(2010-09-02)President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that Indian investor interest in Sri Lanka is rapidly growing, and that several leading Indian entrepreneurs in industry and other sectors have expressed interest in setting up businesses in Sri Lanka. President Rajapaksa said so when Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao called on him at Temple Trees yesterday evening.

During the 45-minute discussion, Rao expressed satisfaction at the progress in resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and development activities of the North. She had visited Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Vavuniya and other places in the North, as well as the East, and had seen that conditions were quite satisfactory.

She assured the President that India would expedite the projects undertaken by her country, including the housing project for IDPs and reconstruction of the railway line in the North.

President Rajapaksa said that IDPs and other persons of the area should be involved in these projects, especially the housing projects, so that they would have a sense of ownership in them. Both President Rajapaksa and the Indian Foreign Secretary re-affirmed the strong bonds of friendship and neighbourly ties between the two countries.

Rao conveyed Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s good wishes to the President.

External Affairs Minister Prof G L Peiris, Secretary to the President, Lalith Weeratunga, Treasury Secretary Dr PB Jayasundara, Sri Lanka High Commissioner in New Delhi, Prasad Kariyawasam, Indian High Commissioner Ashok Kanta, Joint Secretary Moorthi, and Deputy High Commissioner Vickram also participated.

External Affairs Minister Prof GL Peiris, Secretary to the President, Lalith Weeratunga, Treasury Secretary Dr PB Jayasundera, Sri Lanka High Commissioner in New Delhi, Prasad kariyawasam, Indian High Commissioner Ashok Kanta, Joint Secretary Moorthi, and Deputy High Commissioner Vickram also participated.(dailynews.lk)

(2010-08-31)India agreed to increase bilateral cooperation with Sri Lanka in the tourism sector when Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa met India's Tourism and Housing and Poverty Alleviation Minister Kumari Selja in New Delhi yesterday (26 August). A MoU was signed between the two countries in this regard in 2004.

During the meeting, the two ministers also discussed matters relating to housing and urban poverty alleviation, Press Trust of India reported.

Expressing her satisfaction over the increased number of Sri Lankan tourists visiting the Buddhist sites in India, Minister Selja suggested that the two countries consider cooperation in the field of Human Resource Development, Destination Management and promotion of tourism by further strengthening links between various stakeholders such as travel and tour operators and hoteliers.

Minister Rajapaksa is on a two-day tour in India.(PRIU)

(2010-08-30)The International Development Association of the World Bank has agreed to provide Rs. 4,560 Million equivalent to U.S.$ 40 Million for implementation for the Higher Education of the Twenty First Century Project.

The objective of the project is to accord high priority to improve the employability of the graduates where the graduate unemployment is high, such as in the fields of Arts, Humanities, General Sciences and in the External Degree programmes. The project will assist to improve IT and English language skills, and soft skills such as the ability to work in teams, industriousness, entrepreneurship and good communication of the undergraduates.

The project will also pay special attention to development of Higher Education Institutions in the lagging regions, particularly in the Northern and the Eastern Provinces.The agreement for the project was signed by Dr. P.B.Jayasundera,Secrtary, Ministry of Finance and Planning on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka and Ms. Naoko Ishii, Country Director for the World Bank in Sri Lanka on behalf of the World Bank.

The government is also to establish bilateral relations with Chinese Universities for facilitating the Chinese students to study in our Universities and reciprocally our students to study in the Chinese Universities. The Cabinet of Ministers recently gave approval to the Minister of Higher Education to pursue discussion in this regard and sign an MOU with the Unan University of China.

In the meantime, the Minister of Higher Education, Mr. S.B.Dissanayake has said that he is making arrangements to offer Sri Lankan degrees for foreign students for U.S.$ 5,000. The Minister is making every effort to get foreign Universities established thereby making it mandatory for these Universities to offer 20% of enrolment to Sri Lankan students and attract foreign students to enroll in our Universities.(niz).