Top News
Sirisena likely to convene Parliament on November 7: Speaker
Colombo, Nov 2 (IANS) Sri Lanka’s Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya on Friday informed lawmakers that President Maithripala Sirisena was likely to convene Parliament on November 7.
Jayasuriya, in a meeting with political party legislators, said that Sirisena had in a telephone conversation informed him that Parliament would convene on November 7 and a gazette notification would be issued on either Friday or Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.
Last week, Sirisena had prorogued Parliament till November 16.
Parliamentarians, including ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, had urged for an urgent parliamentary session, to identify which party held the majority in the House.
Newly-appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was sworn in last Friday after the President sacked Wickremesinghe, earlier said that Sirisena had informed him that the Parliament would convene on November 5 in order to settle the ongoing political crisis.
According to a government official, Sirisena had also informed the decision to convene the Parliament on November 5 to the new foreign envoys who presented their credentials to him on Thursday.
However, on Thursday evening, General Secretary of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Susil Premajayantha told journalists that no such announcement was made by the President and Parliament would convene as announced on November 16.
Sirisena is the leader of the UPFA.
Premajayantha said that Parliament needed time to prepare to meet and there was not enough time to meet on November 5.
However, there has been no statement from Sirisena or Rajapaksa since then.
A political crisis erupted in Sri Lanka last Friday when Sirisena, in a shocking move, dissolved Cabinet and sacked Wickremesinghe and appointed former President Rajapaksa as the new Prime Minister.
Wickremesinghe and his party maintained that the move was illegal as they still held a majority in the House.
Sirisena formed a new Cabinet since then with several ministers, state and deputy ministers already sworn in.
–IANS
soni/sed
Top News
Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.