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Recently (16) a discussion was held at the Ministry’s auditorium under the patronage of the Minister of Science and Technology, Professor Krishantha Abeysena, on the commercialization of rechargeable batteries produced through a low-cost new technological method of purifying local graphite to a state suitable for battery production, which has been discovered as a result of research conducted by the National Institute of Basic Studies affiliated to the Ministry of Science and Technology.

The event was attended by Y.L. Mohamed Nawawi, Secretary to the Ministry of Science and Technology, Professor Athula Sumathipala of the National Institute of Basic Studies, Professor Cyril Wijesundara, Dr. Athula Wijesinghe, private sector entrepreneurs Cherantha de Silva, Kapila de Silva, Chairman of the National Science Foundation Professor Saman Senaweera, Chief Innovation Officer of the National Innovation Agency Professor Ajith de Alwis, and Professor Upul Sonnadara of the University of Colombo.

Graphite is used as a raw material in a large number of industries around the world. Among them, the rechargeable battery manufacturing industry holds a prominent place.

Sri Lanka’s high-quality graphite, which is of the highest quality in the world, is very suitable for this process, and for this industry, the graphite must be purified to a purity of about 99.99%.

A group of researchers at the National Institute of Basic Studies in Sri Lanka has identified a low-cost new technology for this purification method, which has very high commercial value.

Throughout history, instead of producing and exporting value-added products related to the country’s natural resources, those natural resources have been exported in large quantities as raw materials.

At the same time, there is a major problem of not commercializing the new knowledge and technology generated through research conducted in the country. This project has a particularly important position as a step forward in line with the new government’s program to address this.

The discussion was held between officials of the Ministry of Science and Technology, scientists from the National Institute of Basic Studies, and private sector stakeholders who intend to provide financial resources for this project.

The purpose of the discussion was to exchange views on the opportunities for the country to benefit economically by promoting this technology to a commercial level.

The discussion was held very constructively with positive responses from the relevant parties. Accordingly, the next steps of the project are to be reached on the basis of a Memorandum of Understanding.

Speaking at a special media briefing held at the Government Information Department yesterday (17) under the theme “The Role of the Police with the New Government Programme,” Acting Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasuriya revealed that, according to a recent survey, 40% of police officers are stationed at police stations within their permanent residential areas.

He further stated that both the Ministry Secretary and he strongly believe that police officers should not be assigned to stations within their residential areas. Accordingly, he plans to implement transfers to address this issue in the future.

Acknowledging the longstanding issue of political interference within the police force, from the highest-ranking officers to the lowest, he expressed his commitment to ending this culture. He also emphasized the importance of evaluating officers based on their performance to ensure accountability and professionalism.

Deputy Minister of Health and Mass Media Dr. Hansaka Wijemuni says that the price of medicines has been reduced by about 200 times due to the breaking of the monopoly maintained by certain pharmaceutical companies over the past period.

As a result, the price of a medicine purchased by the Ministry of Health for Rs. 7,000 has dropped to Rs. 370; he further emphasized during an observation visit at the Kandy District Media Unit.

The Deputy Minister also emphasized that the government’s expectation is to further break the pharmaceutical monopoly by granting the opportunity to import medicines to several companies and significantly reduce the prices of a number of medicines in the future.