The much hyped International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards ended without any benefits for the local film industry. The government has spent some Rs. 680 million for an Indian event which has not accrued any results for Sri Lanka, stated Democratic National Alliance (DNA) parliamentarian Vijitha Herath.

Addressing a media briefing at the DNA headquarters at Rajakeeya Mawatha (Reid Avenue) in Colombo this morning, Mr. Herath said that though the government was stating that it had spent only Rs. 450 million for the event, actually it was more than that.

To make matters worse, the President who was supposed to be the chief guest had not attended the function as top Bollywood stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan and Shahruk Khan had boycotted the event. All in all, it was like a wedding without a groom, Mr. Herath said.

The government has spent more money on this useless event than what it had spent on the victims of the recent floods, the Gampaha District parliamentarian said.

Local stars like Malini Fonseka had failed to get a front row seat during the function and most of the local cinema artistes had kept away, charged Mr. Herath.

Vijitha Herath urged the government to at least hold the National Cinema Awards in a better way so that it will benefit our own artistes and also allay the criticism from international quarters on the IIFA event.

Speaking on the long debated Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Sri Lankaand India, Mr. Herath said that still nobody was fully aware of the contents of the agreement. Even President Mahinda Rajapaksa is not aware of the full details, he added.

Though a similar agreement, the SAFTA was signed between the two countries, it has not produced and concrete benefits to Sri Lanka as the trade from Sri Lanka is only a mere 10 per cent compared to India’s. If CEPA is signed, Sri Lankan youth who are even now suffering unemployment and under employment will suffer further by the arrival of Indian workers, warned Vijitha Herath.