Robert Bosch Lanka Pvt Ltd in collaboration with Browns Thermal Engineering recently held a wiper blade promotion at Browns Power Mart located in Havelock Road. Being one of the world’s largest automotive component manufacturers, BOSCH Sri Lanka organized the event intending to deliver world-class products to Sri Lankan customers at an affordable price. The promotion was held on September 11 -12, with all Bosch products available at special prices.

The event was initiated by General Manager of Browns Thermal, Asanga Peiris and attended by R.Swaminathan - Managing Director, Robert Bosch Sri Lanka.

very year AIA Insurance holds the Annual Company Conference in grand style; an evening of glitz, glamour, recognitions and rewards for employee achievements throughout the year. It is a red-letter day in the company calendar and employees are celebrated for their hard work that contributed to the company’s success.

This year, post Covid-19, AIA had to drop the glitz and glamour of a celebratory evening, but they didn’t shelve the recognitions and rewards, that means so much to the company’s employees. As a result, AIA hosted the first ever ‘AIA Digital Company Conference 2020’ which was broadcast live across the company’s branches and head office, with all employees tuned in with keen interest. AIA CEO Nikhil Advani and Deputy CEO Upul Wijesinghe made presentations, as they usually do, highlighting the company’s performance during the year while applauding the achievements of individuals and teams alike. The event was hosted by Director HR Thushari Perera and Director & Chief Officer Legal, Operations and External Relations Chathuri Munaweera.

Entertainment was not forgotten, with Ranil Amirthiah from the band ‘Black’ adding some musical flavour to the digital conference. All in all, this pioneering digital conference connected all employees in an engaging way and was a new experience for everyone at AIA.

People’s Bank is celebrating World Children’s Day with special programmes and activities islandwide from October 1 to December 31, 2020 for the Bank’s Isuru Udana and Sisu Udana customers.

It is the prime responsibility of parents and adults to keep their children happy and ensure they have access to proper education while guiding them in the correct path. Children are the future of a nation and they remain the countries lifeblood.

To support development and nurturing of children, People’s Bank has always awarded higher interest rates together with a host of benefits and gifts with educational value. This year, in line with Government’s vision to promote local manufacturing, the Bank expects to provide clay saving tills as one of the gift items, there by supporting the clay industry in the country.

Commenting on the children’s savings initiatives of, People’s Bank Deputy General Manager (Process Management & Quality Assurance and Retail Banking) Mrs. Renuka Jayasinghe stated, “People’s Bank has always been a bank dedicated towards children. From 1st October till 31st December, in conjunction with the World Children’s Day, we will steer a special savings programme, a children’s savings trimester. Our intention is to encourage and create awareness amongst children, parents, guardians and the whole society with regard to the importance of savings.

Encouraging future generations to save and through that to promote a sustainable economic environment remains our key goal. People’s Bank has always been dedicated to this cause.”

People’s Bank will be organizing special programmes and competitions during these three months focusing on enhancing the children’s knowledge levels and nurturing their creative talents. All such programmes will be carried out in strict adherence to the health guidelines given by the authorities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further Renowned medical professional Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya will conduct a series of informative clips for children on topics such as health and education. These clips will be made available on mass media as well as social media. Further details on the World Children’s Day programmes can be obtained by contacting the nearest People’s Bank branch.

People’s Bank introduced the ‘Isuru Udana’ accounts to cater to children from birth up to 5 years of age, while the ‘Sisu Udana’ account was launched for school children from 6 to 18 years of age with the aim of inculcating the habit of saving from a child’s early days. For several years, the Bank has strived to open an Isuru Udana account with a cash deposit for every single baby born in the country.

Today, People’s Bank has the highest number of student bank accounts in Sri Lanka. As an integral part of its digitalization drive, People’s Bank reached another major milestone by establishing Sri Lanka’s first-ever ‘School Banking Unit with CDM’, a module of the popular Self-Banking Unit (SBU), at several schools across the island in order to bring digitalisation closer to the school children while also inculcating the saving habit and extending banking facilities to them for enhanced convenience and safety.

Power failures and blackouts are a common phenomenon in Sri Lanka especially when there are no rains to the hill country for a few months. In addition to hydropower, Sri Lanka produces electricity using non-renewable energy sources such as diesel and coal. However, people frequently experience power outages due to technical failures at the national grid.

Large corporates are well secured as they plan ahead and make sure that generators are in place to face unexpected power failures. But small businesses that don’t prepare for such contingencies, face massive difficulties and fail to ensure the day-today continuity of their operations, which could negatively affect their own businesses and their loyal customers.

An unexpected power outage could completely dismantle the normal lifestyle of family members. A power failure could make all their plans go haywire leaving them frustrated. The best and the most reliable way to do this is to use a trusted generator. Although there are numerous types and brands of generators in the market, Singer generators remain the most trusted ones, which could address all your requirements. The latest two members to the Singer generator portfolio, which lightens the entire country, are: 5000 W (5KVA) and 3, 500 W (3.5KVA) diesel-powered generators.

With over140 years, Singer has always been in the forefront of understanding customer needs and offering them with reliable and superior quality products.

The newly introduced single cylinder, air-cooled and 4-stroke G-SD5000 and G-SD3500 generators make very low noise and each has a capacity of 450cc. Each of them has 14.5 litre fuel tank capacity and, with rated rotation speed of 3000 provide electricity for many hours, continuously. Electricity from a 5KVA generator can support two television sets, three ceiling fans, a pedestal fan, an air conditioner, two computers, a refrigerator and 11 electric bulbs. A 3.5KVA generator can support two television sets, an air conditioner, a ceiling fan a computer and 10 electric bulbs.

These two generators will be ideal for a small business to ensure the continuity of its business operations even during a power failure and serve its loyal customers while creating an edge over competitors.

Likewise, a Singer generator could become handy to a household, especially during the day time to carry out all household chores when there is a power failure. A Singer generator also won’t let your children to miss any online learning sessions due to power failures.

As some higher education centres continue to proceed with online sessions Singer generators won’t let your children to miss out them due to power failures.

Customers can purchase their latest Singer generator from Singer’s island wide showroom network. Interest-free card payment schemes from 12 months up to 60 months are offered for customer convenience.

Holding the prestige of the largest consumer durable retail network and island-wide unmatched after sales service, Singer stands for its trusted excellence in the hearts of Sri Lankan customers. Singer Sri Lanka PLC has also won the two prestigious SLIM NIELSEN awards for the Most Popular Brand of the People and the Consumer Durable Brand during the past 14 years continuously.

The annual convocation ceremony of CINEC Campus was held on a grand scale in two sessions at the Main Conference Hall of BMICH on September 15 with a participation of over 1,800.

A record number of 600 graduands received their Postgraduate and Undergraduate Degrees, Advanced Diplomas and Diplomas respectively in the fields of Maritime Science, Maritime Engineering, Marine Electrical Engineering, Engineering & Technology, IT, Management & Social Sciences, Logistics & Transport, Aviation, English Language and Teaching courses conducted at the CINEC Campus in Malabe and the Metro Campus in Nugegoda.

