Category: Industry
Sri Lanka doubles ICT workforce in four years
June 24, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s information and communications technology workforce has doubled in the past four years as the island ramps up training and investment to make the sector a key export industry. The industry aims to increase the ICT sector export earnings to a billion dollars by 2016, he said. A new […]
Big Leaks
June 24, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state water supply agency is unable to get revenue for one third of its production and the control of “excessive leakages” will improve productivity and allow it to repay loans, a finance ministry report said. The Water Board is expanding supply especially in the north and east after […]
Bus Fares
June 24, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s bus fares have been raised by 7.6 percent from July 01, following discussion between authorities and bus owners, though a key bus-owner union wanted a higher increase, reports said. The minimum fare for buses would go up to seven rupees from the current six. Minister C B Ratnayake […]
Port City
June 24, 2011 (LBO) – The Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) has secured a 700 million US dollar investment to build a ‘port city’ on land reclaimed on the capital’s seafront with the construction of a new harbour. SLPA chairman Priyath Wickrama said material dredged to build the new port next to the existing Colombo […]
Sri Lanka Orient Garments 11-month net up 9.7-pct to Rs96.7mn
June 23, 2011 (LBO) – Orient Garments that is to list on Colombo Stock Exchange’s second board made a net profit of 96.7 million rupees in the 11 months to February 28, 2011, up 9.7 percent from a year ago. Orient Garments is to list 54,916,656 shares through a process of ‘introduction’ where a formal […]
State Banking
June 23, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state run Lankaputhra Development Bank’s bad loans had increased to 66. 4 percent of gross loans from 55.9 percent a year earlier, though the bank had become more selective in new lending, a finance ministry report said. It had received capital injections from people’s tax money earlier. The […]
Trucking Delays
June 23, 2011 (LBO) – Lengthy delays in entering Colombo port are making Sri Lankan truckers providing services to move cargo containers unprofitable, an official said. “The question to us is why the present infrastructure is not being used. It is a serious issue. If well-managed, we will be able to cut down cost by […]
Rest Insurance
June 23, 2011 (LBO) – State-run Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation will develop and run rest areas on a tolled expressway running from the capital Colombo to Galle in the south of the island, a government minister said. The completed highway will run to Matara at the southern tip of the island. Minister Anura Yapa said […]
Sri Lanka gets China Eastern flights
BEIJING, June 21, 2011 (AFP) – China Eastern Airlines said Tuesday that the company and its subsidiary Shanghai Airlines Co. have joined global air carrier alliance SkyTeam. The nation’s biggest carrier, China Southern Airlines, is already a member of SkyTeam while Air China belongs to the Star Alliance. Members of the China Eastern Airlines frequent […]
Mobile Banking
June 22, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Commercial Bank plans to offer more mobile phone banking services such as allowing customers to remit funds and check the status of deposited cheques. Commercial Bank’s internet banking facilities are also to be shortly offered via a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) portal, the bank said in a statement. […]
Expanding Reach
June 22, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state-run Regional Development Bank has established a presence in the island’s former northern war zone by opening its first branch in Vavuniya. It aims to accelerate economic activity in the region focusing on the small and medium enterprises, agriculture sector and tourism. We are mainly looking at providing […]
Refining Revision
June 20, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is holding talks with Iran to get more funds to expand its sole oil refinery after new feasibility studies indicated the cost would rise to two billion US dollars, an official said. Titus Jayewardene, secretary to the petroleum ministry, said the cost of the modernisation to double refining […]