2022-11-25
News Categories : Committee News
Prime Minister and Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government instructs the Officials
The Prime Minister and Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena instructed the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government and its Legal Officer to make legal amendments to allow Samurdhi officers and field officers the opportunity to contest in the elections.
The Prime Minister Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena was addressing the Consultative Committee on Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government held in Parliament on 22 November.
According to the cabinet approval to allow the field officers to contest in the elections within their division, the draft law has been sent to the department on October 19 to make an amendment, the ministry officials said.
The role of the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration was examined here and the Prime Minister instructed the Director General to conduct an awareness program by bringing the Members of Parliament to the institution as this institution is included in the restructuring program.
The MPs who participated in the meeting said that a national policy on the transfer of divisional secretaries be prepared. The Ministry Secretary said that there is no specific system regarding the transfer of divisional secretaries and transfers are done based on their requests. He said that a divisional secretary can work in one place for 06 years and the maximum is 12 years after getting a recommendation from the Public Service Commission and the divisional secretaries have been informed about it.
Attention was also drawn to the fact that some divisional secretariats have not implemented any development activities using the allocations given for 2021. The committee chairman instructed the ministry secretary to look into the matter and take appropriate measures. The MPs also pointed out that the investigations being carried out regarding divisional secretaries involved in bribery, fraud and corruption are slow.
The MPs also mentioned that disciplinary action be taken against the Grama Niladhari officers who commit irregularities and the delay in taking action, even though facts were presented with evidence. The officials mentioned that action has been taken on every complaint received. The complaints of primary and secondary level officers are referred to the divisional secretaries, the complaints of tertiary level officers are referred to the district secretaries and the Ministry of Public Administration intervenes directly for the complaints of executive level officers, they further said. The Prime Minister emphasized that immediate action should be taken to avoid the excessive delay in the investigation of irregularities in the public service.
The Chairman emphasized to the Additional Secretary of Home Affairs that office facilities should be provided immediately for the District Coordinating Committee Chairpersons to carry out their duties. He further instructed to discuss with the provincial governors and obtain facilities for the same in case of lack of facilities in the district offices.
Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena also instructed the Additional Secretary Local Government and Provincial Councils to immediately carry out the necessary activities to re-submit the matters to the Cabinet of Ministers for the upgrade of the Municipal Councils to Urban Councils, which have not been approved by the Cabinet of Ministers so far.
The MPs made requests to change the local government election system and the Chairman said to submit those requests to the Delimitation Committee. Member of Parliament Hon. Mano Ganesan thanked the Prime Minister for his long-term efforts to change the electoral system in this country.
The Prime Minister expressed his concern about the fact that a lot of money has been spent on sanitation and sewerage infrastructure in Colombo city over a period of 15 years, but the program has not been successfully completed so far. He also instructed the officials to prepare the proposals that can be completed in the coming year and make the necessary arrangements to submit them to the Cabinet of Ministers.
State Ministers Hon. Janaka Wakkambura and Hon. Ashoka Priyantha and several members of Parliament participated in this meeting. Officials including the Secretary of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government and a group of officials representing relevant institutions also participated.
2026-03-30
Progress on the implementation of recommendations issued by the COPA on 06th January 2026 was reviewed Matters relating to the 2024 Auditor General’s Report and current performance were also examined The Department of Archaeology was summoned before the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA), where attention was drawn to the progress made in implementing the recommendations issued at the COPA meeting held on 06th January 2026, as well as to the current performance of the Department.These matters were discussed at the COPA meeting held in Parliament on 19th March 2026 under the chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament Kabir Hashim, to examine the Auditor General’s triennial report for the years 2021–2023, the 2024 Auditor General’s Report, and the current performance of the Department of Archaeology.At its meeting on 06th January 2026, it was recommended that a report on the gazetted and ungazetted antiquities identified by the Department of Archaeology be submitted to the Committee within a month. However, the Auditor General’s Department pointed out that data relating to antiquities not declared by Gazette had still not been submitted to the Committee. Accordingly, the Chair of the Committee instructed that a report be submitted within two weeks, including details of such antiquities, reasons for not publishing them by Gazette, and a proposed timeline for their gazetting.The Committee also focused on the lack of progress in implementing the recommendation to establish a centralized data system for the Department of Archaeology, and instructed that a progress report on this matter be submitted to the Committee.Furthermore, it was revealed that although Cabinet approval stipulates that 25% of the revenue generated by the Central Cultural Fund should be allocated to the Ministry of National Heritage, the Department of Archaeology has been requesting a lower allocation annually. Officials who appeared before the Committee stated that funds allocated through Cabinet approval had remained unutilized, and that there are plans to reduce future allocations requested from the Treasury accordingly.The shortage of vehicles available to the Department was also discussed, with officials noting that this has significantly affected the institution’s performance. The Committee stated that it would take steps to raise this matter with the relevant authorities.The meeting was attended by Committee Member Hon. Deputy Minister Dinindu Saman Hennayake and Hon. Members of Parliament (Dr.) M.L.A.M. Hizbullah, Hector Appuhamy, Chanaka Madugoda, Chandana Sooriyaarachchi, and Ruwanthilaka Jayakody.