Secretary to the Ministry of Education Sri Lanka, Prof. Kapila Perera graced the occasion as the special guest of honor. Capt. Ajith Peiris, President of CINEC Campus conferred degrees and higher diplomas whilst Chancellor of CINEC, Vice Chancellors and Presidents from affiliated universities from UK and China joined the ceremony online. Special awards for outstanding students were given away by the Secretary to the Ministry of Education and Special Invitees.

International symposium on innovative banking bounced back gloriously following the Covid -19 pandemic. The final round presentations of selected participants via online platforms and onsite was held at Bank of Ceylon, Head Office.

This was a novel encounter for all participants and panel of judges. All sessions were very interactive and the panel members highly appreciated the enthusiasm of all contestants and their contribution towards leading future banking to a remarkable destiny. Participants brought their illustrative explanations to the submitted proposals/concepts before the expert panel and were exposed to commentaries at Q & A session. This is a significant accomplishment of this enormous initiative for “Bank of Ceylon” moving forward with the objective of leading and directing the local financial fraternity to an innovative arena.

The distinguished panel comprised of University Academics, IT Professionals, Veteran Bankers and Industry experts. The coordinating co-chairs of Innovbank Dr. Samantha Rathnayake, the Management Consultant and Faculty Member of Postgraduate Institute of Management, University of Sri Jayewardenepura and Dr. Ajantha Athukorale, the Deputy Director, University of Colombo School of Computing headed the panel.

Bank of Ceylon launched the International Symposium on Innovative Banking to commemorate Bank’s 80th anniversary and “Innovbank” 2020 curtain was raised on November 4 at BOC Head Office Auditorium with the theme of “Innovative Banking in a Smart World”. This is an extra effort of the Bank identifying its responsibility towards the industry betterment as a leading bank. This is a knowledge-sharing hub, which invite and bridge all interested innovators on a common platform to present their proposals and concepts for the wellbeing of the industry. Innovbank 2020 called for papers under six symposium tracks namely Fintech solutions in Banking, Business Process Re-Engineering in Banking, Innovative Financial Products and Services, Artificial intelligence in the financial industry, MIS and Big Data Analytics for decision making in Banking and My Dream Bank track exclusive for students.

Papers and proposals collected until February 4, 2020 were reviewed in three different phases involving three different panels including academics, professionals, practitioners and industry veterans to add more transparency.

The final symposium will be held in October 2020 with a grand audience recognizing Gold, Silver and Bronze medal winners and merit award winners with financial and non-financial awards.

Bank of Ceylon as the curator of this pitch is confident in giving the expected bounce back for the industry betterment with Innovbank. This creates an industry dialogue by Bank of Ceylon as the front-runner in leading the way through innovation. Bank of Ceylon as a government entity understood this initiative as a national responsibility to enrich the nation with latest banking technologies by onboarding them on efficient financial practices and hopefully continuing the INNOVBANK for future innovators too.

As all other industries, the insurance industry too shows a decline for the remainder of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Globally, life premiums are expected to contract by 6%, with saving products coming down.

“In general insurance, travel and trade related lines are expected to suffer most and is predicted to contract by 0.1%. A challenging economic environment for insurers will result due to low interest rates, stagnant growth and the increasing likelihood of a global recession,” said The Chairman of the Insurance Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka, (CIRCSL) President’s Counsel Razik Zarook .

However, it has been predicted that reinsurance prices for General Insurance Businesses is set to rise by at least 5%.

Here the Chairman CIRCSL, Razik Zarook shares his insights on how the insurance industry is evolving both in the local and global arenas, in view of the Insurance Month commemorated in September.

Q: How do you see both the life and general insurance landscape at present in Sri Lanka, as opposed to the global arena?

A: Despite the temporary limitation, demographic shifts around the globe create both risks and opportunities for insurance companies. At the same time, customer expectation, especially around digital channels and bespoke experiences is and will continue to increase. As a response to this, technological invasion is taking place across the entire value chain.

The impact of COVID-19 resonates in the local industry as well, in both short and long term, reducing insurable exposures due to negative impact on businesses. The industry should be prepared for significant financial losses arising as a result of negative impacts on various covers such as health, travel, event cancellations, business interruption, employer liability, income protection etc. Although the local insurance industry has no mortalities and healthcare costs due to COVID-19, recent import controls such as on vehicle imports will affect negatively because motor is the largest contributing segment to general insurance. However, we see signs of the local industry recovering much more quickly than expected.

Q: What trends do you see in the industry since post COVID Lockdown?

A: Insurance companies that have invested in digital technology products and services will definitely have an advantage in navigating at present. As work from home has become part of the employee structure operational models and workforce allocations will have to align to suit the current situation. In addition, new segments, such as cyber risk insurance might become more popular, pushing for generating new ideas and products, and deviating from the conventional product types.

In contrast, there can arise an increase in lapsed policies, as well as concerns regarding the future of insurance policies and premium payments by customers. The digitalization should have necessary checks and balances to countervail the risk of fraud. Therefore, business continuity planning should take this into serious consideration.

Q: How do you think declaring an Insurance Awareness Month will help the pandemic hit insurance industry performance?

A: We will witness an unprecedented change in the foreseeable future as people slowly get accustomed to an environment where they coexist with COVID-19 until a proper vaccine is found to cure the illness. In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, insurance has become one of the most important financial tools to have in place for the worst times because people are increasingly aware of health and protection. The declaration of the insurance awareness month is the best platform to raise awareness on insurance at this juncture. The industry should take up the challenge.

Q: Has there been any new developments in terms of regulation since you took office?

A: There have been several directives issued by the IRCSL recently. Direction No. 21 has been issued in respect of changing Agency Codes. In addition, in keeping with the National Language policy, Circular No. 43 directed that Insurance Policies be available in all three languages, Sinhala, Tamil and English to ensure comprehension of policy terms and conditions by the relevant policyholder. Circular No. 42 was added requiring insurance companies to refrain from obtaining loss adjusting services from unlicensed Loss Adjustors.

The IRCSL also made a special announcement to provide relief measures to insurance policyholders extending the premium payment period in view of the COVID 19 pandemic. We also called for a suspension of dividend payments to shareholders of insurance companies with a view to minimize any potential near-term impact on the capital levels of insurance companies as a result of disruptions to their businesses by way of losses of premium income and thereby earnings of insurers.

Q: In your opinion, how has the insurance customer benefited in terms of the services and the product offering in the market?

A: Many aspects of the modern society and economy could not function without insurance as insurance provides a safety net over the unforeseen events and enable individuals and businesses to carry on their daily activities as usual. Buying an insurance policy for a smaller, known premium provides the safety net for a possibility of a larger, potentially unaffordable loss, bringing peace of mind and security. The customers will be benefited, their needs will be fulfilled and confidence level will be boosted with more emphasis on paying policy benefits to the insureds.

DLB marked a significant turning point of its history yesterday by way of launching first digital lottery ‘Sasiri’ under the patronage of S.R.Atigala, Secretary of the Ministry of Finance.

