Connect with us

News

Pathirana and Wijeyadasa slam corruption in printing liquor bottle stickers

Published

on

The finance ministry has no ability to curb the stealing of public money by corrupt excise officers printing and selling counterfeit foolproof stickers to liquor producers, Matara District SJB MP Buddhika Pathirana told Parliament on Thursday with Justice and Prison Reform Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe strongly backing him.Pathirana alleged that this racket in which some politicians too are involved in the racket costing the state Rs. 150 billion revenue.

“The green, blue, blue and red and maroon governments since independence have inherited a national budget deficit of Rs 2,400 billion as of now. Some individuals and groups in those governments have siphoned funds meant for development leaving a huge debt burden on the people and unborn generations,” Pathirana said.

“The liquor bottle sticker fraud is the most recent example of robbery of public money by politicians from the green and blue parties combined. The Power and Energy Minister took only couple of weeks to introduce the QR Code to regulate fuel distribution.

“When we pump 20 liters of fuel to our vehicles, we receive an SMS on our mobiles and there is a record. However, the boastful finance ministry is yet unable to control billions of rupees defrauded by corrupt politicians and some officials. They cannot stop this because the very same officials are in the racket siphoning tax revenue.

“The QR code printed on liquor bottle stickers cannot be read by QR scanners. Excise Department officials are involved in this racket of selling counterfeit stickers. Recently an arrest was made and a stock of counterfeit stickers found. But the Excise officers let the crooks get off with a spot fine.

Printing these counterfeit stickers is a scam similar to printing counterfeit currency notes. The only MP from the government ranks who opposed this was Justice and Prison Reforms Minister Wijayadasa Rajapakshe.”

Minister Rajapakshe: The printer of these stickers known as Madras Security Printing Company is blacklisted in many countries. I filed a case before the Court of Appeal against giving the contract to this company. However, the court decision was not in our favour. Now the company is printing stickers and selling them to the Lankan government and to other parties.

MP Pathirana: The officer junta involved in this racket is strong and powerful. The contract awarded to this company ends in a month. But the Excise Department is trying to extend it. These excise officers have been able to mislead the minister and state ministers of finance.

We have the ability to print our currency notes in Biyagama, but printing the stickers is given to India. Curse be upon responsible excise officers and their offspring for this robbery of public money. Their savings are not in Lankan banks but in the US.

Minister Rajapakshe: The reason for the introduction of this sticker was to get a correct assessment on the amount of liquor being released to the market by the liquor producers. They did not give us correct statistics. The rough idea was that the government loses around 40 billion rupees because the liquor producers do not give correct figures. To prevent this, the proposal for fool-proof stickers was made in 2017. But for printing the stickers they have selected one of the most corrupt companies in the world. Our Excise Department officers had no other company in the world but this to give the sticker contract. We now lose at least 60 billion rupees.



Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development

Published

on

The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.

The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.

While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball.  The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court.  The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country.  Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.

“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung.  “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”

Continue Reading

News

Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees

Published

on

SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.

MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.

“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.

Continue Reading

News

CIPM successfully concludes 8th Annual Symposium

Published

on

Left to right, Prof. Arosha Adikaram - Chairperson of the Symposium, UAC Obeyesekere – Chief Executive Officer, CIPM Sri Lanka, Guest of Honor - Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer, MAS Holdings PVT Ltd., Sri Lanka, Ken Vijayakumar, President, CIPM Sri Lanka, Priyantha Ranasinghe,Vice President, CIPM Sri Lanka, Col. Saman Jayawickrama (Retd) – Secretary, CIPM Sri Lanka, Dr Dilanjalee Weerathunga – Co Chairperson of the Symposium

The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.

Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.

The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.

Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.

The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.

The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.

The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.

Continue Reading

Trending