2026-03-30
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Youth Affairs and Sports has granted approval for the regulations under the “Convention Against Doping in Sports Act.” These regulations have been published in the Extraordinary Gazette No. 2471/51 dated 16 January 2026.The approval was granted at a meeting of the Committee held recently (Mar. 20) in Parliament, under the chairmanship of the Hon. Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Sunil Kumara Gamage, with the participation of the Hon. Deputy Minister, Dinindu Saman Hennayake.A number of Member Parliamentarians of the Committee, as well as non-member Parliamentarians, were present at the meeting. Officials, including the Secretary to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, also attended the occasion.
2026-03-30
The Sectoral Oversight Committee on Environment, Agriculture and Resource Sustainability has instructed officials to immediately prepare a plan for the environmentally friendly disposal of ash emitted from the Norochcholai Lakvijaya Power Plant.These instructions were given at a meeting of the Committee held in Parliament on the Mar. 17th, under the chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament Hector Appuhamy.It was revealed during the meeting that, due to issues related to the quality of coal imported to Sri Lanka for power generation, the volume of ash emitted during electricity generation has increased significantly. The Committee noted that if this ash is not properly disposed of, there is a risk of future environmental damage. Accordingly, officials were directed to formulate a plan under the leadership of the District Secretary of the Puttalam District to take the necessary measures.It was also proposed that the possibility of reusing the removed ash for production purposes be studied, and that any revenue generated from such products be utilized for welfare projects benefiting the communities affected by the power plant.In addition, the Committee instructed the Central Environmental Authority to submit a comprehensive report on whether water and air pollution have occurred as a result of the Norochcholai Power Plant. Furthermore, the North Western Provincial Environmental Authority was also recommended to provide responses within two weeks regarding the questionnaire and related matters submitted by the Committee in connection with the Norochcholai Power Plant.Officials of the North Western Provincial Environmental Authority stated that although the volume of ash emitted from the plant has increased, the filtration system in use at the plant is sufficient to absorb these particles. Several matters, including the issuance of environmental protection licenses for the power plant, were discussed in detail.The meeting was attended by Committee Members, Hon. Members of Parliament Kings Nelson, Roshan Akmeemana, Attorney-at-Law Chithral Fernando, Susantha Kumara Navaratne, Kitnan Selvaraj and Upul Kithsiri.
2026-03-24
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, met for the first time on 19.03.2026 at Parliament under the chairmanship of Hon. Minister (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa.Addressing the meeting, the Chair emphasized the importance of gaining a clear understanding of how the relevant responsible institutions operate during natural disasters such as Cyclone Ditwah, in order to effectively carry forward the work of the Committee. Accordingly, it was decided to summon officials from the Disaster Management Centre, the Department of Meteorology, the Department of Irrigation, and the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka to the next two committee meetings to obtain the necessary preliminary briefings.It was also proposed that, given the subject-specific scope of the Committee, officials possessing technical expertise and specialized knowledge in relevant fields should be called before the Committee from time to time to assist in understanding complex technical matters. The Chair noted that the Committee is required to submit its report to Parliament within three months from the date of its first meeting by 19.06.2026. Accordingly, efforts will be made to hold meetings promptly and prepare the report, including relevant recommendations, within this timeframe. He further stated that, in addition to proposals related to the Committee’s scope, the report is expected to include recommendations aimed at establishing a stronger mechanism to effectively respond to future events similar to Cyclone Ditwah.The meeting was attended by Hon. Members of Parliament Anuradha Jayaratne (Attorney-at-Law), Hector Appuhamy, Rohini Kumari Wijerathna, M.K.M. Aslam, Anushka Thilakaratne (Attorney-at-Law), Kanthasamy Prabhu, Ruwan Mapalagama, and (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam. Hon. Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa also attended with the special permission of the Chair.
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