Customers are now facilitated to purchase this digital lottery in the name of Sasiri from today through the DLB Sweep App introduced by the Development Lotteries Board and further Lagna Wasana,Super Ball and Shanida lotteries also can be purchased online through same App.

Sasiri is the first digital lottery of South Asia and it can be purchased as online lottery and as a printed lottery ticket.

Main objective of the introduction of this Sasiri lottery ticket is to make financial contribution to the COVID Fund established during the recent past to face the pandemic. Therefore the profit earned from the sale of the lottery is remitted to the President’s Fund and it is expected to remit this money to COVID Fund from the President’s Fund.

First draw of this Sasiri lottery issued today to the market is due to be held on October 14 Then the draws will be held on every Wednesdays and Saturdays and customers have the opportunity to win many prizes including cash prizes of Rs 100,000 by way of matching three numbers.

Arrangements have been made to credit the cash prizes directly to the bank accounts of the winners, who are fortunate to be the winners of this Sasiri digital lottery. Further the prizes of printed lottery tickets can be collected either from the distributor or the Head Office of the DLB.

DLB proudly declares that it has made all arrangements to conduct draw of this lottery going beyond the traditional systems and applying digital technology.

Therefore DLB cordially invites you to be a lucky winner by purchasing this new digital lottery downloading DLB Sweep App to your smart phone or tab using the link www.dlb.lk/apps. DLB believes that you will not hesitate to enjoy this new experience, which is a revolutionary change in the field of lottery industry in Sri Lanka.

SriLankan Airlines, a member of the oneworld alliance, reaffirming the global appeal of its marketing communication endeavors, bagged a gold award at the PATA Gold Awards 2020.

Accordingly, the National Carrier was among the 20 winners announced recently at the virtual PATA Travel Mart 2020. SriLankan Airlines was awarded the title ‘Marketing Carrier’ for its Pan India campaign- Next Door Neighbor and Serendipity Next Door.

SriLankan Airlines’ Chief Executive Officer, Vipula Gunatilleka said, “Receiving this coveted title from PATA, specially under the prevailing circumstances, gives us hope that we are capable of facing the challenging times ahead and our remedial communication content aiming to garner long-term, universal appeal can have a strong impact on our business recovery.”

PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy said, “The winners of the PATA Gold Awards set industry standards for excellence and innovation and provides the association with the perfect opportunity to recognise and reward the very best the Asia Pacific travel industry has to offer,”

SriLankan Airlines’ General Manager Marketing Saminda Perera said, “We are delighted to receive this prestigious title at the virtual PATA Travel Mart 2020 and it is truly inspiring that our efforts are continually rewarded in this manner. This is a result of an extremely satisfying team effort and I take this opportunity to thank the celebrities who were part of these creations, the management which has been supportive of our endeavors, my team, and our creative agencies J. Walter Thompson and Leo Burnett, without whom this will never be a possibility.”

The winning entry of the ‘Marketing Carrier’ category, ‘ Next door neighbors’ is a visual representation of multi-faceted attractions of Sri Lanka primarily targeting holidaymakers of India, with the underlying message that one does not have to look very far for exciting or serene getaways when Sri Lanka is right next door.

SriLankan Airlines’ brand videos- ‘Serendipity Next Door’ and ‘Ode to Paradise’ created ripples across social media platforms for its virality. ‘Ode to Paradise’ is a revival of the well-loved ‘Blue Waters’ song of the Air Lanka fame, which praises the island beauty of Sri Lanka, through the eyes of world-renowned Sri Lankan celebrities. ‘Serendipity Next Door’ is an extension of ‘Ode to Paradise’ specially crafted to appeal to the Indian audience.

The two videos recorded a combined number of 73 million views on Facebook and 2.2 million views on Youtube, whilst the latter became the first Sri Lankan brand video to cross one million views within 11 hours and five million mark in two days.

This is the third time that the National Carrier made its mark at PATA, having received gold awards on two previous occasions in 2007 and 2019.

Nations Trust Bank American Express has partnered with PickMe to make it convenient and rewarding to have your favourite cuisine and groceries delivered to your doorstep. This partnership with its rewarding offers, will add convenience to our Card Members “new normal” routine.

Speaking about the exclusive rewards on PickMe, Niluka Gunatilake – Head of Cards at Nations Trust Bank said, “We are pleased to partner with PickMe, Sri Lanka’s leading mobility solutions provider. With this partnership we are rewarding our Card Members for their loyalty by giving them an opportunity to win a phone of their choice when using their Nations Trust Bank American Express Card on the PickMe App. Further, Card Members have savings when they order their desired cuisines using PickMe Food.”

Each Card Member is eligible to enjoy this saving on two orders until October 31, 2020.

To enter the draw to win the phone of your choice, you simply need to use your Nations Trust Bank American Express Card on the PickMe app before the 30th of September 2020. Each usage of your American Express Card on PickMe will earn you an additional entry into the draw. This is an exclusive offer only for Nations Trust Bank American Express Card Members, courtesy of Life Mobile.

To find out more about this, please visit Nations Trust Bank American Express online at www.americanexpress.lk

Nations Trust Bank PLC is among the top 15 business establishments in Sri Lanka as ranked by Business Today.

New Chairman of the Planters’ Association of Ceylon Bhathiya Bulumulla implored the Government to give the Regional Plantation Companies a good hearing to resolve the current issues and take forward the Plantations to the next level.

“No government should forget that the Regional Plantation Companies have totally relieved the Treasury’s burden of funding over Rs. 40 bn. annually for the operations of the plantations for the last 28 years since privatization, (totaling to Rs. 1,120 billion or Rs. 1.1 trillion) Bulumulla told Daily News Finance yesterday.

Bulumulla, who is also Director/ CEO of Elpitiya Plantations PLC which is owned and managed by Aitken Spence Plantations Managements ( Pvt) Ltd said, “The Regional Plantations Companies have also invested approximately Rs 50 billion as at date to improve the agricultural conditions and development of infrastructure, fields, factories and the living/social standard of the worker populations on the plantations , from what it was at the time of privatization.

The estates were privatized on a bid document given to the Companies and the Regional Plantation Companies having agreed to abide by the bid document have invested heavily for the development of the plantations .

Bhathiya Bulumulla

Unfortunately successive governments have violated the terms and conditions stipulated in the bid documents and deprived the rights vested with the companies go ahead with their strategies for the development of the plantations to optimize the productivity of the land.

With the wage negotiations billed for 2021 again, It is high time that the Regional Plantation Companies and the Trade Unions agree on a sustainable and productivity based wage model, for the survival of this 150 years old prestigious plantation industry and the future of over a million people resident on the plantations.

Although the Government, under Prime Minister (then President) Mahinda Rajapaksa has set a target to plant 20,000 hectares in Oil Palm in 2014 to preserve the foreign exchange and to meet part of the country’s edible oils and fat requirement, a ban has been imposed for cultivation of Oil Palm at present.

The Government should seriously consider lifting the ban on oil palm cultivation, considering the benefits this crop brings to the country by saving valuable foreign exchange, he said.

