2021-08-06
News Categories : Committee News
All steps have been taken to expedite the sending of Sri Lankans for Korean employment opportunities which have been delayed due to the prevailing Covid-19 situation, Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said at a meeting of Ministerial Consultative Committee on Foreign held in Parliament recently (04).
The Minister said that the matter had already been discussed at the diplomatic level and that the Korean Ambassador had made a special proposal to provide employment opportunities to Sri Lankans in the agricultural sector in Korea. However, due to the delay in the prevailing Covid situation, all relevant steps are already being taken, the Minister said.
The Minister was speaking when Parliamentarian Gamini Waleboda said that there was an opportunity for Sri Lankans to work in Korea.
Addressing the committee, Member of Parliament Gevidu Kumaratunga said that ‘The Overseas Operations Act’ passed by the British Parliament has exempted British soldiers from war crimes committed abroad five years ago. In this context, it is not justifiable to make allegations of human rights abuses even when the Sri Lankan Army stands up for the security of its homeland, he said.
He also pointed out that the voices must be raised against the use of human rights in opposition to the independence of countries. He also called for action to be taken to reveal to the world the true situation of the Sri Lankan Army which has set an example to the world by launching a humanitarian operation.
Commenting on this, Foreign Secretary Admiral (Prof.) Jayanath Colombage stated that the matter is being studied. The Foreign Secretary said that the people of the North and East of the country will be given back their lands and that the international community will be made aware of all these matters.
Speaking at the meeting, Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said that Sri Lanka had also expressed its views in this regard at the last Human Rights Council in Geneva. He also said that a special Presidential Commission chaired by Supreme Court Judge Nawaz has been appointed to gather evidence in this regard. An interim report of this commission has been submitted to the President and steps have been taken to inform the British High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, the Minister said.
Also, MP Chandima Weerakkody pointed out that since many countries have labeled Sri Lanka as a "red country" in this Covid situation, separate relations should be maintained with the relevant countries to change this attitude towards Sri Lanka. He also pointed out that the appointment of a Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India has been delayed for two years.
State Minister Tharaka Balasuriya stated that a strategic plan has been prepared with the relevant parties for this purpose. Although this is difficult in practice with the situation prevailing in some countries, the state minister explained that all steps are being taken for this. It was also revealed that a High Commissioner to India will assume duties on the 15th of this month.
MP S. Rasamanikkam pointed out that since most of the public issues related to foreign affairs come to the MPs, a coordinating officer should be appointed at the ministerial level. The Foreign Secretary stated that necessary steps will be taken to resolve this issue.
Mr. Rasamanikkam also inquired about the launch of a ferry service between Rameshwaran in Tamil Nadu and Thalai Mannar. The Foreign Secretary stated that the Indian side has agreed to this and that the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Ports have not reached a final decision in this regard.
Member of Parliament (Dr.) Suren Raghavan, brought to the notice of the committee that the conduct of foreign service examinations has been delayed. The Foreign Secretary said that the conduct of the examination has been delayed due to the prevailing situation and that the Department of Examinations will take immediate action in this regard. It was revealed that this examination was held in 2018 for the last time and currently there are vacancies for officers. Therefore, arrangements have been made by the Department of Examinations to conduct the examination and after that interview will be conducted by the Ministerial level to fill the relevant vacancies, the Foreign Secretary said.
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Foreign chaired by Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena was attended by State Minister Tharaka Balasuriya, Members of Parliament Dilan Perera, S. Rasamanikkam, Gamini Waleboda, Dr. Suren Raghavan, Yadamini Gunawardena and Sudath Manjula, Foreign Secretary Admiral (Prof.) Jayanath Colombage. The other officers joined the meeting online.
2026-04-29
The Select Committee of Parliament to conduct a comprehensive study on the lack of preparedness to face Cyclone Ditwah and report to Parliament and submit its proposals and recommendations in that regard, called officials from the Department of Meteorology and the Disaster Management Centre to appear before it.These matters were discussed when the Committee met recently in Parliament under the chairmanship of the Hon. minister (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa. The meeting was attended by a group of senior officials from the respective institutions, including the Director General of the Department of Meteorology, Mr. Athula Karunanayake, and the Director General of the Disaster Management Centre, Major General (Retd) Sampath Kotuwegoda.During the meeting, the Committee inquired into how the Department of Meteorology and the Disaster Management Centre operate as primary responding institutions during natural disasters.Officials also clarified the shortcomings in the existing system as well as deficiencies in the relevant technical equipment.It was also decided to summon officials from the Department of Irrigation and the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka before the Committee in the future to examine how those institutions function as primary responding bodies, and subsequently to call these institutions separately to investigate incidents related to Cyclone “Ditwah.”The meeting was attended by the Committee members including Hon. Deputy Ministers Dr. Prasanna Gunasena, Major General (Retd.) Aruna Jayasekara, and Anton Jayakodi, as well as Hon. Members of Parliament Attorney at Law Anuradha Jayaratne, Hector Appuhamy, Rohini Kumari Wijerathna, M.K.M. Aslam, Attorney at Law Anushka Thilakaratne, Kandasamy Prabhu, Ruwan Mapalagama, and (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam.
