Quick Look

Nine re-elected, 12 defeated

Wadduwa special corr.

Nine sitting members of the Western Provincial Council were re-elected to the Provincial Council while nine members were defeated in the Kalutara District. Former Chief Minister Reginald Cooray, Ranjith Somawansa, Nimal Chandraratna, Jagath Angage, Chandrabahnu Adikaram, Sumith Lal Mendis and Chandrasiri Karunaratna of the UPFA were elected again.

Former UNP members Palitha Thewarapperuma and Kithsiri Kahatapitiya, were re-elected, while A.M. Yusuf, Sirima Kariyawasam and Jayantha Abeygunawardena and Sujith Cooray were defeated. Anil Kumara Wijesingha who was a UNP member of the Provincial Council who contested from the UPFA was defeated. Seven JVP members were also defeated.

May Day rally

The Socialist People’s Alliance Party, Trade Unions and other related organisations will hold their May Day Rally at Nuwara Eliya Co-operative hall on May 1, at 10.00 a.m. under the chairmanship of Attorney-at-Law A.P. Kanapathi Pillai.

The main theme this time is socialist forces in up country unite and fight for workers’ rights and against imperialist globalisation. Guest speakers at the rally are O.A. Ramiah, Menaka Kandasamy, S. Jhothi, A. Muthulingam, S. Velautham and others.

Insurance scheme for East subsidiary crops

A new insurance scheme has been introduced for subsidiary crops grown in the east under the Negenahira Navodaya program by the Agricultural Insurance Board.

This is in addition to the insurance cover offered for maize cultivation, said Board Chairman Mervyn Gunasekera. He said this new insurance scheme will cover farmers cultivating long beans, gingelly, meneri and undu.

On the Central Bank’s initiative, the People’s Bank, Bank of Ceylon and the Ruhunu Development Bank would provide easy loans to farmers cultivating these crops in the Yala season.

The insurance scheme would look after the settlement of these loans in times of crop failure or destruction.