Cinnamon cultivation and establishment of Commercial forestry are some of the other diversification made by the Plantation Companies.

The Regional Plantation Companies brought world recognition to Ceylon Tea by obtaining certification for its quality and manufacturing process from over 20 world renowned certification organizations.

Sri Lankan government spent nearly Rs. 6 million towards a tea plant nursery and the tea seedlings will be ready from next year said Minister of Plantations, Dr. Ramesh Pathirana.

He was speaking at the30thAnnual General Meeting of the Sri Lanka Tea Factory Owners Association (SLTOA) as Waters Edge on Saturday where Chairman Deniyaya Dampahala Tea Factory, Chandima Wickramasinghe was elected as the President.

The Minister said that these seedlings would help to replace aging tea plants and will help to increase production. He also said that already more tea fertilizer had been issued than the previous years.

He however said that the government would be very tough on tea factories that don’t manufacture quality tea. “We have sadly observed that several substances have been unfairly added to tea to bring down the quality and stern action would be taken against them,” stated the Minister.

Minister said that new innovations too should be looked in to like making specialized tea which he said would be the future. State Minister of Company Estate Reforms, Tea Estate Related Crops, Tea Factory Modernization and Tea Export Promotion, Kanaka Herat also endorsed this. He said that in addition several new credit schemes too would be formulated to bail out the aligning tea factories. The newly elected President of SLTOA Wickramasinghe said that locally manufactured Green tea and CTC teas are neglected due to the cheap imports.

“If the imports are permitted to be continued, the closure of these specialty tea manufacturing factories is inevitable. The large investments in these factories, machinery and equipment will be a colossal loss,” he continued.

“We appreciate the Sri Lanka Tea Board initiatives in granting a Working Capital Loan releasing Rs.500 million to factories to overcome the cash flow difficulties. It was a great relief and we trust the recoveries via the Commercial banks will not leave any bad debts. The year under review has been an incredibly a challenging year and all predictions and indications for year 2020 don’t look attractive, “elaborated the President.

“The initiative to establish solar power units by the Tea Board on tea factories is successful. The project should cover all tea factories. This initiative will make factory owners to participate on the green energy concept spearheaded by the President,” he said.

“We will experience a lower tea production compared to year 2019. “Recurring droughts, extreme monsoon rains, high soil temperatures have been attributed for significant crop decline,” the President said in conclusion.

Priority must be given for replanting/new planting and infilling. Availability of good quality plants from the newly developed cultivars is essential. The long process of establishing mother bushes and obtaining cuttings for nurseries will slowdown replanting to a low number of plants.

The Indian CEO Forum paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday and expressed strong confidence in the ability of the Sri Lankan economy to bounce back.

President Indian CEO Forum Umesh Gautam, noted that Sri Lanka has persevered through adversity in the past and the economy has always proven to be resilient.

The current economic situation compounded by the effects of the global pandemic have resulted in a need for job opportunities for those returning to Sri Lanka, those who have lost their jobs and those who are entering the job market.

The Indian CEO Forum has committed to seek out large scale BPO investments from India and have already reached out to several such institutions.

“Furthermore, this pandemic has caused a significant loss in foreign exchange as remittances and tourism receipts were impacted.”

In light of these facts, the Indian CEO forum has identified the BPO space as a key driver to create service driven export earnings and an important source for employment generation that can be flexible, and quickly deployed.

Investment from India accounts for some of the first sources of Foreign Direct Investment into the country and continues to play an integral part to support the economy by way of bringing huge investments into the country, generating export earnings and employment opportunities, and critical tax receipts into the government coffers.

The Indian CEO Forum is the preeminent body for Indian Investment in Sri Lanka, whose objective is to promote and contribute to the prosperity of the country through economic co-operation and representation of Indian Investment.

The Indian CEO Forum represents a broad spectrum in industrial activity from automobiles, petroleum, tyres, infrastructure, packaging, banking, pharmaceuticals, FMCG, media, logistics, dairy and cement to name a few.

The luxurious “Sennya Resort, Belihuloya, owned and operated by Sennya Resorts, has re-opened after the Covid Pandemic.

Sennya Resort offers 15 luxury chalets with a private deck and is also offering special rates for the locals.

“The architecture both inside and out is delicately designed with the aim of keeping the natural surroundings in focus,” an official from the hotel said.

The Resort also includes a Sauna and a Swimming Pool and many other modern amenities.

The Rainforest Ecolodge an alliance comprising of leading hoteliers clinched the PATA GOLD 2020 award under the category of - Sustainability Natural Heritage, as announced in a virtual ceremony held at Shanghai recently.

Rainforest Ecolodge, Chairman, Prema Cooray said, “We as an industry ventured on this project to showcase best practices in Eco Tourism and today our efforts have been recognized.”

“Enhancing the potential of Sinharaja as an Eco Tourism hub was the main goal of this initiative and we are delighted with this honour in further promoting this bio diversity hot spot to add to the rich profile of Sri Lanka’s tourism.”

Priyal Perera was re elected President of Ceylon Hotel School Graduates Association (CHSGA) at their 49th AGM at the Taj Samudra Hotel recently.

The Secretary to the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation Services S. Hettiarachchi was the Chief Guest, whilst Chairperson of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Kimali Fernando, as well as the Sri Lanka Institute of Hospitality and Tourism Management (SLITHM) attended as the Guest of honour and the Army Chief Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva was the Key Note Speaker for the ceremonial sessions of this year’s AGM.

Perera is a hotelier with over 30 years’ experience in the hotel sector with diverse experience. His vast portfolio includes management in the areas of Food and Beverage, Hotel & Hospitality Industry Management, who graduated from Ceylon Hotel School specializing in Food & Beverage Operations.

CHSGA honored Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army and the Head of the National Operation Centre for Prevention COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) by inviting him to deliver the keynote address at the event.

In his speech, he outlined major drawbacks Sri Lankan tourism had to suffer with the long-drawn war, tsunami tragedy, and lately of the Easter Sunday terrorist attack. During his speech he touched on the rejuvenated security arrangements, now in place and pointed out extensively about the fight against COVID-19 and measures that were adopted for prevention of the transmission from the day one. He also reminded them of endeavors, made during the first few weeks after outbreak of the virus in Sri Lanka to get the assistance of hoteliers to use their hotels as Quarantine Centres.

Kimali Fernando, Chairperson, Sri Lanka Tourism spoke on ‘Prospects of Tourism in the wake of COVID-19 Epidemic’ elaborating on what stood favorable for the country, what makes Sri Lanka special and the opportunities for new prospects in the future.

CHSGA will be celebrating its golden celebration (50th Anniversary in 2021) to mark its rich history of service to the industry. Its pivotal role over the last five decades included several activities for its members and for the development of SLITHM.

LOLC Holdings PLC has been listed among 100 honourees for 2020 amongst a list of esteemed global organisations at the annual CIO 100 Awards. It is the first time ever that a Sri Lankan company has been bestowed with the CIO 100 Award.

