The “World Day Against Child Labour” on the 12th of June is commemorated every year by the Women and Children Affairs Division of the Department of Labor, and this year it is commemorated under the theme of “Beautiful Sri Lanka free from Child Labour”. This is an important opportunity to show off to the society the importance of children through the public sector as well as the private sector.
Children are the most valuable asset not only in any country, region or a continent, but also in the whole world. The Convention about Child Rights states about the Child Labour as follows: Children should be protected from economic exploitation and hazardous employment. Moreover, children should be protected from any actions that are harmful to the physical and mental health, spiritual, moral or social development of them. Child rights are included in human rights, when it is addressed that human rights should be honored for the future social progress. We must accept that, within human society children also have the right to enjoy various rights, so as the adults have. By ratifying the convention of child rights in 1992, Sri Lanka has also adopted many rights of children, such as right for leisure and sports, protection from economic exploitation, etc. After the declaration of child rights by the United Nations Organization in 1979 only, most of the states have started speaking about child rights. The UN Declaration states that the human community is bound to give the proper place for every child. The Declaration on Children was accepted by the United Nations Organization in 1989. As these conventions and declarations were accepted by Sri Lanka, we have the responsibility to protect the rights of our children also. For this purpose, provisions were introduced in our constitution and from time to time enactments were introduced by our parliament. Even though laws for protecting child rights are enacted, our responsibility as adults is to protect child rights and give the chance to the children to be good citizens in the future. The international labor organization (ILO) has declared international theme of “No to child Labour, yes to quality education” this year. |
| * Date of Issue : 12th June, 2015 * Denomination : Rs. 10.00 * Stamp Designer : Pulasthi Ediriweera * First Day Cover Designer : Sudath Jayawardena * Stamp Size : 30mm * 41mm * Format : Vertical * Printing Process : Offset Lithography * Sheet Composition : 20 stamps per sheet |
* Perforation : 14 * 13 3/4 * Printers : Department of Government Printing, Sri Lanka * Color : 4 Process Colors * Paper : 102 gsm security stamp paper * Gum : PVA * Quantity Printed : 500,000 * Last Date of Sale : 11th June, 2016 |
It is from the Mahiyangana stupa that paintings drawn within a relic chamber is discovered in Sri Lanka for the first time. This relic chamber was opened o January 03, 1951 during excavations conducted by the Department of Archaeology where it was found that mortar containing the paintings had been fallen on the ground. Out of the fragments about thirteen parts of paintings could be protected and conserved. Incidents such as the defeat of Mara, the Enlightenment, the worship of Buddha by the Devas and the Brahma in the three world etc. are depicted by those paintings.
Among these paintings which are considered to be dated back to the 9-10th centuries AD, the well preserved one is that which depicts the God Vishnu with four hands and carrying a basket of flowers in two hands getting ready for the worship of the Buddha. While red, orange, yellow, black and white have been used as the main colors in drawing the pictures, the line is given prominence in executing them. At present the plates containing these paintings are securely kept at the Anuradhapura museum for exhibition. |
| * Date of Issue : 04th May, 2015 * Denomination : Rs. 10.00 * Catalogue No. : CSL2109 * Stamp Designer : K.N. Prasadani Kumari * Stamp Size : 41mm * 30mm * Format : Horizontal * Printing Process : Offset Lithography * Sheet Composition : 20 stamps per sheet |
* Perforation : 13 3/4 * 14 * Printers : Department of Government Printing, Sri Lanka * Color : 4 Process Colors * Paper : 102 gsm security stamp paper * Gum : PVA * Quantity Printed : 500,000 * Last Date of Sale : 03rd May, 2016 |
Amisa Pooja (Material Offerings)
