The Presidential Secretariat said that the government hadn’t reached any consensus with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change on a programme to be conducted here.
The Presidential Secretariat said so in response to The Island seeking clarification in terms of the Right to Information (RTI) Act regarding the National People’s Power (NPP) government reaching an agreement on a programme.
Managing Director of the Asia Pacific Advisory Division of the Tony Blair Institute, Jaleel Rashid, and Head of Government Relations for the Asia Pacific team, Anna Aden, met a delegation, led by Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the President on 11 June, at the Presidential Secretariat.
Responding to The Island RTI query, the Presidential Secretariat said that the meeting took place on a request made by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.
Asked whether the government entered into an agreement with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, the Presidential Secretariat replied “No.”
According to the Presidential Secretariat response to another query, the government hadn’t decided to enter into an agreement with the UK head-quartered group nor decided on what services the government required.
However, following the 11 June meeting, the Presidential Secretariat claimed that four key institutions would receive financial and technical assistance and their intention was to identify the priorities of the new government. The Presidential Secretariat identified the four institutions that were to receive financial and technical assistance as the Ministry of Digital Economy, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Export Development Board and the Board of Investment.
The Presidential Secretariat further claimed that representatives of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change agreed to visit each Ministry, observe the respective programmes closely, and provide the necessary support.
By Shamindra Ferdinando