Meanwhile, Conrad Dias, LOLC’s formerGroup Chief Information Officer and current Director/CEOof LOLC Finance PLC and Director LOLC Holdings PLC was selected as one of the 11 CIO Hall of Fame inductees for 2020 out of a pool of global CIOs, becoming the1st Sri Lankan CIO to be recognised to the Global CIO Hall of Fame.

The CIO 100 Awards celebrates 100 organizations and the teams within them that are using technology in novel ways to deliver innovative and ground-breaking solutions to customers. The award is a global hallmark of enterprise excellence.

Former Group Chief Information Officer of LOLC Group and current Director/CEO of LOLC Finance PLC Conrad Dias with the CIO Hall of Fame Award 2020. He was selected as one of the 11 CIO Hall of Fame inductees for 2020.

This year, LOLC was listed amongst some of the most renowned global corporates such as Bank of America Corporation, General Electric, GSK,JP Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Mastercard, Nestle, Schniederand and many more. According to CIO 100, this year’s honourees exemplify what it means to deliver business value through the innovative use of technology. While announcing the winners, CIO 100’s editors noted that LOLC and other honourees “exemplify what it means to deliver business value through the innovative use of technology. This elite group is creating competitive advantage in their organizations, improving business processes, enabling growth and improving relationships with customers”.

LOLC Group Managing Director/CEO, Kapila Jayawardena said, “the LOLC Group has transformed to an absolutely tech-driven organisation. This has helped us to innovate more effectively and use technology to solve various business needs. At LOLC, we are keenly using technology to drive and deliver business value by optimizing our processes, improving customer relationships and experiences that enable growth. We believe that this will bea solid foundation for our future growth as we continue to expand as an international organisation.”

The LOLC Group, which is primarily involved in providing financial services for customers at the bottom of the wealth pyramid has always been at the forefront of technological innovations. As part of this ‘digital-drive’, the company understood the need to disrupt its own business model and adopt technological capabilities to innovate and challenge traditional business models, in order to stay ahead of its competition, both locally and internationally.

IDG’s (International Data Group’s) CIO,the executive-level IT media brand providing insight into business technology leadership also announced the 2020 CIO Hall of Fame inductees. CIO’s Hall of Fame is a personal leadership award that celebrates outstanding achievement in information technology management. The CIO Hall of Fame honors the men and women whose work has advanced the CIO role and demonstrated sustained business success. The first Sri Lankan to be presented with the CIO Hall of Fame award, Conrad Dias joined LOLC Group as its group CIO back in 2006, when the company was only engaged in a single line of business (financial services) with just 17 branch locations in the country.

Sun Match Company (Pvt) Ltd, a leading household brand ‘Soorya’ has announced the launch of a range of new products under the brand name ‘Sun’.

Director of Gowri Rajan stated, “With the global pandemic showing no signs of slowing down, and the World Health Organization unceasingly reminding us to wash our hands and disinfect our belongings, we have to entrust the safety of our lives to the numerous products which have flooded the market. With our vision of a ‘Healthy Life, A Healthy Nation’ and in keeping with our strict adherence to quality, we have introduced Sun Surface Disinfectant Sprays that comes in two refreshing fragrances, Lemon Fresh and Ice Pine Fresh. “

Certified as a food grade product, the ‘Sun’ brand guarantees the total annihilation of 99 percent of germs without the use of water on the surface, solely due to the usage of a technology called the broad-spectrum biological activity against germs.

With innovation at the forefront, the brand range breaks the category clutter and introduces a long lasting fragrance that differentiates it from the basic germ kill. The delicate and refreshing aroma of Lemons and Ice pine is proven to uplift the mood and enhance the feeling of freshness.

While the pandemic has resulted in several public and private campaigns on health and hygiene, more consumers are searching for an authentic product which goes beyond the expectations of the general user at all times. This need has been identified and catered to through this avant-garde product.

With the launched liquid disinfectant spray, Sun Match aims at creating the much-needed behavioural shift and awareness about hygiene among Sri Lankan consumers by reinforcing the habit of keeping surfaces clean as the most basic hygiene ritual during this pandemic period. Sun Match is also looking at increasing the market penetration the product in cities through their dedicated team of distributors.

While the product is the first among many other superior products, the Sun product range will also include the hand wash and herbal mosquito repellant lotion .Both these products are made with ingredients that are suitable for all skin types.

Soorya’s product range includes the numerous selection of 14 incense sticks ranging to 14 different variants, the familiar aroma of Soorya perfume sticks wafting through the ornate houses of worship, Soorya candles and Sun toothpicks.

All these products are have been recognized for its superior in quality, safety and proven to be consumer friendly.

A growing concern and fear among most people today is the timely planning retirement for their elderly parents. A Money Plus account from expert financial planner NDB Wealth will help them spend their retirement stress-free.

Planning for the retired parents’ future, is just a very small way of paying them back for all they have done for you.

With the help of NDB Wealth’s expert Financial Advisors, setting up a regular monthly income has never been simpler. All you need to do is, deposit or save a lump sum in Money Plus account. This will provide a convenient and uncomplicated monthly cash flow or a regular monthly income for your parents.

“At NDB Wealth we understand the needs of our clients. Our financial advisors have the expert knowledge required to provide you with the best fit options that your elderly parents as well as you can benefit from in the long term. In the event of any emergency, we offer the added flexibility of allowing you to withdraw the money at any time without any penalty,” commented Nadun Pathirana, Head of Retail Sales.

Money Plus from NDB Wealth with the current yield of 7.10% per annum as at September 17, is ideal for busy children or guardians who are unable to keep track of the regular fund availability for their elders. The income is credited daily to the elder’s Money Plus account granting them the much needed financial freedom.

NDB Wealth is a fully owned subsidiary of the NDB Bank, one of the fastest growing financial services conglomerates in Sri Lanka, with the strategic mission to be the leader in the financial services sector.

Sri Lanka’s leading financial services provider HNB Finance Plc., recently rewarded the winners of their unique and interactive ‘Ape Gedara Avurudu’ digital portal, launched in celebration of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year.

The ‘Ape Gedara Avurudu’ platform was initiated with avision to lift the spirits of andgive all Sri Lankans the opportunity to compete in traditional Avurudu folk games and rasa pena contests, while they were confined to their homes due to the pandemic-induced, country-wide lockdown.

“The’Ape Gedara Avurudu’ digital platform was launched with the primary vision of lifting the spirits of all Sri Lankans as they were forced to celebrate the New Year while confined to their homes during the country-wide lockdown.

The pandemic shed light on numerous spheres of society’s needs, particularly the need for rapid digital adaption. As an institution that possesses a firm track record of fearless innovation, we have designated this year as being crucial to our complete migration into a digital era. We will continue to invest in initiatives such as this and refine ourfinancial product and service portfolio in order to surpass customer expectations. We have no doubt our new direction will elevate the speed, capacity and cost-effectiveness of our service delivery to support the dreams of millions across the country.” stated HNB Finance Plc Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Chaminda Prabhath.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, HNB Finance has been on a continuous trajectory to re-energise its business operations, from a streamlined workflow to efficient people management.

