2021-12-03
News Categories : Committee News
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Public Services, Provincial Councils & Local Government took to discussion the fact that although the local government bodies cannot spend money for the coming year without the passing of the budget, the Ambalangoda Urban Council has spent money without approving the budget for the year 2021. The discussion took place at Parliament yesterday (02). It was disclosed that there is a possibility of dissolving the local government body after informing the Governor by the Local Government Commissioner as it is illegal. This situation is now happening in several other local government bodies as well, the Members present said.
Hon. Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon stated that special attention will be paid to this as it sets a wrong precedent. Responsible officials including Local Government Commissioners and Governors are expected to be summoned before this Committee in the future to discuss issues related to Local Government Institutions, the Minister added.
The following matters were taken into discussion at the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Public Services, Provincial Councils & Local Government held under the chairmanship of Hon. Janaka Bandara Tennakoon and Hon. State Minister of Provincial Councils & Local Government Roshan Ranasinghe yesterday (02).
Hon. Members of Parliament pointed out the need to extend the deadline for the completion of local government projects. Furthermore, it was discussed that the project should be extended to January next year as the projects could not be completed due to the lack of cement and due to the COVID situation.
The committee members also drew attention to the improper maintenance of properties such as stadiums under local government bodies. The Minister instructed the relevant officials to conduct a progress review at least once a month with the intervention of the line ministries to ascertain whether the Local Government Institutions are carrying out such activities properly.
The Line Ministry also pointed out the need to implement a special program to regulate this as the Local Government Commissioners do not take action to administer the finances of the Local Government Institutions as the Provincial Councils are inactive.
It was discussed at the Committee that the revenue of the Local Government Institutions has decreased rapidly due to the prevailing COVID situation. The committee members pointed out that the revenue generated due to the reduction in the number of employees for assessment was much less than the actual revenue due to the assessment tax.
Many issues such as the shortage of public health inspectors, pharmacists and family health workers in the Municipal Councils were also discussed at this meeting. The Secretary to the Ministry said that steps will be taken to direct the newly recruited graduates to the Local Government Institutions and as these problems have been identified, steps will be taken to resolve them expeditiously.
Committee Members Shan Vijayalal De Silva, Sudath Manjula and many Members of Parliament were also present at the meeting. Officials including the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration Mr. J J Rathnasiri were also present at the Committee meeting held.
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.
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.
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