The United States Government, through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is partnering with the Ministry of Health Epidemiology Unit to enhance Sri Lanka's ability to monitor and track seasonal influenza, and prepare for, detect and respond to an influenza pandemic if it should occur.

Under the program, CDC will provide over Rs 34 million ($300,000) a year for up to four year

Sri Lanka Prime Minister Rathnasiri Wickramanayaka today ceremonially inaugurated the country's first ever commercial wind energy plant at Kalpitiya in Puttalam district in the North Western coast of the country.

The 30-Megawatt plant operated by a private enterprise, Senok Wind Power is located on a five-kilometer long and one-kilometer wide strip of land in the Kalpitiya area.

Senok Wind P

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is partnering with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and its Forest Department to manage Sri Lanka's valuable forest resources more effectively, according to a press release issued by the U.S.

The Sri Lankan government has taken measures to improve the aging power transmission network in rural areas of the country with the support from the Asia Development Bank.

The Ministry of Power and Energy said the present power transmission network which was over 60 years old cannot handle the present day needs.

Sri Lankan government is taking measures to improve the healthcare facilities in the rural areas of the country, the Health Ministry said.

Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said the government has set a priority to improve the health conditions of the villages and under the initiative the Ministry has made allocations to provide more ambulances to rural hospitals.

Sri Lanka will conduct its 14th census on population in 2011, the Department of Census and Statistics says. The 13th census of the series was conducted on the 17th of July 2001.

Nearly 260 billion rupees has been spent to provide drinking water facilities for the public, the government says.

Sri Lanka and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a USD 100 million loan agreement recently to launch the Greater Colombo Wastewater Management Project.

Sri Lankan government is committed to provide support facilities to dairy farmers in the country to improve their trade with the goal of achieving self-sufficiency, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said.

Over 300, 000 people in Eastern Sri Lanka have been displaced due to the flash floods brought on by the weakened tropical storm system over the northeastern region of the country.