Offerings of material items such as flowers, incense, water, victuals (Gilanpasa) etc. by way of paying homage to Buddha is known as Amisa Pooja. Apart from such offerings, activities such as conducting Dan Sal (offering free foods and drinks to devotees), making Vesak lanterns and taking part in pilgrimages too are considered as Amisa Poojas. Particularly on Vesak days, Buddhist devotees engage themselves in the practice of decorating their homes with Buddhist flags, lanterns etc., and making offerings of flowers, incense to Buddha by way of invoking merit for themselves. The main virtue which is developed through such Amisa Poojas is Saddha or piety. It is the basic requirement for Buddhists in the realization of the ultimate goal of Nibbana which is the sum total of the Dhamma. Therefore, it is with great enthusiasm and devotion that Buddhist people engage themselves in Amisa Poojas in order to cultivate such virtues as Saddha. Pratipatti Pooja (Spiritual Offerings) Making offerings to Buddha by engaging in excellent good deeds such as Sila (good conduct), Bhavana (meditation) etc, is known as Pratipatti or spiritual offering. Buddha has highly valued this type of activities in the total elimination of powerful evil deeds such as Lobha (desire), Dvesha (malice) and Moha (ignorance) which contribute to the prolongation of the Samsaric journey. Those good practices help the total elimination of such evil deeds; purify one’s mind and restrain one’s body and words. Ultimately, a noble being is created in this manner. Therefore this practice is the nobler one of the two and Buddha has even preached that it is the best respect that one can bestow upon him. Therefore Buddhists make it a point to engage in observing Sil on the full moon day of every month in order to make that noble offering and particularly on the Vesak day they engage themselves in such meritorious acts in large numbers. |
| * Date of Issue : 20th April, 2015 * Denomination : Rs. 8.00, Rs. 10.00, Rs. 50.00 * Stamp Designer : Piyaratne Hewabatage * Stamp Size : 41mm * 30mm * Format : Horizontal * Printing Process : Offset Lithography * Sheet Composition : 20 stamps per sheet * Perforation : 13 1/2 * 14 |
* Printers : Department of Government Printing, Sri Lanka * Color : 4 Process Colors * Paper : 102 gsm security stamp paper * Gum : PVA * Quantity Printed Stamps : 500,000 each Souvenir Sheets : 15,000 each * Last Date of Sale : 19th April, 2016 |
The National Hospital of Sri Lanka which was so established 150 years ago, stands out today dominantly covering a total extent of 32 acres showing its majesty decorating the sky line with its many storied buildings prominently standing side by side with ancient buildings. It consists of 82 Wards and 3404 beds to provide tertiary services throughout the land of Sri Lanka. Equipped with an additional 23 Incentive care Units and 19 Operating Theatres it treats around 2800 indoor patients and around 5500 outdoor patients per day. Its total medical staff is over 1000 with 120 specialist doctors and there are around 2200 in the nursing service thus making the total staff nearly 7500.
There are many specialist services available in this Hospital which provides free of charge many advanced health facilities available in many advanced countries in the world. Among them are fully equipped accidents and Neuro – Traumatic Units, Cardiologic Treatment Units, Neuro-treatment unit, Mental and Gynecological Treatment Units, Cancer Detection Units, Skin Disease Treatment Units etc. which provide a variety of medical and surgical treatments. The General Hospital which is well equipped with ultra modern facilities for diagnostic and modernized advanced treatment mechanisms provides a variety of health services to patients. Parallel to the 150th anniversary of the Hospital various programs were conducted in 2014 with the basic objective of providing more effective patient treatment services to the entire Sri Lankan public. For this purpose human resource development activities such as the conduct of motivation workshops meant for attitudinal advancement and the improvement of knowledge and skills of particularly the unskilled staff of the maintenance division of the Hospital relating to their vocational training and the use of new technological equipment and for the establishment of new libraries are also being carried out regularly. Apart from the above mentioned activities, there are programs aimed at all staff employees to develop their skills by providing specialist knowledge relating to the respective fields as well. Under the Hospital infrastructure facilities development scheme the hospital premises have been divided into zones and activities such as landscape beautification and maintenance, renovation and conservation of wards and ancient buildings introducing electrical modes of patient transport, establishment of an underground cable network for the advancement of IT related activities, road development works on inner and outer hospital road network, development of hospital entrance roads, improving productivity of services through the systematic development of the administrative and office building, establishment of the multi-storied OPD complex with modern facilities and the establishment of the Epileptic Diseases unit etc. are underway. |
| * Date of Issue : 20th March, 2015 * Denomination : Rs. 10.00 * Catalogue No. : CSL2015 * Stamp Designer : Kelum A. Gunasekara * Stamp Size : 50mm * 20mm * Format : Horizontal * Printing Process : Offset Lithography * Sheet Composition : 20 stamps per sheet |
* Perforation : 13 1/2 * 14 * Printers : Department of Government Printing, Sri Lanka * Color : 4 Process Colors * Paper : 102 gsm security stamp paper * Gum : PVA * Quantity Printed : 500,000 * Last Date of Sale : 19th March, 2016 |