HNB Finance Plc was established in the year 2000 and is licensed as a registered Finance Company by the Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

Recognising the value of offering initiatives for the advancement of their respective members to engage in and gain opportunities for further growth, ACCA (The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) recently signed an MoU with the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors (SLID).

SLID was initially launched to serve the corporate needs of the current and future directors both in the private and public sector organizations and continue to be the authoritative focal point on boardroom governance in Sri Lanka.

ACCA, as the global body for professional accountants, has always believed that accountants bring value to economies in all stages of development and seek to develop capacity in the profession and encourage the adoption of global standards. As such, ACCA believes in initiating synergies that will add value and create new opportunities for both their members and students.

Hence, the recent MoU signed entails in both ACCA and SLID engaging in learning and development activities and work collaboratively to offer opportunities amongst the members of both associations and capacity building initiatives.

Head of ACCA Sri Lanka, stated “ACCA Sri Lanka is very happy to collaborate with SLID who holds a unique position as stewards of working with public and private companies to maintain professionalism, governance and ethics in the board room, all of which are ideals that ACCA has always inculcated in their members and students. Therefore we’re delighted to be working with SLID through this MOU and look forward to our future collaborations together “.

The Chairman for SLID Rasakantha Rasiah endorsed “ We are delighted to partner ACCA as our goals are complementary. We propagate Corporate Governance and train directors and “would be” directors while ACCA train school leavers and graduates in professional accountancy, which is a stepping stone to board positions. This symbolic partnership would be of immense help to both Institutes to update methodology of training to keep abreast of the rapidly advancing business world which also provides a complete spectrum of training from post-school leaving to board positions in organisations.”

ACCA supports both public and private sectors and the current MOU with SLID is a part of ACCA’s initiatives in building a sustainable profession amongst businesses in the countryand to develop the profession for the next generation.

Sampath Sofa Manufacturing Company Dibbadda Panandura has presented the Gold award in the Wood and Wood-based Products category at the Industrial Development Board of Ceylon (IDB) organized annual awards ceremony for the SME sector recently.

The best SMIs were selected from among the industrialists participating in the competitions at district, provincial and national level, in several categories and Sri Lanka’s leading Sofa manufacturer and supplier Sampath Sofa Manufacturing was presented with a Gold award in the Wood and Wood-based Products category.

Chairman Managing Director, Sampath Sofa, Sampath Fonseka said that beginning from stitching cushion covers and supplying it to Arpico Super a decade ago, he developed his business to become the number and Sofa manufacture in Sri Lanka accounting to nearly 80% of Sofas sold in all leading furniture Department stores in Sri Lanka.

Today he has over 150 employees and has also set up his wood production facility to manufacture other furniture as well He said that Sampath Sofa is also now moving into the apartment market supplier as they can make sofas to particular sizes and designs provided by architects. “I also export my products to several countries including Australia and hope to increase my export business after COVID-19”.

Litro Gas has pioneered a national endeavour in offering value and economic benefit to the customer by introducing different product segments.

“As a responsible state-owned enterprise (SOE) with a national obligation to provide clean cooking energy for 6 million Sri Lankan households, we are in alignment with H.E The President’s vision ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour’ ( Saubhagye Dakma) which focuses on a unified national economic policy benefitting present and future generations. A part of which is managing the cost of living factors whenever possible” said Anil Koswatte, Chairman & CEO, Litro Gas Lanka Ltd. &Litro Gas Terminal Lanka (Pvt) Limited.

The new segments have been named in five categories and are available as Litro Regular (12.5kg), Litro Budget (5kg), Litro Buddy (2.3kg), Litro Mega (37.5kg) and Litro Bulk (1MT). These are under the Maximum retail price (Western Province Colombo, Kalutara and Gampaha).

“Litro Gas has always been driven by a passion for service excellence that is reflected in every aspect of our product offering. Our ability to understand and respond to changing customer needs while offering them a tangible economic benefit is a critical factor that defines our mode of operations as a state-owned enterprise (SOE) with unique corporate culture and an operating system”, says Janaka Pathirathna, Director Sales and Marketing/Corporate Affairs at Litro Gas Lanka Ltd.

As Sri Lanka’s industry leader in LPG with a 75% market share, Litro Gas reinforces their role as the national provider of clean cooking energy to Sri Lanka. The Company generates a turnover of Rs. 45 billion and is firmly focused on playing a lead role in Sri Lanka’s quest to seek new dimensions in the oil and gas industry.

The Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) recently conducted a tailor-made workshop for the sales and medical delegates of Indoscan (Pvt) Limited, a leading importer and distributor of pharmaceutical products.

The exclusive training programme was conducted by Dr Pradeep Edward, an eminent Marketer who possesses extensive experience in the medical and pharmaceutical industry. This in-house training programme was focused on three key areas; closing sales, improving negotiation skills, and bringing out the potential of the participants.

Roshan Fernando

The Restart Sri Lanka initiative was introduced under the auspices of Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa. Accordingly, SLIM has conducted a series of tailor-made training programmes and workshops of this type to empower the corporates and local SMEs.

Commenting on the workshop, Ananda Samarasinghe, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Indoscan (Pvt) Ltd said, “I would like to extend my gratitude to SLIM for conducting this special in-house training programme for our team members. Since SLIM is the national body for marketing, we always rely on the exceptional training programmes curated and carried out by SLIM, which have proven to be effective in igniting the true potential of the attendees. This programme imparted exceptional skills in selling to our employees and equipped them to employ those skills in a practical environment by thinking differently and being proactive. The staff were extremely satisfied with the training conducted by Dr Pradeep Edward”.

“As the apex marketing body in Sri Lanka, SLIM is always focused on uplifting the local marketing fraternity. We aim to strengthen the sales and marketing teams of corporates by conducting tailor-made training programmes that fulfil their unique training needs. We have an edge in providing training programmes to the pharmaceutical industry as SLIM is also the conducting body of the Certificate in Pharmaceutical Marketing, which is the only professional course in Sri Lanka that covers Anatomy, Psychology, Marketing and Management”, stated Roshan Fernando, President, SLIM.

Commenting on the programme SLIM Vice President Nuwan Gamage said, “The corporate solutions offered by SLIM have become much sought-after among corporates and they always send their employees to SLIM to sharpen their professional skills and enhance knowledge on sales and marketing. We offer a wide array of customised corporate solutions to address the needs of various professional groups. SLIM never compromises with the quality of its education. We hope more companies will join hands with SLIM to train their staff’’.

Sharing his thoughts, Sanath Senanayake, Chief Executive Officer / Executive Director, SLIM said, “Although most training fails to connect its content to actual on-the-job application, SLIM is always focused on bridging the skills transfer gap. Corporate training is a critical part of any company’s ability to continuously transform and compete in today’s business environment.”

Sampath Bank PLC announced the elevation of Rushanka Silva as Deputy Chairman(Non-Independent, Non-Executive Director) and Deshal De Mel as Senior Independent Director with immediate effect. The Bank also announced the appointment of Keshini Jayawardenaas Non-Executive, Independent Director with effect from 01 October 2020.

