2022-11-23
News Categories : Committee News
Hon. Roshan Ranasinghe, Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs instructed the Ministry officials to call for a written inquiry from the Sri Lanka Cricket Select Committee the reason for the non-inclusion of Chamika Karunaratne in to the National Team in the event that the player has become the man of the series in the last two cricket tournaments and having being ranked second in cricket rankings.
The Members of Parliament said that there is a speculation that when selecting players for the Sri Lankan cricket team, only players belonging to a certain religious group are selected, and there is a rumor that the cricketer Chamika Karunaratne, who has performed well in the past, was not selected to the national team because he did not agree with the particular religious ideology.
These views were expressed at the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Sports and Youth Affairs meeting held in Parliament recently (Nov. 22) under the Chairmanship of the Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Hon. Roshan Ranasinghe.
It was also expressed that officials who went abroad with the sponsorship of the Sri Lanka Cricket Institute to participate in the last Cricket World Cup should be looked into. The Members of Parliament also mentioned that an amount of 800 dollars per day has been paid to one person with all the facilities and non-officials have also participated in the trip receiving the same facilities. Furthermore, the councilors pointed out that a formal regulation regarding the use of money in conducting T20, T10 and LPL tournaments is necessary with the intervention of the Sports Ministry.
The Minister stated that Bellwood Aesthetics Resort will be developed as Bellwood Aesthetic Academy to provide the NVQ 6 internationally recognized certification. The Minister said that in addition to the existing subjects, steps will be taken to introduce new subjects such as acting, costume design, television and film production technology, and a studio complex with all the necessary technical equipment will be built and steps will be taken to upgrade it to the status of Hollywood and Bollywood film industries in 2023.
The Members expressed their gratitude for the minister's attention and action on the concerns faced by the children of Bellwood Institute, especially pertaining to the lack of a full-time principal as well as food and transportation concerns.
The Minister also instructed the officials to immediately investigate the demolition of the 4-storey building on the 50-acre land where the Bellwood Aesthetics Resort is located by the then chairman during 2015-2019 and take legal action against it.
It was also discussed that the turf of the only international level hockey field in Sri Lanka is not of a standardized level due to lack of proper maintenance. The Members of Parliament expressed their views on the need to reorganize it and maintain it for the future of hockey. The officials mentioned that the Asian Hockey Federation has agreed to develop it on the basis that 50% of the financial contribution is made by Sri Lanka.
Furthermore, it was also expressed regarding the dilapidated synthetic track of the Diyagama stadium, and due to this, the Parliamentarians pointed out that apart from the Sugathadasa stadium, there is no track for the players to practice.
It was discussed that the indoor playground of the Maharagama Youth Council has become dilapidated due to getting wet during the rainy season as a result of lack of proper maintenance. The chairman of the Youth Services Council said that he is holding talks with the Japanese Embassy to renovate this building, which was built using Japanese aid and technology. The chairman also mentioned that the Minister has given instructions to use the income earned by the Youth Service Council for its maintenance.
It was emphasized that the provincial and regional sports are being destroyed due to the non-functioning of the provincial councils and the councilors also requested the attention of the minister as it has a negative effect on the emergence of players at the national level. It was also expressed that the Ministry of Sports should start a program to regulate the functioning of various sports federations across the country.
Views were also expressed about the possibility of inviting sports associations to the committee for discussion, and the chairman gave instructions to the secretary of the committee to carry out further procedures in this regard.
State Minster Hon. Rohana Dissanayaka, members of Parliament Hon. (Dr.) Sarath Weerasekera, Hon. Kavinda Heshan Jayawardhana, Hon. Nalin Bandara Jayamaha, Hon. Upul Mahendra Rajapaksha, Hon. Jagath Samarawickrama, Hon. Weerasumana Weerasinghe, Hon. Sampath Athukorala, Hon. Mayadunna Chinthak, Hon. Waruna Liyanage, Hon. Mohomad Muzammil, Hon. Mujibur Rahuman, Meinistry of Sports and affiliated institutions were present at the Committee meeting held.
