Lankan Ayurvedic centres in Australian cities - Minister Karalliyadda

by Nimal PERERA - Wattala Group.

Minister of Indigenous Medicine Tissa Karalliyadda said that steps have been taken to open four Ayurvedic Medical Centres in Australia soon.

Minister was speaking at the recent opening ceremony of the indoor and outdoor patients treatment unit at the Government Homeopathy Hospital, Welisara.

The Minister further said that four. Ayurvedic medical Centres will be established in four major cities in Australia. "Ministry had taken steps to popularise the Ayurvedic medicine in foreign countries. We have already received invitations from Cuba and Switzerland. We will take steps to open out centres worldwide depending on the successes in the Australian Ayurvedic hospitals.

Homeopathy Medical system should popularise in village level. An islandwide programme has been launched started already to popularise Ayurveda.

There is a shortage of nurses in this field. Ministry has already started to train 40 nurses.

The Indian Government had offered scholarships to obtain Homeopathy Medical Degree for Sri Lankans. Ministry will release more funds in future for medical studies.

Acting Secretary Ministry of Indigenous Medicine Malkanthi Ekanayaka, MP for Gampaha District Sarathchandra Rajakaruna, Ayurvedic Commissioner Ramani Gunawardane, M.O.I.C. Government Homeopathy Hospital Welisara Dr. Chandani Herath and Dr. Sandamali Wanninayake also spoke.

Gampaha District MP Neil Rupasinghe and Consultant of the Ministry Dr. Jayasiri Mendis also attended the event.

Copies of the Memorandum of Understanding between Munchee Biscuits Company and Lake House on the sponsorship for Munchee-Dinamina Year-5 scholarship Support Programme were exchanged at the ANCL Boardroom recently. Lake House Chairman, Senior Journalist Bandula Padmakumara, Munchee Biscuits Promotion Manager Janaka Boteju, Divisional Marketing Manager Thilina Alagoda, Lake House Marketing Manager W. G. Fernando and Assistant Marketing Manager Ashoka Wijesekera are in the picture.

Don't get carried away by rumours -CM Central Province

by S. M. Jiffrey ABDEEN - Kandy South Group

The saboteurs and mischief makers to create panic among the people and upset the normal life for certain gains only they themselves know, said the, Chief Minister of the Central Province Sarath Ekanayake while he was commenting on the rumour that intoxicants had been introduced to the pipe borne supply which swept across like wild fire last week in Kandy.

He said that as soon as he heard of this rumour that he immediately telephoned the relevant authorities to ascertain truth himself and found it was all a myth spread with the ulterior motives of creating problem and hardship to the people.

"There is nothing you could do without water and it is one of the essentials of life given almost free by the Creator. To poison this life sustaining precious liquid is a heinous crime but nothing of that nature had taken place," he said.

He also said that he would be giving instructions to the police to conduct an extensive investigation and bring to book the persons responsible for this hoax.

He further said that he will be also giving instructions to the Water Works Installation to take extra precautionary measures to prevent the introduction of toxicants to the water works system in case if in the future any attempt is made to poison the water.

Additional security must be deployed.

On the cantionary side he said the people must remain calm and not be carried away by such rumours unless this is confirmed by those in authority and are in a position to carry out tests and inform the people that there is danger in using water.

Vegetables and fruits with organic manure

Nimal WIJAYATUNGA - Eheliyagoda Special

By growing a large varieties of vegetables, fruits as well as yams in a home garden not more than 1/4 acre in extent beautifully. Sita Kumari Ratnaike of Mahingoda 'Janitha Gardens', very close to Eheliyagoda town had won the first place at the home garden competition 2007 conducted by the Department of Agriculture, Ratnapura.

Sita's home garden consists of up country vegetables as well as low country green vegetables including fruits and ornamental plant varieties.

"I never use harmful chemicals and factory made fertilizer for my crops. Instead I use home made very low cost organic fertilizer prepared by myself. I use dried cow-dung, dried leaf particles and ash for the preparation of fertilizer.

