2021-08-06
News Categories : Committee News
Hon. Minister of Environment Mahinda Amaraweera, said that a Cabinet paper will be submitted in the future to ban 08 other items that are harmful to the environment. The Minister state the above while addressing the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Environment in Parliament on the 05th August 2021.
The Minister stated that this includes polythene bags, plastic hopper holders, plastic dishes, plastic cups and plastic spoons.
Furthermore, Hon. Minister of Environment Mahinda Amaraweera stated that the law banning lunch sheets will be strictly enforced with effect from the 01st of September. He instructed the officers to increase the number of raids with regard to the above.
Hon. Member of Parliament Madhura Withanage pointed out at the committee meeting that many environmental problems are arising in the society due to the improper disposal of the masks used in connection with the current COVID 19 pandemic.
The Central Environmental Authority (CEA) has informed the Committee that a guideline on the proper disposal of masks has been introduced and has been submitted to the Ministry of Health for approval.
The Chairman of the Committee, the Hon. Minister also acknowledged that the public should be more careful when disposing of masks.
The Secretary of Environment Dr. Anil Jasinghe stated that Local Government Institutions have a great responsibility in this regard.
The Committee paid special attention to the unauthorized construction of a hotel along the Mahaweli River in the Gannoruwa area. Hon. Parliamentarian Wasantha Yapabandara stated that this has been constructed by a powerful businessman in the area and as a result many environmental problems have been created. He further stated that the failure of the relevant institutions to take appropriate action in this regard is also a serious problem.
The Committee recommended that a special discussion be held on this matter expeditiously and that it be appropriate to conduct an observation tour of the site.
There are many unauthorized constructions on both sides of the Mahaweli River and special attention should be paid to remove them, said Hon. Parliamentarian Wasantha Yapabandara. He further stated that unauthorized constructions were often carried out on long weekends and the legal provisions available to local authorities to stop them were minimal.
The Chairman of the Committee also instructed the officials to pay special attention matters as such while amending the Environment Act.
The damage caused by the creation of islands along the Mahaweli River due to human activities are quite significant, Hon. Parliamentarian further pointed out at the committee meeting.
The Chairman of the Committee Hon. Minister Mahinda Amaraweera stated that a special program under the 'Surakimu Ganga' National Program to protect 103 rivers throughout the country has already been launched on the instructions of President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. Accordingly, the marking of the Kelani River reserve has already commenced, he said.
The need to conduct an environmental audit covering all major cities in the country was also discussed at the Committee meeting.
Hon. Members of Parliament Gunathilaka Rajapaksha, Amarakeerthi Athukorala, Kins Nelson, Weerasumana Weerasinghe, Upul Mahendra Rajapaksha and a number of government officials were present at this committee meeting.
2026-07-30
The Hon. Minister of Housing, Construction and Water Supply Dr. Susil Ranasinghe stated that action will be taken, based on the recommendations of a committee appointed to examine housing projects that were commenced during previous administrations but left incomplete due to various reasons.The matter was discussed at the meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Housing, Construction and Water Supply, held in Parliament under the chairmanship of the Minister.The Minister said that consideration is being given to allocating funds through the 2027 Budget to implement a new programme to complete these housing projects.He noted that a number of housing projects initiated in previous years had been abandoned midway because the loans and grant funding allocated for them had not been fully disbursed. According to the Minister, there are nearly 5,000 such incomplete housing units.Accordingly, a five-member committee, co-chaired by two former Secretaries to the Ministry, has been appointed to identify housing units that are in a condition suitable for use and to make recommendations on the future course of action regarding those projects.The Minister stated that the committee has already commenced its work by gathering information on the relevant housing projects, identifying houses that are fit for occupation, and formulating recommendations on the measures to be taken.He further said that final decisions regarding the abandoned housing projects will be made based on the recommendations submitted by the committee.The Minister also announced that assistance will be provided next year to families requiring support to complete partially constructed houses. It is expected that approximately 2,000 families will benefit from this programme.Meanwhile, Members of Parliament who attended the Committee meeting raised issues relating to the housing and water supply sectors in their respective electorates.The Ministry also agreed to convene a special meeting, with the participation of all relevant stakeholders, to discuss housing-related issues, including housing projects for low-income families in the Colombo District.