A dedicated professional with a background in Management Accounting, Marketing and Sales, Rushanka brings with him experiences from across a diverse range of industries. He has been serving as a Non-Independent, Non-Executive Director of Sampath Bank PLC since 01 September 2017. He has been actively engaged with and contributing to the Strategic Planning, Credit, Marketing, Treasury, Nomination, Capital Planning, Shareholder Relations and IT functions at the Bank in this role.

Rushanka is also the Managing Director of Indra Traders (Pvt) Ltd and serves as Deputy Chairman of Siyapatha Finance PLC; Non-Executive Director of Sampath Centre Limited, Indra Motor Spares (Pvt) Ltd, and Indra Property Development (Pvt) Ltd and Chairman of Braybrooke Residential Properties (Pvt) Ltd, Braybrooke Residential Towers (Pvt) Ltd and Indra Hotels and Resorts Kandy (Pvt) Ltd.

Deshal is an eminent Economist and was recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2019. He had served on the Board of Directors of Sampath Bank PLC as a Non-Executive Directorfrom2012to 2017. He re-joined the Bank’s Board on 26 September 2019 as an Independent, Non-Executive Director and has been involved with Nomination, Related Party Transactions Reviewing, Human Resources and Remuneration, ShareholderRelations, Treasury, Marketing, Audit, Risk Management and Strategic Planning.

Keshini counts over 28 years of experience in Banking and Finance. She was previously attached to Nations Trust Bank PLC where she served as Chief Operations Officer from 2015 to 2016; Deputy General Manager – Retail and SME Banking from 2011 to 2014 and Deputy General Manager – Leasing and Factoring for 2006 to 2011. Before that, she was part of HSBC Sri Lanka’s leadership team for 18 years where she last held the position of Head of Operations. She is a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales.

She currently serves as an Associate Consultant at Bridge Partnership and The Centre for Inclusive Leadership, both UK-based consultancies with offices around the world. She is also associated with UK-based boutique consultancy, KinetikSolutions. She holds a BSc. (Econ) from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Sampath Bank PLC’s Board of Directors becomes further well rounded with these appointments, counting members with expertise from a wide array of sectors and disciplines.

Their diverse mix of backgrounds,learnings and experiences is set to power the Bank to deliver greater value to all its stakeholders as it embarks on the next phase of its growth journey.

People’s Bank’s Chairman Sujeewa Rajapakse and its Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Ranjith Kodituwakku recently felicitated the Bank’s team responsible for its recent “Best in Sri Lanka Grand Award Win”, at the International ARC Awards for its 2019 Annual Report titled “Frontier”.

The Bank bagged Five (5) other awards which included Two (2) Gold and Three (3) Silver.

The ARC Awards is the largest Annual Report competition in the world and one considered by the financial community as the Academy Awards for annual reports having spanned for over 30 years. The contest attracts numerous entrants from around the globe covering corporate and organizations from diverse sectors and those of varying nature and scope.

Commenting on the win People’s Bank’s Chairman Sujeewa Rajapakse stated that, “The Grand Award win is a first for People’s Bank. To be amongst the Top 50 Grand Award Winners in the World from over 1,690 submissions across 29 plus countries following a multi-tiered independent evaluation process by a panel of over 30 distinguished judges - is indeed heartfelt and a source of great pride. A visually engaging, and an all-encompassing, the annual report serves as an important reminder of our successes whilst navigating through challenging times and other limiting circumstances.”

“As a State Institution, we have demonstrated that our reporting framework is not just in line with best practices but one of an award-winning international standing and so is our team responsible. I join my colleagues on the Board of Directors, to extend our sincere appreciation and warmest best wishes to the entire Finance Team of People’s Bank for this remarkable achievement. At People’s Bank, we fully appreciate that our employees are undoubtedly our most treasured asset”

Commenting, People’s Bank Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Ranjith Kodituwakku said, “The win also serves as ample testimony to our unrelenting drive to provide a three-sixty degrees view for the benefit of all our stakeholders covering all aspects of business operations both from a quantitative and qualitative perspective. Stakeholder engagement remains core to our corporate activities, and the Integrated Annual Report serves as a vital tool for this purpose. Efforts of our entire Finance team much valued. Looking ahead, with a commitment to continuously enhance all aspects of our business operations, we look forward to the future with a great degree of optimism”

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce will be organizing the 20th Sri Lanka Economic Summit (SLES) on December 1 and 2, 2020 at the Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo.

This will be the 20th consecutive year the Chamber is organizing the country’s foremost economic event. The theme of the Summit is ‘Roadmap for Take-Off: Driving a People-Centric Economic Revival’. The Economic Summit last year focused on ‘Recalibrating Sri Lanka’s Economic Trajectory Towards 2025 (RE-SET 2025) and had over 450 participants from across a wide spectrum of professions, which included corporate leaders, diplomats, academia, scholars, and senior government officials.

Central Bank of Sri Lanka, has released the “Sri Lanka Socio Economic Data – 2020”, the annually published data folder and is now available for public information.

The current data folder is the 43rd volume of the series.

The publication is available online.

A Tea Factory Learning Center was opened at the National Institute of Plantations Management (NIPM) by State Minister of Company Estate Reforms, Tea Estate Related Crops, Tea Factory Modernization and Tea Export Promotion, Kanaka Herath and Minister of Export Agriculture, Ramesh Pathirana recently.

The aim of the learning center is to enhance the practical knowledge of the students undergoing educational courses at NIPM which is under certain conditions is not fulfilled by the industry internships provided to the students at present during the course period. Thus with the opening of the new learning center a change to the course curriculum is expected.

“It is crucial to encourage entrepreneurship within the plantation sector to boost up the economy,” Minister of Plantation, Ramesh Pathirana said. And all the necessary support will be provided by the government to develop the education curriculum at NIPM which plays a vital role in providing good educated man power to the plantation industry.

Speaking at the event, State Minister of Company Estate Reforms, Tea Estate Related Crops, Tea Factory Modernization and Tea Export Promotion, Kanaka Herath said that a proposal should be made to establish one center to coordinate all the different courses provided by different institutions in the Plantation sector. “Equally it is important that such a responsibility should be given to NIPM,” he added.

Director / Chief Executive Officer, NIPM, Prasad Dharmasena said that this is only the first stage and they hope to expand the learning center to accommodate basic machineries needed by the Rubber and Coconut plantations in the near future as stages two and three. Thus a complete learning center will be established for the students to get a complete practical knowledge along with the theoretical parts learned.

The constructed tea factory learning center has a capacity of 300 green leaf kilos where the total investment for the project was handled by the NIPM itself which was approximately 24 million rupees. The learning center would also pave the way for students to carry out research projects related to the tea plantation sector. At present only the basic machinery needed by the tea plantation industry is available where more required machinery will be added later on.

The Government’s aim is to transform Sri Lanka as the busiest shipping base in the world helping to get a better contribution from it to the countries’ GDP, said Foreign Affairs Ministry Secretary, Prof. Admiral Jayanath Colombage.

