2021-02-04
News Categories : Committee News
The regulation pertaining to increase the minimum age for contribution to the Employees Provident Fund ( EPF ) from 14 to 16 years was considered in the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Labor held in Parliament yesterday (03) .
An Extraordinary Gazette Notification has been issued in this regard and it was agreed to submit the regulation regarding the amendment to Parliament for approval in the coming days.
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Labour met yesterday (03) under the chairmanship of the Minister of Labor Nimal Siripala de Silva. This regulation has been issued in line with the amendment which was passed in Parliament recently in order to increase the minimum working age from 14 to 16 years.
In addition, the annual report of the National Institute of Labor Studies ( NILS ) for the year 2018 was considered at the meeting. The Committee drew attention on the Progress of the NILS in past years, which conducts training and awareness programs on labor law. The Minister instructed the relevant officials to obtain NVQ qualification for the courses of this institute and to develop all the courses in a more systematic manner.
He also directed the Secretary to the Ministry and the officials of the National Institute of Labor Studies (NILS) to make the lawyers, officials of the Department of Labor and the trade unions aware of the legal provisions related to the new labor law , introduced by the Parliament through awareness programmes and seminars. The current financial status of the institution was also discussed at the committee.
State Minister Piyankara Jayaratne, Member of Parliament Jagath Pushpakumara, Secretary to the Ministry Mapa Pathirana and officials were present at the meeting.
2026-07-21
Discussions focus on strengthening disability-inclusive legislation and policy implementationThe Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities held discussions with the United Nations Resident Coordinator and representatives of several United Nations agencies at Parliament with a view to strengthening cooperation in promoting the rights of persons with disabilities and advancing disability-inclusive legislation and policies in Sri Lanka.The meeting was held in Parliament under the Chairmanship of the Chair of the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities, Hon. Member of Parliament Sugath Wasantha de Silva recently.Addressing the meeting, the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mr. Marc-André Franche, commended the Parliament for establishing the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities and emphasized the importance of treating disability inclusion as a national priority across all sectors. He reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations to provide technical expertise and institutional support in areas including legislative reforms, accessibility, inclusive education, employment, community-based rehabilitation and strengthening national coordination.The UNICEF Representative, Ms. Begoña Arellano, highlighted the need to safeguard the rights of children with disabilities, particularly in relation to health, nutrition and education, while emphasizing the important oversight role of Parliament in ensuring the effective implementation of disability-inclusive policies.Representatives of UNFPA, UNDP, ILO and UN Volunteers also briefed the Caucus on ongoing initiatives relating to youth, education, disability data collection, employment opportunities and social inclusion.During the meeting, the Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment, Hon. (Dr.) Upali Pannilage, informed the Caucus that the proposed Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill and the Sign Language Bill are currently with the Attorney General's Department and are expected to be presented to Parliament on September 2026. He further stated that measures are underway to improve accessibility in public institutions, expand employment opportunities, introduce educational grants for university students with disabilities and establish ten day-care centres for children with disabilities within this year.The Caucus also discussed future initiatives, including the preparation of disability-inclusive budget proposals by Government Ministries, the finalisation of a national disability database and the conduct of a sensitisation programme for journalists to promote a rights-based approach to disability related reporting.The meeting concluded with the Chair, Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva, reiterating the Caucus's core theme, "An unhindered social life," and calling for continued, unified collaboration to make an inclusive society a reality.The meeting was attended by the Deputy Co-Chairs of the Caucus, Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka, and Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam, the Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment, Hon. (Dr.) Upali Pannilage, Members of Parliament and representatives of the United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP, ILO and UN Volunteers.
2026-07-20
A technical report prepared by the Election Commission on enhancing the representation of women and youth at Provincial Council Elections was presented to the Parliamentary Select Committee to look into and report to Parliament on the matter of selecting the Electoral System under which the Provincial Council Elections should be held and submit its proposals and recommendations in that regard.The Select Committee met recently at Parliament under the chairmanship of Hon. Minister Vijitha Herath. Hon. Minister Saroja Savithri Paulraj, Chairperson of the Women Parliamentarians' Caucus of Sri Lanka, together with the Members of the Caucus, also participated in the meeting.The report presented by the Election Commission outlined a proposed technical framework for increasing the representation of women and youth while retaining the existing Proportional Representation electoral system and preserving the current method of determining election results.The Committee held extensive discussions on the legal and practical issues that may arise in ensuring the representation of women and youth under the proposed electoral system. It was decided to examine these matters further and continue the discussion at a future meeting.During the discussion, the Women Parliamentarians' Caucus unanimously emphasized that women's representation at Provincial Council and Local Government Elections should be increased to at least 33%. The Caucus further stressed that this position should be duly taken into consideration when formulating the proposed electoral system.The meeting was attended by Hon. Deputy Ministers Arun Hemachandra and Attorney-at-Law Sunil Watagala; Hon. Members of Parliament R. M. Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Mano Ganesan, Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam, Dharmapriya Wijesinghe, Samanmali Gunasinghe, and Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi and the Chairman of the Election Commission, R. M. A. L. Ratnayake, together with the other Members of the Election Commission.
2026-07-20
The Sectoral Oversight Committee on Environment, Agriculture and Resource Sustainability discussed the paddy purchasing process and the measures taken by the Government to ensure an adequate supply of rice to meet the country's requirement.The matter was taken up when the Committee met recently at Parliament under the Chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament Hector Appuhamy. During the meeting, the importance of establishing a comprehensive and reliable agricultural data system to minimize the imbalance between agricultural production and market demand was emphasized. The Committee observed that the introduction of an integrated data system capable of providing accurate information on cultivated crop varieties, cultivation extents and market demand would help minimize excess production and price-related issues while ensuring farmers receive a fair price for their produce.The Committee also discussed the production and consumption patterns of rice varieties such as Samba, Keeri Samba, Nadu and Red Rice, and stressed the importance of planning production in line with market demand.Attention was also drawn to the need to strengthen data sharing and coordination between the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation and other relevant institutions.Meanwhile, at the request of Hon. Member of Parliament Ajith P. Perera, the Committee also considered a proposal referred by the Chair of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Governance, Justice and Civil Protection regarding amendments to the Survey Act, No. 17 of 2002.The meeting was attended by Hon. Members of Parliament Upul Kithsiri, Kitnan Selvaraj, and Ajith P. Perera. Secretaries to the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation, together with a group of officials representing the relevant Ministries, were also present.
2026-07-16
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education recently discussed and approved the final report of the Committee appointed to make recommendations for the establishment of an Education Council in Sri Lanka which had been endorsed by the Sub-Committee on the Establishment of an Education Council.The approval was granted at the meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education held in Parliament under the chairmanship of Hon. Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.During the meeting, the Chair of the Sub-Committee, Hon. Deputy Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe, presented the report to the Committee. The report incorporates the observations and recommendations made following a comprehensive study conducted by the panel of experts appointed by the Ministry to formulate recommendations for the establishment of an Education Council in Sri Lanka.Thereafter, the Committee sought the views and proposals of its members on the contents of the report. Following an extensive discussion, the Ministerial Consultative Committee approved the report.The meeting was attended by Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Members of Parliament, and officials of the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education.
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