Additional three months grace period for the low-interest COVID-19 business revival loans

The entrepreneurs who obtained the low-interest government loan to revive businesses affected by COVID-19 can now apply to Central Bank of Sri Lanka for an extension up to nine months to pay back the loan. 

The interest for this loan was 4% and the recipients were given 24 months to payback. The government previously offered six months grace period and now the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has agreed to provide three more months as a grace period. The businesses affected by the impact of the second wave of COVID-19 can submit a written request to Central Bank via the bank they obtained the loan to get this facility. 

Holding GCE Advanced Level examination in Sri Lanka amidst COVID-19 is a victory

Sri Lanka Minister of Education Prof. G.L. Peiris said that holding GCE Advanced Level examination amidst COVID-19 was a victory.

The  Minister said that six candidates were found positive for coronavirus by the beginning of the examination. Within three weeks, the number increased to 29. The number of candidates who were sent for quarantine was 568. Invigilators had to be replaced due to the virus. 

Examination Commissioner Sanath Pujitha said that the decision rearding evaluation of the examination will be taken two weeks later under the guidelimes of the health authorities.

Four COVID-19 deaths today; prioritize people's problems, not other things - Sri Lanka opposition

Sri Lanka's major opposition Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) accused that the government was trying to quit from the responsibility of COVID-19 pushing the people into trouble while four deaths had been reported today by the time the press conference was held. 

Addressing a press conference held today SJB Puttalm district MP Hector Appuhamy questioned what the government could deliver to the people with the 20th amendment to the constitution now. Accusing the government of giving up control of COVID-19, the SJB MP questioned what had the government done to the COVID-19 fund, including over 120 million dollar World Bank grant. 

He said that the government was not helping the people who were under quarantine as promised to give them a Rs. 10,000 worth pack of food commodities.    

He also stated that the SJB was suspicious over the involvement of Brandix company with the second wave of COVID-19. Appuhamy said that the owner of the company had funded the present government during the election campaign and the investigation on Brandix was delaying despite the Attorney General's orders. 

Appuhamy said that they had suspicion over holding the Lanka Premier League (LPL 2020) cricket tournament at this moment. 

SJB demanded the government to prioritize people's problems worsened by COVID-19 instead of other political programmes like bringing Basil Rajapaksa to parliament and celebrating the government's and ruling party's anniversaries.

2020 university entrance method wrong; rectify immediately - Socialist Students' Union

Socialist Student Union (SSU) says that students who faced GCE Advanced Level examination in 2019 face a severe injustice. The reason is that the university entrance is scheduled without taking actions to maximise the opportunities for the students for university entrance. 

The results, z-scores and ranks are lined up according to the new syllabus and old syllabus. The examination was held on both old and new syllabuses in 2019.

Rangana Lakmal Deshapriya of SSU pointed out that they had been discussing the crisis with the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the educational authorities for more than seven months. He said they urged the UGC to announce the number of students to be enrolled. People's Liberation Front (JVP) MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake raised a question in the parliament about this on 18th February 2020. 

However, UGC was telling that they would base on a Supreme Court judgment delivered in 2012. Rangana Lakmal Deshapriya pointed out that the judgment is relevant to the case SCFR/29/2012 which was filed on similar ground. 

SSU said that UGC gave z-score under one system and two fundamental right petitions were filed against it. SCFR/29/2012 judgment was delivered accordingly. In that, only the method of z-score calculation was discussed. After that, the education authorities prepared z-scores separately and lined them up together.

However, eight petitions were filed by over 100 students against this decision. The way the lining up and selection were discussed in this case and a settlement was reached to line up the new syllabus and old syllabus separately. UGC proposed four ways of enrollment and it was agreed to give maximum benefit to the student. Accordingly, UGC maximised the university intake to minimise the injustice to the students.

According to the settlement related to SCFR408/12 case, eventually, the enrollment was increased by26%. University admission was increased from 21,500 to 27,100 by enrolling 5,600 more students. The students were given an opportunity to sit for the examination for the fourth time as well. The universities could afford the increased intake. "For example, the intake for medicine was 1175 and it was increased by another158 students. It was an increase of 15%. Ironically, although the UGC that was complaining about the facilities for the students, later enrolled more than 50 students to state medical faculties for paid education," said Rangana Lakmal Deshapriya of SSU. 

However, the settlement arrived at the second instance in 2012 has not been considered by UGC in 2020. 

SSU said that the judgment of SCFR/29/2012 is not relevant to UGC because it is on the way the z-score is calculated. Instead, UGC must consider the settlement arrived at the case SCFR408/12 and schedule university entrance accordingly.   

SSU pointed out that the UGC had not announced the quota of student enrollment for universities in 2020. Therefore, the students had expectations based on the results of the students in previous years. Some lost opportunity and some lost the expected course. Some did not apply for other courses because they had expected they would be selected to particular courses, according to their result. Also, the students lost the hopes to enrol in higher rank universities. Z-score is relevant to the selection of subjects after the entrance too. The students who lost opportunity for university entrance missed the chance to apply for the other higher education courses like NDT and HNDE.  