Sita is the area distributor of the Agricultural Department's seed varieties.

B.W. Eheliyagoda - Kegalle special.

On the theme of President Mahinda Rajapaksa's "Let us grow and Let us develop the country" program, Sabaragamuwa Development Bank has made arrangements to launch an extensive competition programme to home gardens.

The organisers have decided to present valuable prizes to the winners at the home garden competition mainly opened for housewives. The value of the proposed prizes will be in millions of rupees, according to organisers who spoke to Sunday Observer.

The competition is organised with the full co-operation of the Government.

The housewives in Colombo and Kalutara districts too can join this competition along with their counterparts in Sabaragamuwa, Kegalle and Ratnapura districts competitions.

This is a home garden competition where all women can participate in growing of food crops in their respective home gardens in the above mentioned areas. This programme has been initiated by the Sabaragamuwa Development Bank with the full backing of the Government to encourage home gardening.

All those interested participants taking part in the competition should be the residents from Colombo, Kalutara, Kegalle and Ratnapura districts.

Prizes will be awarded to almost 160 selected competitors on examining their home gardens by a panel of judges.

Dedicated teachers needed to build good character - PS Chairman

Stanley SENEVIRATNE, Kurunegala North group

Building a complete personality is past and parcel of a good education and for this purpose a dedicated band of teachers willing to make sacrifices to achieve higher objectives are needed. Teaching is not a profession where one could make much money, but if offers them a great sense of self-satisfaction.

The above observations were made by Chairman Patrick Karunasinghe while addressing delegation of teachers who met him at the PS Auditorium to discuss the problems, that come across Kurunegala PS division.

Karunasinghe further added those involved in the noble profession of teaching entrusted with the responsibility in parting knowledge to children who have to be moulded into good citizens and it should not be viewed as merely another occupation targeting money. While pointing out the values of teaching and educational traditions in the country, Chairman Karunasinghe highlighted the unique identity that the schools in the Kurunegala PS division produced countless numbers of intellectuals, doctors, lawyers and other professionals placing the schools in the NWP among the foremost educational institutions in the country.

He also said that there were many factors that contributed towards the imparting education making a child to evaluate a social situation with a deep insight hearty contribution by teachers, become inevitable.

However one's knowledge of a particular subject could be, it woudn't amount to very much unless it is accompanied by an acute social awareness and added that it is also important to include certain values and concepts.

Rat fever due to contaminated environment

by Kurunegala North Group

With an alarming increase of leptospirosis (rat fever) reported in the country, health authorities warn that inappropriate garbage disposal, contaminated environment and exposure of people with unattended wounds and cuts to open areas may escalate the already increasing number of infected areas.

In comparison to 2007 2,198 were reported in 2008 up to date 150 deaths and 4,455 infected cases were reported, said Dr. Mrs. Devika Mendis of the Health Ministry Epidemiology Unit.

She said that although it was the belief that only rat urine carries the infection, domestic animals such as dogs, cats and livestock too could carry the infection and therefore such animals should be vaccinated.

"If these animals pass urine into water in which people have a bath, or a cut or wound is exposed to such water, such people could be infected with these disease, Mrs. Mendis said.

Meanwhile Gampaha, Kurunegala, Colombo, Matale and Kalutara are declared as high risk areas in the country.

She also observed that people in urban areas should observe proper garbage disposal to control the rat population. Dr. Mrs. Mendis also said that as a result of increased agricultural activities and with more people taking to cultivation, exposure to the outdoors had increased.

"In Gampaha district Devalapitiya and Mirigama areas and in Kurunegala district Kurunegala and Polgahawela areas where there is paddy cultivation is in a large scale were the most affected, therefore we believe that the agricultural areas are prone to the disease," she said.

Poor training at Industrial Training Centre

by K. A. Perera, Wadduwa Special

Despite the facilities available to train sixty persons at the Industrial Training Centre at Potupitiya, Kalutara but at present only ten persons are following the training course.

