ADVERTORIAL

Mobitel empowers Jaffna city

Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel in affiliation with the Environment and Natural Resources Ministry, recently engaged in a three day CSR initiative, under the aegis of the ‘Urban City Development’ project, in an effort to uplift the Jaffna city.

Piyakaru Purawara in partnership with the Worldwide Creative Development Organization, set out to establish street name boards, direction boards and message boards across the war torn peninsula.

Piyakaru Purawara with the aim of informing and educating locals and foreigners on the roadways in Jaffna, placed name boards on streets, lanes and on the borders of every town across the northern peninsula. In addition, message boards to inform the public concerning epidemics, safety messages on minimizing road accidents and minimizing the crime rate in Jaffna were also established.

Such measures will serve to help in building and establishing a safe environment for residents and those who visit this city.

The Jaffna peninsula the northernmost region, is one of the oldest habitation sites in South Asia. Presently, Jaffna has emerged to become a popular tourist attraction and bring in foreign investment to the country. Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel, opened a branch in Jaffna earlier this year.

The branch was situated to empower the city by providing Jaffna’s communication needs and offers the whole range of services provided by Mobitel islandwide including the provision of pre-paid connections to HSPA services.

Making available 30,000 lamps:

Delmege supports ‘Safe Bottle Lamp’ project

Delmege a leading corporate supports Dr Wijaya Godakumbura’s ‘Safe Bottle Lamp’ Project.

“Delmege is conscious of the role that a corporate has to play in society and we have sponsored a variety of causes, as part of the Groups’ CSR initiative.

“We understand from Dr Godakumbura that his project is one that has saved a number of lives and his lamps have been approved by the WHO, Unicef, International Society for Burn Injuries, National Committee for Prevention of Injuries, the Sri Lanka Medical Association and many other such associations, therefore we are pleased to be associated with such a life saving project,” said Delmege Group Chairman F.G.N. Mendis.

Delmege will make available 30,000 lamps over a period, as part of their CSR initiative. “Burns are the most devastating form of injury a person could sustain, and expect to live through. Kerosene burns are extremely common in countries in Asia and Africa, such as ours where there is a widespread use of kerosene for lighting as well as cooking purposes”. Dr Godakumbura said, only 82 percent of families in Sri Lanka have electricity, while in four districts it drops to below 60 percent.

“Many people use makeshift, unsafe lamps out of burnt out bulbs, and bottles which tip over easily, causing extensive burns, which result in excruciating pain and much scarring, sometimes with blindness and loss of fingers.

Those with severe burns die. We launched our campaign in 1992 and have so far replaced 800,000 unsafe lamps with our safe lamp”, he said.

Dr Godakumbura, who is the recipient of several international awards including the Rolex Award, the Readers Digest Award and the Lindbergh Award, was also recently awarded the World Challenge Award, said “We have received a great deal of international acclaim and as a result Sri Lanka too has benefited.”

Dr Godakumbura said that the Safe Bottle Lamp Project is arguably the most internationally acclaimed Sri Lankan project and he was indebted to the Delmege Group for having volunteered to support this project.

Personal Legal Liability:

Janashakthi D and O Insurance to protect Directors

Janashakthi Insurance, one of the few insurers specialized in Sri Lanka for Directors’ and Officers’ (D and O) Liability Insurance, recently carried out a workshop with Howden Insurance Brokers, for their underwriters and top sales professionals to enable them to keep abreast with the latest developments taking place globally in D and O Insurance.

Janashakthi Directors’ and Officers’ Liability Insurance policy financially safeguards Directors and other company officials against the legal liabilities that may arise against them under the Companies Act No. 7 of 2007.

Janashakthi Insurance PLC General Manager Sales and Marketing Ravi Liyanage said, “Not only globally but in Sri Lanka too the trend of claims filed against corporate executives exposing them to potential personal liabilities for violations of laws and regulations has shown a marked increase, especially with the collapse of some major financial institutions recently.

“Some well-known business leaders and top corporate executives have lost virtually everything they had earned during their lifetime.

“Government regulatory bodies, depositors, shareholders/investors, employees, and consumer groups are more aggressively asserting their perceived rights to influence corporate decisions and business strategies.

“Business leaders are thus confronted with various risks such as hazards associated with mergers, acquisitions, public offerings, day-to-day operations.

“The Companies Act places a greater accountability on Company Directors and Officers for their decisions and never before have they faced a greater likelihood of being sued because of their decisions.”

Howden Insurance Brokers, India, is one of re-insurance broking partner of Janashakthi for Directors’ and Officers’ Liability Insurance.

Howden Insurance is part of Hyperion Insurance Group in UK. It focusses internationally on insurance solutions for business critical risks such as Directors’ and Officers’ liability, professional liability and catastrophe risks in the energy industry.

CEAT launches Saksham

To help career aspirants:

Developing personal grooming and self-confidence, two essential qualities for aspiring career builders, is the focus of a new corporate social responsibility initiative launched in Sri Lanka by CEAT, the market leading international tyre brand.

Comprising a series of CEAT sponsored training workshops for young people on the threshold of employment, the program titled Saksham (The Last mile) is modeled on the CSR initiative in India by the RPG Group, CEAT’s parent company.

The first such Saksham program to be conducted in Sri Lanka saw the participation of 38 students from the final year of the Higher National Diploma in Engineering. The program was conducted by Image Consultants Managing Director Nayana Karunarathna.

“Saksham is designed to give young talented individuals who are entering the career market the self confidence and personal grooming skills necessary to maximize their potential,” CEAT Sri Lanka Managing Director Randeep Narang said. “It has had a very positive impact in India, and has the potential to change the lives of many young and talented Sri Lankans too,” he said.

The Saksham program is the second community-well-being initiative involving young people to be launched in Sri Lanka by CEAT in the last one year. The other is a series of interactive programs in schools to inculcate the basic precepts of road safety to students, parents and school van drivers. The program which also includes the donation of customized traffic management aides to the schools has to date benefitted 26 schools and reached 8,500 students.

Maliban wins MACO Award 2010

Maliban was recognized with honorary awards in the Sales and Marketing segment at the MACO Special Award Ceremony 2010 organized recently by the Mass Communications Association of Sri Lanka at the Grand Oriental Hotel, Colombo, recently.

Vavuniya welcomes LB Finance

LB Finance opened its branch in Vavuniya last week as the 40 year-old company forges ahead with its islandwide expansion strategy. A trailblazing pioneer in the industry, the company has launched several new branches over the last year, including Trincomalee and Bandarawela, and is planning further openings in Embilipitiya and Jaffna in the coming months.

“Our main strategy right now is to aggressively expand our reach within the island,” said LB Finance Managing Director Sumith Adhihetty “We have further locations identified, including Jaffna and Embilipitiya which will be opening very soon, and we are pushing to take root in as many provinces as possible as we are committed to reaching out to the entire country,” he said. Adhihetty said that expansion to the North and the East is crucial especially during the current period of post-war recovery and growth.