Speaking at the World Maritime Day ceremony held in Colombo under the theme of this year’s event was ‘Sustainable Shipping for a Sustainable Planet’ at Cinnamon Lake he said that currently 72% of energy, 50% of containers and 35% of bulk cargo are transported across the Indian Ocean.

“As we know the Indian Ocean is the number one ocean for sea transportation and Sri Lanka could reap huge economic benefits through it in the future and the government is working towards this.”

The event was organized by IMO Goodwill Maritime Ambassador and the Vice President (Global) of the Nautical Institute, UK, Capt, Nish Wijayakulathilaka and was sponsored by Akalanka Ratnayake, Director International Marine services (Pvt) Ltd.

Prof. Colombage also said that the Sri Lankan Environment Protection Authority on Friday focused special attention towards the destruction caused by the Crude Oil Tanker MT New Diamond to the country’s sea environment and highlighted that investigation in this regard is still being carried out by relevant authorities.

He said the incident happened in the Indian Ocean and Sri Lanka is also in a strategic location in the Indian Ocean and the S Government has also taken important steps in this regard and discussions are currently going on.

A panel comprising a number of environmental researchers and environmental experts from universities including Dr. Leslie Hemachandra, Dr. Dan Malika Gunasekara, Eng. Saman Kumarasinghe and Prof. Nalaka Jayakodi also expressed views on the damage caused to the Lankan sea environment following a sudden fire which originated in the Crude Oil Tanker MT New Diamond.

The panel also highlighted the current situation and other relevant details of the environmental damage caused by the Crude Oil Tanker MT New Diamond. “We will also inform on what steps should be taken in this regard to be forwarded to the Attorney General for necessary action,” the panel members said.

IMO Goodwill Maritime Ambassador, Capt. Nish Wijayakulathilaka highlighted the importance of celebrating the `World Maritime Day’ and said the objective of holding this event was to increase the awareness on the importance of shipping safety, maritime security and the marine environment.

The Colombo Tea Traders’ Association( CTTA) with the support of the Brokers’ Association worked tirelessly to conduct the first ever e-Auction being held from April 4 to 7, facilitated by a digital platform, CTTA Chairman Jayantha Karunaratne told its 126th AGM held in Colombo on Friday.

“This enabled the industry to continue the uninterrupted movement of teas, mitigating the cash flow challenges faced by both the buyers and the sellers and ensured that the wheels of the industry recommenced its forward movement,” he said.

The Chairman who is also the – Founder, Chairman and Managing Director of Imperial Teas Group said that the adoption of the ‘Ceylon Tea Road Map 2030’ was conceived through the determination that the industry should guide its own destiny, with the compelling objective of enhancing the image and value of Ceylon Tea in the context of all stakeholders.

Its strategies were developed to be steered in implementation through four dynamic initiatives, namely, Quality and Processing, Sustainability, Branding and Marketing, and Research and Development, and with the ultimate goals of increasing production to 350 million kgs, increasing export earnings to US$.3 billion and increasing, by twofold, the real earnings of estate employees and small-holders.

He said that there was unanimity that the gradual transformation of the Tea Industry from a fundamental primary agricultural programme to a sophisticated industrial enterprise is indispensable for dynamic progress and it was decided that the next Colombo International Tea Convention should be held in 2021.

The Chairman thanked the Minister and the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tea Board for temporarily suspending the collection of the Promotion and Marketing Levy with effect from July 2020. “The trade is encouraged that it has now been decided to reduce the levy to Rs.3 per kg., of which Rs.1.50 will accrue to the Promotional and Marketing Fund, while the balance will be granted to producers to enhance replanting,” he said.

The Chairman also cautioned over concerns raised regarding the lack of progress in the registration of the Geographical Indication (GI) of Ceylon Tea. This initiative, which commenced over 15 years ago, is driven by the Sri Lanka Tea Board and has encountered many impediments, he said. (MFJ)

Creating aviation history in Sri Lanka a consortium of local and foreign investors would be launching what would be the country’s first comprehensive airline owned by the private sector. It will be named Spark Air.

Head of Safety Management System, Capt. Uditha Danwatte said that they have already inked agreements to acquire two A 330 aircrafts for the operation which is expected to take wings in early February 2021 after receiving IATA approval.

Outlining their plans he said that they will be initially launching flights to Asia and Europe mainly targeting cargo since passenger operations are too early to commence due to the COVID pandemic. “Spark Air will have some technical modification of their aircraft to increase cargo facility.”

“We have identified 15 international destinations to be included in our radar which include Los Angeles. When the pandemic settles we plan to operate as a full service airline mainly targeting new destinations that are currently not serviced from Colombo.”

He said that the management plans to take the two aircraft on dry lease since over 350 pilots and thousands of experienced airline crew are grounded due to COVID. “Similarly the management thought that this is also the best time to go in for airline leases since the conditions are very favorable.”

Spark Air will be basing their hub in Mattala Rajapaksa Airport and have already taken space for two hangers and for a cargo storage facility. “We plan to start recruitment by December and will be opening out our sales office in Colombo in January.”

A former pilot of the Sri Lanka Air Force with many bravery medals to his credit and then served SriLankan and Mihin Lanka he said that he was disappointed in the manner in which Mihin Lanka was shut down when it showed signs of turning around. “Similarly it was a very imprudent move to pull out Sri Lankan from profit making routes in Europe since most of these flights were operating with nearly 99% seat factor.”

Having joined Air Asia after the shutdown of Mihin Lanka he said that it was sad to see so many planes grounded due to the covid pandemic all over the world.

Danwatte together with his son, created aviation history by flying an Air Asia flight to Sri Lanka becoming the only father and son pilot combination to fly a foreign flag carrier to Colombo and back to Kuala Lumpur.

He said that the responsible and supporting manner in which the Airport Aviation supported them was very encouraging and the management had confidence that the new government would maintain longer investment policies. “Due to this, we will go ahead with opening a MRO (Airline repairing facility) in MRIA generating over 500 employment opportunities. This too will take off next year.”

Copper Lamp, a home-based online vegetarian food service provider, opened its restaurant at Hotel Road, Mount Lavinia, recently. The restaurant is open seven days a week, for lunch and dinner.

Founder, Simeon Lawrence, together with his brother who is a Chef thought the best time is to plan out the opening of “Copper Lamp” was during the COVID lockdown.

The duo who has worked in many destinations and tasted a variety of cuisine across the globe decided to implement some of those food escapades to Lanka.

“I have traveled extensively and one of my must-dos is to explore the cuisines and see how I can cooperate it in Lanka.”

During the lockdown, Lawrence and his team had carried out delivering vegetarian Thai meals and there were many requests from people to open a restaurant, “I found a location close to my house in Mount, and within two months converted the concept of a French roadside restaurant with a Sri Lankan touch. We have been in operation for two months, and it has been reasonably and profitably busy, yet we have more to do and much to offer”. Copper Lamp’s name was inspired by another favorite restaurant chain in India of Lawrence.

“We have only taken the Chopper from the restaurant and added Lamp.”

Copper Lamp is now planning to introduce more food and beverages. The restaurant has joined Pick Me and Uber Eats to extend its services to Wellawatte.