2023-03-03
News Categories : Committee News
The Select Committee of Parliament to study the practical problems and difficulties that have arisen in relation to enhancing the rank in the Ease of Doing Business Index in Sri Lanka and make its proposals and recommendations, informed the Sri Lanka Administrative Services Association (SLASA) recently to submit a proposal regarding the measures that can be taken in relation to increasing the productivity and efficiency of the public administration sector, including divisional secretariats, when starting businesses and investments in Sri Lanka.
A group of officials representing Sri Lanka Administrative Services Association, Sri Lanka Accountancy Services Association, Sri Lanka Planning Services Association were summoned to this committee which met recently under the chairmanship of Member of Parliament Hon. Madhura Vithanage. Thus, increasing the efficiency of the public administration sector and process in starting new businesses and investment opportunities in Sri Lanka was discussed at length.
The committee pointed out that many investment and business opportunities are lost to the country as the process to be carried out to start investment or business in the current administrative structure is not efficient. The committee emphasized that the management principles of the administrative sector including district secretariats and divisional secretariats should be changed accordingly.
Thus, the need to formulate new and permanent policies in this regard was emphasized in the formulation of public policies.
It was discussed that there are currently 332 divisional secretariats in Sri Lanka and the lack of a proper system to monitor their functioning is a major shortcoming. For the convenience of the investors, it was proposed to establish a separate ‘Investment Cell’ for each district secretariat to facilitate investors and provide prompt service. The need for proper training programs for those public officials was also discussed here.
Sri Lanka Administrative Services Association pointed out the need to carry out reforms in the state administrative sector, and it was also suggested to take steps to establish a separate ministry for administrative reforms in the future. It was also suggested to call all the divisional secretaries and hold an awareness program for them.
It was also discussed about the difficulty in obtaining land required for investments through the Divisional Secretariats. It was discussed that land irregularities are taking place on a large scale especially in the northern and eastern provinces and the need for immediate intervention.
Also, the Sri Lanka Accountancy Services Association pointed out the need to focus on the investments that should be given priority and to identify the potentials in the investment sectors in this country.
Members of Parliament Hon. Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Hon. Mohammed Mussammil, Hon. Kokila Gunawardena, Hon. Sanjeeva Edirimanna and Hon. Lalith Varna Kumara were also present at this committee meeting.
2026-06-19
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Environment focused its attention on the issue of water pollution in the Kelani River when it met in Parliament recently (10th June) under the chairmanship of the Hon. Minister of Environment, Dr. Dammika Patabendi.During the meeting, the Committee was briefed on the progress of discussions being held with companies that have expressed willingness to invest in a project aimed at cleaning the waters of the Kelani River.The Committee also discussed a number of proposals and other issues raised by Hon. Members of Parliament.The meeting was attended by Hon. Members of Parliament and officials.
2026-06-18
A meeting of the Women Parliamentarians Caucus was held in Parliament recently to discuss the importance of incorporating Gender-Responsive Budgeting into Sri Lanka’s national budget formulation process and to examine the challenges associated with its implementation.The meeting was chaired by the Chairperson of the Caucus and Hon. Minister of Women and Child Affairs, Saroja Savithri Paulraj. Hon. Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya also participated in the discussion.A key concern raised during the discussion was the lack of adequate data and indicators to accurately assess and measure women’s economic contributions within the budgetary process. Drawing on examples of approaches adopted in India and other countries, members of the Caucus underscored the need to identify and address existing systemic and technical gaps in Sri Lanka’s budgeting framework.The Caucus also emphasized the importance of disaggregating data by gender in project reporting and strengthening digital data management systems to support such efforts. It was further noted that identifying relevant gender-related considerations at the initial stages of project design and implementation at the ministerial level would facilitate more effective project analysis, monitoring, and evaluation of outcomes.The need to move away from existing traditional and time-consuming methods towards formal online systems and data-driven analytical tools was also emphasized.The current progress and challenges in integrating Gender-Responsive Budgeting into Sri Lanka’s public financial policy were discussed in detail during the meeting.It was also emphasized that such budgeting should not be limited to nominal percentages in documents, but that the need to establish a formal framework and data system to ensure it has a real and practical impact was also highlighted.The Hon.Deputy Chairperson of Committees Hemalee Weerasekera, Hon. Deputy Minister Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathne, Co-Vice Chairpersons of the Caucus, Hon. Members of Parliament Chamindrani Kiriella, Attorney at Law and Samanmalee Gunasinghe, Hon. Members of Parliament Thushari Jayasinghe, Attorney at Law, Krishnan Kaleichelvi, Sagarika Athauda ,Attorney at Law, Nilanthi Kottahachchi, Attorney at Law, Ambika Samivel and Lakmali Hemachandra, Attorney at Law, along with a group of officials from the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, also participated in the event.
2026-06-17
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government met recently (Jun. 12) at Parliament under the chairmanship of the Hon. Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government, Prof. A.H.M.H. Abayarathna.During the meeting, Members of Parliament discussed a range of issues and proposals relating to their respective electorates, as well as several other matters of public importance.Hon. Members of Parliament and officials were present at the meeting.
2026-06-17
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs met recently (Jun. 09) at Parliament under the chairmanship of the Hon. Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi.During the meeting, Members of Parliament discussed a number of proposals and issues, including reviewing the progress of discussions initiated with the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education and the Department of Examinations regarding the formulation of regulations to prevent the conduct of private tuition classes on Sunday mornings, thereby facilitating the holding of Dhamma School classes on Sundays.The meeting was attended by Hon. Deputy Ministers, Hon. Members of Parliament and officials.
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