After 14 months, now, their hopes are shattered due to the UGC action. Therefore, SSU demanded the government and the UGC to implement the agreement arrived at the Supreme Court in 2012 in relation to case SCFR/408/12 without further wasting their time. 

SSU further challenged the UGC to release the statistics on the enrollment and prove that their method of enrollment is right. 

"Grant a solution based on the settlement in 2011 using a method to maximise the enrollment on the basis of district ranks and island ranks," Rangana Lakmal Deshapriya of SSU urged the government. 

Police pays Rs. 200,000 damage to a tortured man in Anuradhapura

Supreme Court of Sri Lanka recently ordered the Inspector General of Police to pay the damage of Rs. 100,000 to a young man as compensation for violating his human rights by brutally assaulting and breaking an arm after taking him into custody on 25 September 2013. 

Two other police officers, the former Headquarters Inspector of Anuradhapura police station and a Sub Inspector were ordered to Rs. 50,000 each personally to the victim. These two police officers had assaulted the victim, broken bones in his shoulder and threatened to kill him and to arrest his family if he revealed facts about torture.

The bench of three judges of Supreme Court comprised of Buwaneka Aluvihare, Murdu Fernando and S.S. Thurairajah decided that the plaintiff's human rights under section 11 of the constitution have been violated. 

Counsel Thanuka Nandasiri appeared for the plaintiff. 

(Source: Lankadeepa Sinhala newspaper 5-11-2020)

COVID-19 under control; Sri Lanka to lift curfew with strict health guidelines

Sri Lanka government is planning to follow strict measures to control the spread of COVID-19 after withdrawing the curfew imposed in the Western Province since next Monday.

These measures include more PCR tests, tracing contacts, self-quarantining, transport management and following strict health measures at workplaces and businesses. 

Army Commander Shavendra Silva said that the situation is under control and the majority of the new cases are identified from the people who are already under quarantine.

However, an increase in patients and deaths are also expected. Around 6,000 confirmed cases are treated in hospitals while around 450 are under investigations in hospitals. Five deaths occurred on 6 November 2020 bringing the total number of deaths to 29.

About 84,000 persons are under self-quarantine in 31,457 houses islandwide. In Western Province 40,676 belong to 13,911 families are currently undergoing self-quarantine, as revealed at the daily meeting of Presidential Task Force on COVID – 19 Prevention held at the Presidential Secretariat on 6th November. 

The public transport buses, trains and trishaws will have to keep a distance between seated passengers. For instance, buses require to be disinfected before the start of the trip and hand sanitizer must be available at both doors. Only one passenger must be seated on a double seat. 

Bus owners' associations have demanded a fare increase but the Ministry of Transport has demanded them to first build up the trust among the public that they are following health guidelines.

The government opened more treatment centres and for instance, two Colleges of Education, Pasdunrata and Dharga Town, in Kalutara district were converted to corona treatment centres. 

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said that he had instructed officials to strictly monitor the self-quarantine process now underway to contain the spread of COVID-19 virus even after curfew is lifted. The government will focus special attention to close associates and the areas they belong to in the event infected persons found in the community, and if necessary, the authorities are advised to declare those areas as isolated.

Presidential Task Force on COVID – 19 Prevention discussed the situation in flats and estates in length. 

The government decided to restrict the economic centres to the wholesale trade only. The trade activities should continue while strictly adhering to health guidelines and continuously conducting PCR tests. There is no need to obtain curfew passes for lorries transporting essential goods such as vegetables and fruits between districts. 

The President's office says that every step has been taken to continue operations at the Free Trade Zone in Katunayaka. Random and continuous PCR tests will be carried out in the trade zone under the supervision of the Ministry of Health and Sri Lanka Navy with the assistance of private hospitals.

The Health Ministry demanded the patients of other diseases not to avoid coming to hospitals in fear of COVID-19. Some COVID-19 deaths identified recently had taken place at home. The patients had not been admitted to hospitals before death. 

Gammanpila's statement wrong; employers must pay full salary in October - Anton Marcus

Sri Lanka's Free Trade Zones & General Services Employees Union secretary Anton Marcus said that the attempt of some employers of the private sector to cut the October salary of the employees was illegal. 

Marcus said that he had received complaints from the employees that some companies had decided to pay either Rs. 14,500 or the half-month salary if it was higher than Rs. 14,500. The decision is based on the tripartite agreement reached among the government, employers and the employees' unions.  

Marcus said that the present move is based on the confusion created by cabinet co-spokesman Udaya Gammanpila who said on October 27 that the cabinet had decided to extend the tripartite agreement until December. 

The trade union leader emphasized that the tripartite task force met on October 12 and decided to extend this agreement only regarding the tourist sector. Other sectors like free trade zone companies are not bound by this agreement. Therefore, the employers must pay the full salary to the workers in case they have asked the employees not to report to work due to curfew, Marcus said. 

If any company wants to pay salaries according to the tripartite agreement, they have to obtain the written permission of the Labour Commissioner-General, Anton Marcus says.