2026-05-26
The Central Provincial Council was summoned before the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) to examine the Auditor General’s triennial report for the years 2021–2023, the Auditor General’s report for 2024, and the Council’s current performance.The committee meeting, chaired by Hon. Member of Parliament Kabir Hashim, was held recently at Parliament.During the meeting, attention was drawn to the progress made in implementing recommendations issued at the COPA meeting held on 5th September, 2019. Discussions focused on the incident involving the destruction of files belonging to the Central Provincial Passenger Transport Authority.It was revealed that directives issued by the relevant court and the Presidential Secretary regarding the incident had not been implemented by the responsible authorities. In this regard, the Committee Chairman instructed officials of the Central Provincial Council to submit all reports and correspondence related to the incident to the committee.In addition, the committee discussed an incident involving the unlawful transfer of a rest house owned by the Road Development Authority to a third party in violation of lease conditions. Accordingly, the Chairman instructed officials to identify the officers responsible for making the relevant decisions and to submit a report to the committee on the legal action being taken in connection with the matter.The committee also held extensive discussions on irregularities identified by the National Audit Office in road development and passenger transport services in the Central Province, as well as issues affecting the health sector.Expressing his views during the meeting, the Chairman emphasized the importance of expediting ongoing investigations within institutions and focusing on follow-up action. He further stressed that if a state institution generates profits, such profits should accrue to the government, and if such revenue is used for institutional activities, established legal provisions and procedures must be strictly followed.The meeting was attended by committee members Hon. Members of Parliament Dr. M.L.A.M. Hizbullah, Ruwanthilaka Jayakody, Attorney-at-Law Thushari Jayasinghe, Sunil Rathnasiri, Oshani Umanga, Susantha Kumara Navarathna, Ajantha Gammeddage, Chanaka Madugoda, T.K. Jayasundara and Lal Premanath along with a group of government officials.
2026-05-26
The Parliamentary Select Committee of Parliament 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, recently sought views from the Attorney General’s Department and members of the Election Commission.The discussion took place when the committee met in Parliament under the chairmanship of Hon. Minister Vijitha Herath.During the meeting, the Attorney General’s Department briefed the committee on the existing legal obstacles to holding Provincial Council elections and the possible ways in which such obstacles could be removed to facilitate the conduct of the elections.The Election Commission informed the committee that it is prepared to conduct Provincial Council elections at any time under the legal provisions enacted by Parliament based on the committee’s recommendations.The meeting was attended by Hon. Deputy Ministers Arun Hemachandra, Sunil Watagala, Attorney-at-Law and Muneer Mulaffer as well as committee members Hon. Members of Parliament Mano Ganesan, Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam, Dharmapriya Wijesinghe, Samanmali Gunasinghe and Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi. The committee member M. Nizam Kariapper, P.C also participated virtually.
2026-05-25
The Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus has decided to examine the ongoing legal proceedings and matters relating to the protection of the girl involved in the sexual abuse incident reported from the Anuradhapura area.This decision was taken during the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus meeting chaired by Hon. Minister Saroja Savithri Paulraj, held in Parliament today (May 25). Accordingly, a special discussion has been scheduled for 05.06.2026 with the participation of relevant institutions including the Sri Lanka Police, the Attorney General’s Department, the National Child Protection Authority and the Department of Probation and Child Care Services.In addition to the incident, which has generated significant public concern, the discussion is also expected to focus extensively on strengthening the laws and empowering the institutions required to prevent all forms of violence against women and children.Meanwhile, it was also decided to appoint a subcommittee under the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus to oversee the future legal proceedings relating to the Anuradhapura girl’s case and to identify the institutional and legal reforms required in the country to eliminate violence against women and children.The subcommittee will be led by the deputy co-chairs of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus Hon. Members of Parliament Samanmali Gunasinghe and Attorney-at-Law Chamindrani Kiriella. The other members of the subcommittee will be Hon. Hemali Weerasekara, Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathna, Attorney-at-Law Sagarika Athauda, Attorney-at-Law Nilanthi Kottahachchi, Attorney-at-Law Nilusha Lakmali Gamage, Attorney-at-Law Thushari Jayasinghe, Attorney-at-Law Anushka Thilakarathna, Attorney-at-Law Hasara Liyanage, Attorney-at-Law Hiruni Wijesinghe and Attorney-at-Law Lakmali Hemachandra.
2026-05-25
The progress of implementing the new education reforms was reviewed at a recent meeting of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Education, Manpower and Human Capital, chaired by Hon. Member of Parliament Hesha Withanage Ankumbura Arachchi. During the meeting held in Parliament on the 19th, extensive discussions were held on the implementation of the new education reforms.Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, Mr. Nalaka Kaluwewa, briefed the committee on the manner in which the new education reforms are being implemented.The meeting was attended by Hon. Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa, committee members, provincial education secretaries, school principals, and several other officials.
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