United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Sri Lanka's Ministry of Water and Drainage, and the Ministry of Provincial Councils and Local Government have sponsored a national workshop in Sri Lanka to disseminate best practices in sanitation management.

According to a recent report published by the Ministry of Heath, 150,000 fully blind people and another 400,000 with eye diseases lacking clear vision live in Sri Lanka.
Around 50,000 suffer from cataract and another 15,000 are impaired with glaucoma. About 6,000 are suffering from various eye problems due to diabetics, the report says.

Police have evacuated people in Opanayake in the Ratnapura District, Sri Lanka, due to a raging wildfire.
Police Media Spokesperson Senior Superintendent of Police Ranjith Gunasekara, advising the residents of Opanayake, Malawikande, said that even though all possible measures are being taken to control the wildfire, it is advisable for residents to leave the area.

Sri Lanka Cabinet approved tax reductions to all locally assembled and manufactured cleaner fuel vehicles at yesterday's Cabinet meeting.

The Government of Sri Lanka has ordered the Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC (CSE:CTC) to increase its prices by Rs. 1 with effect this week.

Sri Lanka's Health Ministry today started a National Dengue Prevention Week to control the spreading of mosquito epidemics in the country.
According to the Health Ministry sources this year's theme for the project is

Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday instructed the government parliamentary group to prepare a new environmental act.
A Ministerial Committee comprising the Ministers Champika Ranawaka, John Senevirathna, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Prof. G.L. Peiris and Prof. Wiswa Warnapala was appointed to draft the new act.
The President addressing the government parliamentary group said that the woes of the religious organizations and the artists who are in difficulty due to the ban of loudspeaker usage should be considered when drafting the new act.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is to provide US$ 500,000 to increase rice production in conflict and flood affected districts of Sri Lanka.
In a press release yesterday, the FAO said it has approved the funding for the project "Input supply to vulnerable populations under Initiative on Soaring Food Prices" in response to a request by the Sri Lankan government for assistance in combating the soaring food prices.
FAO will provide funds to renovate the paddy lands in the troubled areas and will distribute seed paddy to the farmers in those areas.

The Kuwait government is to finance the Kalu Ganga Development Project which aims to develop and inject into the Mahaweli irrigation systems the untapped water resources of Kalu Ganga.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa as Minister of Finance and Planning is to enter into an agreement with the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development to obtain a loan amounting to 10 million Kuwait Dinars (approximately US$ 37million) to finance the Kalu Ganga Development Project.
The project will be implemented by the Mahaweli Authority under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Services.

Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa will launch a project this morning to popularize bio manure.
The inauguration of the district level project