2026-04-28
The Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities held discussions with several ministries regarding the allocations made in the 2026 Budget for persons with disabilities and the progress of related programs. The meeting took place recently in Parliament under the chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament Sugath Wasantha de Silva.During the meeting, relevant ministries presented matters related to higher education, religious and cultural sites, accessible housing for persons with disabilities, access to credit for entrepreneurship, and technological innovations.Accordingly, the University Grants Commission stated that 143 students with disabilities were admitted during 2024/2025, and it is expected to increase this number to 203 in 2025/2026. Each university has been allocated between Rs. 25–50 million for infrastructure development. It was also noted that an additional monthly allowance of Rs. 5,000 will be provided to low-income students with disabilities. Officials further stated that a pilot project is being implemented to admit students with disabilities into medical faculties in several universities. Measures will also be taken to recruit permanent sign language interpreters for universities and to develop a program to identify students who become disabled due to accidents and provide them with assistive devices such as wheelchairs.Meanwhile, officials from the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs stated that coordinating officers have already been appointed under the ministry to handle matters related to persons with disabilities. The Chair of the Caucus drew attention to the lack of physical accessibility at religious places, especially temples. It was decided to coordinate with the Central Cultural Fund and the Department of Archaeology to improve accessibility infrastructure at religious and historical sites.The Ministry of Housing, Construction and Water Supply has allocated Rs. 500 million to provide sanitary facilities for persons with disabilities in the Western Province and plans to construct 9,700 houses in 2026. The ministry also agreed to adopt a special loan scheme for persons with disabilities and to develop “model plans” to construct houses that meet their specific needs.Officials further informed the Caucus that housing construction will be carried out based on flexible “model plans” designed with consideration for the specific needs of persons with disabilities.The Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development pointed out that there is a significant “trust gap” between banks and entrepreneurs with disabilities, making it difficult for them to obtain loans. Accordingly, the Chair instructed the ministry to explore the possibility of introducing a Credit Guarantee Scheme for micro and small entrepreneurs with disabilities.In addition, the Ministry of Science and Technology stated that it will pay special attention to research that supports the needs of the disabled community, particularly in the commercialization of innovations. The Caucus advised the ministry to encourage research teams to develop assistive devices and to prioritize bringing such products to market.Officials from the Ministries of Youth Affairs and Sports, Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, and Environment also shared their views.The Caucus further decided to review the progress of all the proposed plans by each ministry again in six months.The meeting was attended by the Deputy Co-Chair of the Caucus, Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam, members of the Caucus including Hon. Members of Parliament Padmasiri Bandara, Chandima Hettiarachchi, and with the permission of the Chair, Hon. Members of Parliament T.K. Jayasundara and Jagath Manuwarna, along with a group of officials.Representatives from several organizations, including the National Forum of Women with Disabilities, the Sri Lanka Central Federation of the Deaf, the Little People Association, and the Youth Network with Disabilities (YND), also attended. Additionally, representatives of the disability community were present as observers at the invitation of the Chair, along with officials from the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).
2026-04-09
The Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) met on 07th April 2026 under the chairmanship of Hon Member of Parliament Dr. Harsha de Silva.The Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, along with members of the Governing Board, the Monetary Policy Board, and senior officials, attended the meeting as part of the Central Bank’s statutory presentation to Parliament conducted once every four months.Hon. Deputy Ministers Chathuranga Abeysinghe, (Dr.) (Ms.) Kaushalya Ariyarathnea and Nishantha Jayaweera, Hon. Members of parliament Rauff Hakeem, Attorney at Law, Ravi Karunanayake, M.K.M. Aslam, Nimal Palihena, Chithral Fernando, Attorney at Law, Wijesiri Basnayake, Thilina Samarakoon, Champika Hettiarachchi and (Ms.) Lakmali Hemachandra, Attorney at Law were also present at the meeting.During the meeting, the Committee took up as a matter of priority the alleged fraud at NDB Bank. The Committee initiated a focused discussion with the Central Bank, underscoring the seriousness of the issue and the need for urgent attention.The Governor informed the Committee that an initial investigation in this regard is currently underway. He further assured that the Central Bank will report back to the Committee at the earliest possible opportunity once the necessary information has been gathered.The Committee observed with serious concern that there appear to have been considerable lapses in corporate governance at the bank, deficiencies in supervision by the relevant departments of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, and undue delays in the reporting of material information.The Committee firmly underscored that such shortcomings are unacceptable and directed that immediate corrective measures be undertaken. It further emphasized that it will continue to closely monitor this matter and exercise stringent oversight to ensure full accountability, transparency, and the safeguarding of public confidence in the financial system.
2026-04-02
The Committee on High Posts has approved the appointments of four Ministry Secretaries.The approval was granted when the Committee met in Parliament recently (Mar. 20) under the chairmanship of Hon. Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.Accordingly, the Committee approved the appointments of Air Vice Marshall H.S.S Thuyyacontha (Retd.) as the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Mr. L Mohamed Navavi as the Secretary to the Ministry of Science and Technology, Mrs. W.M.D.T Wickramasinghe as the Secretary to the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs and Mr. W.W.S Mangala as the Secretary to the Ministry of Ports and Civil Aviation.
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