The Hon. Minister of Plantations, Dr. Ramesh Pathirana stated that immediate steps will be taken to stop the felling of coconut trees and accordingly, the coconut tree will be included in Felling of Trees (Control) Act.
The Minister said so while responding to a question raised by MPs Hector Appuhamy and Upul Mahendra Rajapaksa at the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Plantation held recently.
MP Hector Appuhamy, pointed out that businessmen remove coconut trees before dividing them up, especially when selling lands, and that investigators come and inspect these lands and name them as lands without coconut trees. He further pointed out that a fraud is taking place in this regard.
Also, MP Madura Vithanage, commented on non-receipt of dividends due to the government from Gal Oya Plantation Company. He said that a large number of irregularities had taken place especially in obtaining money at high interest rates and paying salaries for the staff members and that legal action should be taken in this regard.
State Minister Janaka Wakkumbura stated that the Ministry has already been instructed to conduct an audit in this regard. Minister Ramesh Pathirana further stated that it is being observed that a misuse of state resources has taken place in this regard and it is necessary to investigate this matter.
Discussions were also held regarding the reopening of the Kantale Sugar Factory and the allocation of lands to the persons currently residing in these lands. Discussions also focused on the development of palmyrah and date palm cultivation in the Northern Province, the development of the toddy industry in the Northern Province, the reduction of Palm oil cultivation and the increasing subsidies to tea smallholders.
State Ministers Arundika Fernando, and Kanaka Herath, MPs Udayana Kiridiyagoda, Weerasumana Weerasinghe, Shantha Bandara, Samanpriya Herath, Sampath Athukorala, Manjula Dissanayake, Muditha de Zoysa, Velu Kumar, Charles Nirmalanathan and Rajika Wickramasinghe were also present at the meeting.
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.
2026-07-16
The Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) extensively reviewed the Auditor General's Reports relating to the Department of Examinations of Sri Lanka for the years 2021 to 2024, as well as its current performance.The discussion took place when the Committee met in Parliament under the chairmanship of its Chair, Hon. Member of Parliament Kabir Hashim.During the meeting, the Committee focused on a number of matters, including the conduct of examinations and the process of releasing examination results, the use of information technology systems, human resource management, procurement procedures, the submission of annual reports to Parliament, and the implementation of the recommendations of the Auditor General.Officials also briefed the Committee on the measures taken to further enhance the Department's current performance and service efficiency, as well as the programmes scheduled to be implemented in the future.The Committee also discussed the action taken in response to the observations of the Auditor General and instructed the officials to take the necessary steps to expedite the implementation of the remaining recommendations.The meeting was attended by Committee Members Hon. Deputy Ministers Nalin Hewage and Sugath Thilakarathna, and Hon. Members of Parliament Chanaka Madugoda, Dr. M. L. A. M. Hizbullah, Hector Appuhamy, T. K. Jayasundara, Chandana Sooriyarachchi, Lal Premanath, Ruwanthilaka Jayakody, Dr. Janaka Senarathna and Sunil Rathnasiri.
2026-07-16
Parliamentary Caucus for Youth focused on the importance of obtaining the views and proposals of young people on the Draft National Youth Policy.The matter was discussed at the sixth meeting of the Parliamentary Forum for Youth, held recently in Parliament under the chairmanship of Hon. Deputy Minister Eranga Gunasekara.During the meeting, an extensive discussion was held on the Draft National Youth Policy. Attention was also drawn to obtaining the views and proposals of the Members of the Caucus with a view to incorporating the needs and aspirations of young people into the policy in a more effective manner.It was further emphasised that the Parliamentary Caucus for Youth will continue to facilitate the meaningful inclusion of the voices of young people in the policy formulation process.The meeting was attended by Hon. Members of Parliament and officials.
2026-07-10
The Committee on High Posts, which met in Parliament recently (Jul. 08), has granted its approval for the appointment of Mr. D.P. Wickramasingha as the Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation.The meeting was chaired by the Hon. Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and was attended by Hon. Ministers Bimal Rathnayake and Dr. Upali Pannilage, as well as Hon. Members of Parliament Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe, Rishad Bathiudeen, K. Kader Mastan, Kumara Jayakody, Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan, and Attorney-at-Law Chamindrani Kiriella.
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