By Saman Indrajith
Chief Opposition Whip Kandy District MP Lakshman Kiriella told Parliament yesterday that MP Ranjan Ramanayake had not criticised all members of the judiciary when he stated that some judges were corrupt.
“Everybody has the right to criticise a judgment in or outside Parliament. I remember when the Supreme Court decided to sentence S. B. Dissanayake to jail, spoke about that judgment in TV talk shows. One could criticise a judgment but can never say that judges are taking bribes. Ranjan Ramanayake’s sentence is a severe punishment and not proportionate to the offence he is said to have committed. For example, three months ago a judge in India levelled accusations against that country’s Chief Justice and said that the latter was corrupt. What was the punishment imposed on the former? He was fined one rupee. He declined to pay that rupee. Now, the matter has been postponed.
Minister of Agriculture Mahindananda Aluthgamage says that a National Agriculture policy would be formulated within the next three months.
The Agriculture Ministry has, in a media statement, said that an expert committee appointed to formulate a National Agriculture Policy met for the first time on Saturday (18) at the Gannoruwa Horticultural Crops Research Institute.
The 13-member committee consists of experts in various fields, including experts in the field of agriculture. The committee is chaired by Dr. Ajantha de Silva, Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture.
Its other members are: Director General of Agriculture Dr. W.M.W. Weerakoon, Agrarian Development Commissioner General W.M.M.B. Weerasekara, Sabaragamuwa University Professor P.I. Yapa, Senior Professor Buddhi Marambe, University of Peradeniya, Prof. Palitha Weerakkody, Vice Chancellor of Wayamba University, Prof. Udith K. Jayasinghe, University of Peradeniya, Professor M.B. Rathnathilaka, Dr. B.V.R. Punyawa
Sat, Dec 19, 2020, 11:30 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka. Dec 19, Colombo: The expert committee appointed to formulate a National Agriculture Policy met for the first time Saturday (18) at the Gannoruwa Horticultural Crops Research Institute. It was presided over by the Minister of Agriculture Mahindananda Aluthgamage.
The 13-member committee consists of experts in various fields, including experts in the field of agriculture. The committee is chaired by Dr. Ajantha de Silva, Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture.
Director General of Agriculture Dr. W.M.W. Weerakoon, Agrarian Development Commissioner General W.M.M.B. Weerasekara,
Sabaragamuwa University Professor P.I. Yapa, Senior Professor Buddhi Marambe, University of Peradeniya, Prof. Palitha Weerakkody, Vice Chancellor of Wayamba University Prof. Udith K. Jayasinghe, University of Peradeniya Professor MB. Rathnathilaka, Dr. B.V.R. Punyawardena, Dr. D.S. Kuruppuarachchi, Dr. Yasintha Mapatuna and