The Ceylon Electricity Board should cut back its losses and become an institution that will not be a burden to the country.

“It should understand the needs of the public and make use of the skills of local engineers exploiting renewable power sources in the country for generation of electricity,” President Mahinda Rajapaksa told senior officials at Temple Trees yesterday. During the next five years the CEB should be able to become an efficient organization without corruption.

Plans for improvement to the National Power Grid were also discussed at the meeting with the President and a State owned company was proposed to be established to manage the grid, a press release by the Presidential Media Unit said.

Matters relating to the proposals made by the Power and Energy Ministry in conservation of electricity and provisions to be made to give low income communities in saving power during peak hours of consumption i.e. 6.30 pm to 9 were also discussed.

Deputy Power and Energy Minister Premalal Jayasekara, Secretary to President Lalith Weeratunga, Power, Energy Ministry Secretary M.M.C. Ferdinando and CEB Chairman V.D. Amarapala were also present.