Fuel price formula to be released next week

Colombo (News1st): The weekly Cabinet media briefing was held today (October 03) in Colombo during which senior journalist Suranga Senanayake questioned the ministers of the request made by the Commanding officer of the security forces in the North for the police powers to be vested in them for two days to control the criminal gangs in the area. Co Cabinet Spokesperson Minister (Dr.) Rajitha Senaratne responding to this said the Army is called when the Police is unable or incapable of doing something. When questioned whether if this meant that the government has not yet noticed what the army commander has noticed. Minister Senaratne added that the government will not deploy the Army unless it is an emergency situation. The discussion later took the topic, the current fuel price formula. If the price is increased 12 times a year, other good and services will also increase the prices in parallel to it as there are no price formulas for those. Therefore what actions will the government take in this regard. Co Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Gayantha Karunatileka stated that special attention is being focused on this matter due to the inconsiderable price increase of certain traders. He added that instructions have been given to the Cost of Living Committee to look into this and do the needful. The journalists then requested the price formula to be given to them during the next cabinet media briefing the spokesperson to the cabinet of ministers agreed to this and stated it will be given in the following week. Journalists then focused on the current economic crisis the country is going through. CABINET KEY DECISION

• Construction of Liquified Natural Gas Power Station in Hambantota – The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya to implement this 400 Mw Liquefied Natural Gas Power Station through joint venture made of Sri Lanka Electricity Board and Hambantota Power Private Limited established in Singapore.
• Formalize Preparation Methods of Public Investments –  Cabinet approval was granted to issue guidelines to be followed by the Government Institutions in the process of identifying, selecting and planning the projects and getting approval for such projects.

There is, however, a question as to why it took the government three years to take such measures on state investments.

How many people have been appointed to take necessary actions on public, private and public-private partnership investments?

How many officials including Minister Malik Samarawickrama, Deputy Minister Sujeewa Senasinghe, advisor Mangala Yapa, the board of investments, and the private-public partnership agency are working on this?

Why has the need to formalize state investment emerged suddenly?

Is this the reason why people have branded such actions as blatant lies?