It was revealed that during the period of training Rs. 3500.00 to Rs. 4500.00 are paid for the trainees and after the completion of instruments worth Rs. 9000.00 are given free for them to engage in some employment in carpentry or masonry.

The Institute also provides employment to every one who complete the course successfully.

Sujiwa Pieris the co-ordinating officer of the institute said that the training centre was opened by Dr. Rajitha Senaratne the Minister of Engineering Services with the view of training youth in the field of building as there are many employment avenues. Already several batches have been trained and they are issued with a certificate.

The facilities are provided to qualify as a technical engineer with the availability of this certificate.

Free spectacles for poor students

by S. M. Wijayaratne - Kurunegala

In order to help schoolchildren of remote areas of the Kurunegala and Puttalam districts of the North Western Province who have poor eyesights, the NWP Educational Department has planned to provide pairs of spectacles free of charge after examining their eyesight medically.

Around 43 mobile eye clinics have been organised at government schools of remote areas of the NWP with the help of the Department of Health Services this year on the instructions of NWP Chief Minister Athula Wijesinghe.

A sum of one million rupees has been allocated for this purpose and eight mobile dental clinics too are to be operated at rural schools following an outcome of a survey that has revealed 40 per cent of rural students suffer from dental disorders.

A senior official of the Chief Minister's Office said that a well-planned awareness programme to educate the school community on the prevention of dental disorders, epidemics and mosquito-borne diseases like Malaria, Dengue, Japanese Encephalitis, filaria, rabies and water-borne diseases will be launched next year with the help of District Medical Officers in the province.

Toys with local raw materials

62-year-old Somadasa Lekamge of Wiyalagodawatta - Eheliyagoda makes model toy vehicles of different types using locally available raw materials.

I use chemically hardened 'box board' for making vehicles including the very first cheverlot bus and modern air-conditioned Tourist Coach. I need roughly three days to complete a bus", Lekamge said.

Among his toy vehicle collection there are cars, buses, jeeps, tippers and lorries.

Coconut saplings to boost production

by K. A. Perera - Wadduwa Special

The Coconut Development Board has come forward to distribute coconut saplings among farmers of Kalutara district to increase the coconut production.

At present, the price of a coconut ranges from Rs. 25.00 to Rs. 30.00 in the open market.The coconut saplings would be distributed through the sub-offices of Coconut Development Board of Wadduwa and Korosduwa. Around thirty three thousand and two hundred coconut saplings will be distributed during the season. A large number of coconut trees were destroyed in the coastal area due to tsunami.

16 botanical gardens by year 2016

by S. M. Wijayaratne - Kurunegala

"Under the 10-year development plan of Mahinda Chintana, steps have been taken to establish 16 botanical gardens in our country by the year 2016 and Dr. Cyril Wijesundara, the Director of National Botanical Gardens is now constructing the proposed botanical garden in Mirijjawila off Hambantota in an extent of 300 acres", said W. E. Jayathilake, the former Divisional Secretary of Bingiriya addressing a conference of Grama Niladaries of the Kurunegala district held at Bingiriya National School, recently.

He said that many projects were to be launched to produce wind power, to conserve rain water and to generate solar energy under the proposed 10-year development programme. He added that preserving the flora and fauna is the main objective of this programme while developing environmental tourist industry.

No support to cultivate Passion Fruit

by K. A. Perera - Wadduwa Special

Passion Fruit cultivation was once a very popular self-employment project among school leavers, but most have given up due to no proper encouragement from the Ministry of Agriculture.

The prevailing drought has also badly affected the passion fruit cultivation in Matugama and Agalawatta electorates. However, the passion fruit cultivators said that there was a great demand for the fruit over the past few weeks following the commencement of the tourist season.

At present the tourist hotels purchase a kilo of passion fruit at a high rate where with proper cultivation it would be a money spinner to the unemployed youth.