2022-12-13
News Categories : Committee News
Minister of Trade, Commerce and Food Security Hon. Nalin Fernando said that at present his ministry has been able to control the rise in the market price of essential food items. He said so at the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Trade, Commerce and Food Security held in Parliament recently.
Addressing the committee, the minister further mentioned that when comparing the prices of the open market in the months of March and April, the consumer has been able to get relief from the reduction in the price of essential goods by November. Accordingly, one kilogram of dhal in the open market in July was 595 rupees, and in December, one kilogram of dhal was reduced to 389 rupees from Lanka Sathosa . He further mentioned that 1 kilogram of wheat flour which was 410 rupees in the open market, was reduced to 265 rupees from Lanka Sathosa in December.
Also, the minister said that the Sathosa was able to reduce the price of one kilogram of white sugar which was at 280 rupees to 229 rupees and to reduce the price of one kilogram of samba rice from 225 rupees to 198 rupees.
The Minister instructed the Consumer Affairs Authority and the Department of Measurement Units Standards & Services to continue market monitoring and inspections for the sake of consumer protection during the upcoming festive season.
In addition to that, he emphasized that the Consumer Act No. 9 of 2003 will be amended with the aim of establishing a fair market system. The Minister said that the qualifications of the full-time members including the Chairman of the Consumer Authority are expected to be included in the Act and the method of investigating consumer complaints against manufacturers and traders is expected to be included in the Act in a more systematic manner. Minister also said that he intends to present the revised draft including new clauses to the next consultative committee meeting.
Opinions were also expressed about the implementation of programs to attract the youth to the cooperative sector. Minister said that it is proposed to implement relief programs through the cooperative sector to identify young entrepreneurs and direct them to the production process. Also, through the empowerment of cooperative societies, it is expected to further strengthen the retail and wholesale network and to introduce a cooperative scholarship system, he said.
The minister also said that at present, it has been possible to run the State Trading Corporation (STC) profitably. STC was given the exclusive right to import and distribute the ammonium nitrate required by the country, but with the ban on the export of ammonium nitrate by India, the explosives industry in the country suffered a setback. But again, ammonium nitrate has been imported and distributed through STC, minister said.
Also, the minister said that the government has paid close attention to ensuring food security in the country. It was also emphasized that a project to promote women entrepreneurs in order to increase incomes and improve the quality of life will be started within this month. The chairman mentioned that at the moment, identification of the relevant beneficiaries is going on at the divisional secretariat level and after the relevant identification, the necessary equipment will be provided to the women entrepreneurs by STC.
Discussions were held on the relaunch of the Mahapola Education and Trade Fair and the Minister said that the Mahapola Education and Trade Fair will be restarted by March 2023.
State Ministers Hon. S. Viyalanderan, Hon. Kader Mastan, Hon. Rohana Dissanayake and several Members of Parliament were present at the meeting held. Also, a group of officials representing relevant institutions including the Secretary to the Ministry of Trade, Commerce and Food Safety also participated.
2026-07-22
The draft Terms of Reference (ToR) prepared for the Parliamentary Caucus for Open Parliament Initiative was approved recently at a meeting held in Parliament with the participation of Parliament's development partner organizations.The approval was granted during a meeting of the Caucus chaired by its Co-Chair, Hon. Member of Parliament Shanakkiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam.The draft Terms of Reference was developed based on proposals and recommendations received during a workshop organized by the Caucus in recent months to gather stakeholder input for its preparation.The meeting also agreed that, following the approval of the Terms of Reference, the document would be submitted to Hon. President, and that a discussion would be held with the President on behalf of the Caucus.
2026-07-22
The Sub-Committee appointed by the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) focused its attention on the methodology, implementation timeline and coordination arrangements relating to the research study proposed for the restructuring of the Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technological Education (SLIATE), when it met recently, at Parliament under the Chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament Ruwan Mapalagama.During the meeting, discussions were held on the establishment of the proposed Institutional Operations Committee and a six-member Coordination Team to facilitate the implementation of the research. Attention was also focused on the proposed Mixed-Methods Design, the preparation of questionnaires and the data collection process.The Sub-Committee further reviewed the progress of obtaining public views on the restructuring of SLIATE. Matters relating to obtaining the contribution of the Human Resources and Management Information Systems (MIS) divisions for the research, the preparation of the research implementation timeline through a Gantt Chart, and the stakeholder consultations to be held with representatives of the industry sector were also considered.The programme to obtain the views of stakeholders, including Chambers of Commerce, industry associations and professional bodies, as well as the conduct of field visits to selected SLIATE institutions across the country, was also discussed.The Sub-Committee decided to proceed with the future activities of the research in accordance with the agreed timeline and to present the relevant progress reports at its next meeting.Hon. Member of Parliament Lieutenant Commander (Retired) Prageeth Madhuranga also attended the meeting.
2026-07-22
The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) focused its attention on referring the matters revealed in relation to land misuse, financial irregularities and administrative deficiencies at the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) for a formal investigation.The matter was taken up when the Committee met recently at Parliament under the Chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament (Dr.) Nishantha Samaraweera to continue its examination of the Auditor General's Reports for the years 2022 and 2023 and to consider the remaining matters relating to the current performance of the National Housing Development Authority.During the meeting, lengthy discussions were held regarding the leasing of valuable NHDA-owned lands located at Maligawatta, Elvitigala Mawatha and Rangirigama, Dambulla to external parties at low nominal values without Cabinet approval, the use of such lands for purposes contrary to the conditions stipulated in the relevant agreements, and the failure to adequately safeguard the Authority's assets.The Committee observed that many of these transactions had been carried out in contravention of the objectives of the National Housing Development Authority and the relevant legal provisions. Accordingly, the Committee recommended that comprehensive reports on the identified irregularities be referred to the Criminal Investigation Department and the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption for the institution of appropriate legal action.The Committee also instructed the officials to expedite internal audit investigations into these matters, identify the officers responsible and initiate disciplinary action against them. Furthermore, the Committee recommended that the necessary measures be taken to strengthen asset management and internal control systems in order to prevent the recurrence of such irregularities in the future.The meeting was attended by Hon. Members of Parliament Attorney-at-Law Dayasiri Jayasekara, S.M. Marikkar, Attorney-at-Law Sujeewa Senasinghe, Mujibur Rahman, Chaminda Wijesiri, Dr. S. Sri Bavanandarajah, Sunil Rajapaksha, Thilina Samarakoon, Chandima Hettiarachchi, Asitha Niroshana Egodavithana, Ruwan Mapalagama, Jagath Manuwarna, Dinesh Hemantha, M.K.M. Aslam and Sudath Balagalla.
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.
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