2026-07-30
The Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) held an extensive discussion on the first Annual Report for 2025 of the Public Debt Management Office (PDMO), which was established under the Public Debt Management Act, No. 33 of 2024.The discussion took place when the Committee met in Parliament recently under the chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament Dr. Harsha de Silva, with the participation of Hon. Members of Parliament Ravi Karunanayake, Ajith Agalakada, Nimal Palihena, Attorney-at-Law Chithral Fernando, Wijesiri Basnayake, M.K.M. Aslam, Thilina Samarakoon, and Attorney-at-Law Lakmali Hemachandra.The Committee paid particular attention to the impact on public debt servicing arising from the increase in the public debt stock during 2025, fluctuations in interest rates, and the depreciation of the Sri Lankan Rupee. The importance of coordination between the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Finance in public debt management was also discussed.It was explained that the Public Debt Management Office (PDMO) was established under the Public Debt Management Act, No. 33 of 2024 to consolidate public debt management under a single institution. Its key responsibilities include managing public debt, ensuring debt sustainability, formulating the Medium-Term Debt Management Strategy, and submitting the Annual Public Debt Management Report to Parliament.The Committee also held an extensive discussion on the shortage of human resources within the PDMO and the need to provide its officers with specialized training in international financial markets and modern debt management practices. Officials also briefed the Committee on capacity-building programmes being implemented with technical assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).The Committee instructed officials to submit the Training Needs Assessment (TNA) report being prepared for the PDMO within two weeks.It was further revealed that the report is expected to serve as the basis for identifying knowledge and skills gaps among PDMO staff, developing a structured annual training plan, identifying training requirements in technical areas such as international financial market operations, debt management and risk management, and planning the budget required for future training programmes.The Committee also focused on government guarantees extended to state-owned enterprises, the progress of debt restructuring, and future measures required to further strengthen transparency and efficiency in public debt management.
2026-07-22
The draft Terms of Reference (ToR) prepared for the Parliamentary Caucus for Open Parliament Initiative was approved recently at a meeting held in Parliament with the participation of Parliament's development partner organizations.The approval was granted during a meeting of the Caucus chaired by its Co-Chair, Hon. Member of Parliament Shanakkiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam.The draft Terms of Reference was developed based on proposals and recommendations received during a workshop organized by the Caucus in recent months to gather stakeholder input for its preparation.The meeting also agreed that, following the approval of the Terms of Reference, the document would be submitted to Hon. President, and that a discussion would be held with the President on behalf of the Caucus.
2026-07-22
The Sub-Committee appointed by the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) focused its attention on the methodology, implementation timeline and coordination arrangements relating to the research study proposed for the restructuring of the Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technological Education (SLIATE), when it met recently, at Parliament under the Chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament Ruwan Mapalagama.During the meeting, discussions were held on the establishment of the proposed Institutional Operations Committee and a six-member Coordination Team to facilitate the implementation of the research. Attention was also focused on the proposed Mixed-Methods Design, the preparation of questionnaires and the data collection process.The Sub-Committee further reviewed the progress of obtaining public views on the restructuring of SLIATE. Matters relating to obtaining the contribution of the Human Resources and Management Information Systems (MIS) divisions for the research, the preparation of the research implementation timeline through a Gantt Chart, and the stakeholder consultations to be held with representatives of the industry sector were also considered.The programme to obtain the views of stakeholders, including Chambers of Commerce, industry associations and professional bodies, as well as the conduct of field visits to selected SLIATE institutions across the country, was also discussed.The Sub-Committee decided to proceed with the future activities of the research in accordance with the agreed timeline and to present the relevant progress reports at its next meeting.Hon. Member of Parliament Lieutenant Commander (Retired) Prageeth Madhuranga also attended the meeting.
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