The ‘Sri Lankabhimanya’ Award, deemed the most prestigious lifetime award in the country, was conferred on Parliamentarian Deshabandu Karu Jayasuriya. President Ranil Wickramasinghe presented the award to Jayasuriya this morning at the President’s Residence in Colombo. It has been a tradition since 1986 to present a once-in-a-lifetime national award to Sri Lankan citizens and non-Sri Lankan citizens who have rendered outstanding service to the nation within the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. Accordingly, the Sri Lankabhimanya Award is the highest award given in this country. It is also special that the ceremony held for the presentation of this award was the first state ceremony held there after the restoration of the President’s House in Colombo, which was severely damaged during the public protest on July 9.