Niranjan Deva Adithya MEP receives honorary title

By Sunil C. Perera - Reporting from Colombo, Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka born Niranjan Deva Adithya, Member of the European Union addressing the meeting

Colombo, 12 January, (Asiantribune.com): Sri Lankan Buddhist monks felicitated and awarded a honorary title to Sri Lanka’s born EU parliamentarian Niranjan Deva Adithya to respect services rendered by him during the tsunami devastation in the country.

Devadithya was awarded with the honorary title of Vishwa Keerthi Sri Lanka Abimani by Ven.Tallale Meththananda thero, Chief incumbent and chief Adikarana Sanganayaka of the saddharmakara Vidyaratne privena , Pinwatta, Panadura, Sri Lanka.

"For this first time this title was presented by a group of Buddhist Bikkus to a non-Buddhist person in Sri Lanka,” said Ven. Meththananda thero after conferring the title.

The Maha Sangha also presented another award to Sri Lankan Parliamentarian and senior member of the Jathika Hela Urumaya [JHU] Ven. Athuraliye Ratna thero during the ceromany.

Addressing the gathering Viswa Keerthi Sri Lanka Abimani Niranjan Deva Adithya said that he is always ready to help Sri Lanka to improve social and other areas.

Deva Adithya, who was a senior journalist and editor of several international news magazine including Crossbow Magazine and the Wealth of Nations - part II further said that Sri Lanka is his motherland and he wishes to assist to solve the ongoing ethnic conflict in a peaceful way.

Deva Adithya is a member of the European parliament since 1999. He serves as a Conservative member of the EU Parliament where he represents eight million British voters.

He serves as a coordinator (majority leader) of the Committee on Overseas Development Plan Cooperation, and as a member of the influential foreign affairs committee.

He was born in Sri Lanka. He speaks Sinhala and English and is married to a French speaking Mauritanian. He holds the dual citizenship of Sri Lanka and British.

Deva Adithya was a graduate in Aeronautical Engineering of Loughborough University and obtained the postgraduate Research Fellowship in Economics from the same university. He became the chairman in 1981 of the Bow Group a leading British think tank and initiated the Transatlantic Conferences between the Conservative Party (Bow Group) and the Republic Party/Heritage Foundation in Washington in 1981. He was appointed chairman of the Department of Transport/National Consumer Council Committee on deregulation of air transport, whose report was published by HMSO in March 1986. This resulted in the low cost airlines which have brought affordable travel in Europe to millions.

In 1985 Deva Adhitya was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II to the ancient office of Deputy Lord Lieutenant, where he represented the Queen in London.

Deva Adhitya was the first Asian elected a Member of the British Parliament - House of Commons.. From 1992 to 1997 he was MP for the London constituency of Brentford & Isleworth, and was Parliamentary Private Secretary at the Scottish Office. He was also the political adviser to the Secretary of State for Transport and a Member of the Parliamentary Committees on Education and in the Parliamentary Ombudsman Committee.