2022-11-16
News Categories : Committee News
Since the last elephant census in Sri Lanka was conducted in 2011, a new countrywide census is expected to be conducted next year, Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation Mahinda Amaraweera said yesterday (Nov. 15).
The minister said that a long-term program to reduce human-elephant conflict will be prepared and as one of the measures, a full census of elephants will be conducted.
The Minister said this at the first meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation held yesterday (15) for the third session of the Ninth Parliament.
The minister mentioned this when the MPs asked about the elephant-human conflict, which has become a serious problem day by day. Accordingly, many MPs drew the attention of the minister about the human elephant conflict in various areas including Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Ratnapura, Ampara districts.
It was also revealed that a number of reasons, including the reduction of elephant habitats and the significant increase in elephant population, have led to human-elephant conflict.
The minister said that 16 main elephant corridors in the island have been blocked and due to this the arrival of elephants in the villages has increased. Accordingly, the minister further said that these obstacles will be removed promptly.
Also, the minister said that the President has appointed a committee to find solutions to the human-elephant conflict, and based on the committee's decisions, he hopes to prepare a program with long-term solutions.
The minister also said that a series of separate meetings will be organized in those districts to discuss the existing problems related to the protection of wildlife and forest resources, and in consultation with public representatives and government officials, steps will be taken to provide the necessary solutions without delay.
The members also drew the committee's attention to the damage caused to crops by animals such as monkeys, peacocks, etc. The minister also said that tough decisions will be taken to reduce these damages.
It was also discussed at the committee about the hardships faced by the farmers during the demarcation of the boundaries by the Department of Forest Resources Conservation. The minister instructed the officials to provide solutions in such a way that the people are not affected.
Deputy Speaker Ajith Rajapaksa, Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa, State Ministers Siripala Gamlath, Shantha Bandara, Thenuka Vidanagamage, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, Diana Gamage, Rohana Dissanayake, Chamara Sampath Dasanayake, Vijitha Berugoda, Mohan Priyadarshana de Silva, a group of Members of Parliament including Kins Nelson, Kapila Athukorala, Kumarasiri Ratnayake, and government officials were also present at this meeting held.
2026-07-21
Discussions focus on strengthening disability-inclusive legislation and policy implementationThe Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities held discussions with the United Nations Resident Coordinator and representatives of several United Nations agencies at Parliament with a view to strengthening cooperation in promoting the rights of persons with disabilities and advancing disability-inclusive legislation and policies in Sri Lanka.The meeting was held in Parliament under the Chairmanship of the Chair of the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities, Hon. Member of Parliament Sugath Wasantha de Silva recently.Addressing the meeting, the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mr. Marc-André Franche, commended the Parliament for establishing the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities and emphasized the importance of treating disability inclusion as a national priority across all sectors. He reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations to provide technical expertise and institutional support in areas including legislative reforms, accessibility, inclusive education, employment, community-based rehabilitation and strengthening national coordination.The UNICEF Representative, Ms. Begoña Arellano, highlighted the need to safeguard the rights of children with disabilities, particularly in relation to health, nutrition and education, while emphasizing the important oversight role of Parliament in ensuring the effective implementation of disability-inclusive policies.Representatives of UNFPA, UNDP, ILO and UN Volunteers also briefed the Caucus on ongoing initiatives relating to youth, education, disability data collection, employment opportunities and social inclusion.During the meeting, the Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment, Hon. (Dr.) Upali Pannilage, informed the Caucus that the proposed Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill and the Sign Language Bill are currently with the Attorney General's Department and are expected to be presented to Parliament on September 2026. He further stated that measures are underway to improve accessibility in public institutions, expand employment opportunities, introduce educational grants for university students with disabilities and establish ten day-care centres for children with disabilities within this year.The Caucus also discussed future initiatives, including the preparation of disability-inclusive budget proposals by Government Ministries, the finalisation of a national disability database and the conduct of a sensitisation programme for journalists to promote a rights-based approach to disability related reporting.The meeting concluded with the Chair, Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva, reiterating the Caucus's core theme, "An unhindered social life," and calling for continued, unified collaboration to make an inclusive society a reality.The meeting was attended by the Deputy Co-Chairs of the Caucus, Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka, and Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam, the Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment, Hon. (Dr.) Upali Pannilage, Members of Parliament and representatives of the United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP, ILO and UN Volunteers.
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.
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