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.
2026-06-19
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Environment focused its attention on the issue of water pollution in the Kelani River when it met in Parliament recently (10th June) under the chairmanship of the Hon. Minister of Environment, Dr. Dammika Patabendi.During the meeting, the Committee was briefed on the progress of discussions being held with companies that have expressed willingness to invest in a project aimed at cleaning the waters of the Kelani River.The Committee also discussed a number of proposals and other issues raised by Hon. Members of Parliament.The meeting was attended by Hon. Members of Parliament and officials.
2026-06-18
A meeting of the Women Parliamentarians Caucus was held in Parliament recently to discuss the importance of incorporating Gender-Responsive Budgeting into Sri Lanka’s national budget formulation process and to examine the challenges associated with its implementation.The meeting was chaired by the Chairperson of the Caucus and Hon. Minister of Women and Child Affairs, Saroja Savithri Paulraj. Hon. Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya also participated in the discussion.A key concern raised during the discussion was the lack of adequate data and indicators to accurately assess and measure women’s economic contributions within the budgetary process. Drawing on examples of approaches adopted in India and other countries, members of the Caucus underscored the need to identify and address existing systemic and technical gaps in Sri Lanka’s budgeting framework.The Caucus also emphasized the importance of disaggregating data by gender in project reporting and strengthening digital data management systems to support such efforts. It was further noted that identifying relevant gender-related considerations at the initial stages of project design and implementation at the ministerial level would facilitate more effective project analysis, monitoring, and evaluation of outcomes.The need to move away from existing traditional and time-consuming methods towards formal online systems and data-driven analytical tools was also emphasized.The current progress and challenges in integrating Gender-Responsive Budgeting into Sri Lanka’s public financial policy were discussed in detail during the meeting.It was also emphasized that such budgeting should not be limited to nominal percentages in documents, but that the need to establish a formal framework and data system to ensure it has a real and practical impact was also highlighted.The Hon.Deputy Chairperson of Committees Hemalee Weerasekera, Hon. Deputy Minister Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathne, Co-Vice Chairpersons of the Caucus, Hon. Members of Parliament Chamindrani Kiriella, Attorney at Law and Samanmalee Gunasinghe, Hon. Members of Parliament Thushari Jayasinghe, Attorney at Law, Krishnan Kaleichelvi, Sagarika Athauda ,Attorney at Law, Nilanthi Kottahachchi, Attorney at Law, Ambika Samivel and Lakmali Hemachandra, Attorney at Law, along with a group of officials from the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, also participated in the event.
2026-06-17
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government met recently (Jun. 12) at Parliament under the chairmanship of the Hon. Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government, Prof. A.H.M.H. Abayarathna.During the meeting, Members of Parliament discussed a range of issues and proposals relating to their respective electorates, as well as several other matters of public importance.Hon. Members of Parliament and officials were present at the meeting.
2026-06-17
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs met recently (Jun. 09) at Parliament under the chairmanship of the Hon. Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi.During the meeting, Members of Parliament discussed a number of proposals and issues, including reviewing the progress of discussions initiated with the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education and the Department of Examinations regarding the formulation of regulations to prevent the conduct of private tuition classes on Sunday mornings, thereby facilitating the holding of Dhamma School classes on Sundays.The meeting was attended by Hon. Deputy Ministers, Hon. Members of Parliament and officials.
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