2023-05-29
The National Gems and jewelry Authority was called before the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) which met on 24.05.2023 under the chairmanship of the Member of Parliament Hon. (Prof.) Ranjith Bandara, to examine the reports of the Auditor General for the years 2020 and 2021 and its current performance.
The following matters were taken into consideration at the Committee meeting.
It was emphasized that the Authority, which is the only authority to regulate the Gem industry in this country, should stay away from business activities.
The Auditor General pointed out the facts regarding the Authority engaging in direct monitoring projects with third parties. According to the Gems and jewelry Act, the Committee emphasized that since it is the only Authority to regulate the gem industry in Sri Lanka, such Authority should not engage in gem mining projects directly with third parties.
Recommendations to develop a system of high transparency in the granting of licenses
The Members of the Committee pointed out many irregularities that have been reported during the granting of licenses for gem mines. It was pointed out that due to some corrupt officials giving mines to their cronies, the government has also lost the proper tax revenue. The Chairman of COPE recommended to the Secretary of the Ministry to prepare a system with high transparency in granting licenses by the Authority.
Given the background of continuous accusations against the authority, instructions to carry out a formal investigation into all the irregularities and activities that have been reported in the last 10 years.
Given the background of continuous accusations regarding the Gems and jewelry Authority, the COPE Chair informed that a formal investigation should be conducted regarding the reported irregularities pertaining to the agreements entered into by the Authority in the last 10 years and a proper mechanism should be set up to take the Authority on the right path. The Chair of the Committee advised that the assistance of a Senior Retired Audit Officer should also be sought if necessary.
Displeasure over the gem cluster which was valued at 10 million dollars being appraised at nearly 10,000 dollars.
There was also a discussion about the value of the gem cluster discovered in Sri Lanka in 2021 being valued at 10 million dollars, after which it was valued at only nearly 10,000 dollars. The officials said that in the present context it has an artefact value. Thus, the Auditor General and the Committee pointed out that there is a problem with the professional competence of the officials concerned.
Absence of a permanent Director General
The absence of a permanent director general for the Authority was made note. The secretary said that the current director general is also an officer in the administrative service. Thus, the Committee advised to take immediate steps to appoint a permanent director general. The Chair of the Committee said that if the existing salary scales are an obstacle to that, COPE will make an intervention to take measures through the Hon. President and the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance.
A report is called for regarding the process of renting a building for the Authority
COPE looked onto the fact that a contract was entered into for a period from 2021 to 2023 under a monthly rental basis of 4.5 million rupees for a building that had been offered at a higher price for the Authority. It was also revealed that this has been done due to the unsafe condition caused by the damage to the building of the Authority due to the construction work done near the building which was run by a private company. Accordingly, the Auditor General pointed out that due to not selecting the company that submitted the lowest bid, an additional payment of 36 million rupees will have to be made for the two years rental. Furthermore, it was revealed that a case is pending against the private company that caused damage to the building of the Authority and that an amount of 152 million rupees should be recovered from the said company. Since a confusing situation is being observed in this regard, the COPE Chair informed the Secretary of the Ministry to conduct a formal investigation and give a report within 2 weeks.
When acquiring stalls from the World Trade Center under rental basis, the approximated 16-million-rupee deposit yet to be received
According to an agreement between a private company and the authority, 35 stalls were obtained from the World Trade Center for a deposited amount of nearly 16 million rupees, but despite the agreement ending in 2021, it was not possible to release the deposit due to one stall not being handed over. It was also revealed that there is a lawsuit related to this. The officials failed to give clear answers in this regard and thus the Chair instructed the Secretary to the Ministry to immediately investigate and give a report on the matter.
Despite the agreement to establish an accounting software system at a cost of 19 million rupees, the work has not yet been completed
COPE paid attention to the fact that although a contract was made with a private institution to establish an accounting software system for the use of the institution at a cost of 19 million rupees, the work has not yet been completed. The Committee expressed its strong displeasure that the company had been paid nearly 10 million rupees from the year 2016 to 2021 but had not yet completed these tasks and informed the secretary to investigate and report on this immediately.
Reinstatement of the suspended officer without formal investigation
It was also revealed that the Director (Land Mining) was suspended for his misconduct and dismissed without a formal investigation by the Internal Auditor while conducting a preliminary investigation. It was also revealed that the internal auditor made this decision following an appeal made by the accused officer to the former chairman. COPE instructed the secretary to look into this and take a decision without any influence.
2026-09-08
The Co-Chairs of the Parliamentary Caucus for Open Parliament Initiative stated that steps will be taken to present to Parliament the views and proposals put forward during the “Voice to Policy” dialogue series organized for youth, with the aim of promoting the concept of an Open Parliament.They made these remarks while participating in the “Voice to Policy” programme held last Saturday (Sep. 05) at the Golden Crown Hotel in Kandy for youth in the Kandy District. The Co-Chairs of the Parliamentary Caucus for Open Parliament Initiative, Hon. Minister Prof. Krishantha Abeyasena and Hon. Member of Parliament Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam, participated in the programme.The first programme of the “Voice to Policy” dialogue series was held in the Gampaha District, the second in the Batticaloa District, and the third in the Kandy District. Members of the Caucus, Hon. Members of Parliament S.M. Marikkar, Attorney-at-Law Susanta Dodawatte, Attorney-at-Law Chamindrani Kiriella, Attorney-at-Law Thushari Jayasinghe, Lal Premanath, Major General (Retired) G.D. Sooriyabandara and M.K.M. Aslam, as well as Assistant Secretary-General of Parliament Mr. Hansa Abeyratne and others, participated in the programme held in Kandy.The young people who participated in the programme representing the Kandy District identified the challenges they face under five key themes: economic opportunities and employment; public administration and accountability; social inclusion and justice; political participation and representation; and other matters.They also proposed solutions to the identified issues and identified the relevant government institutions that could be held responsible for addressing them. The young participants subsequently presented the issues and proposals to members of the Caucus. Based on these proposals, an extensive dialogue was held between representatives of the Parliamentary Caucus for Open Parliament Initiative and the youth of the Kandy District.Members of the Caucus stated that their objective is to bring the views and proposals of youth to Parliament. They further assured that steps would be taken to submit to Parliament a report containing the views and proposals presented during the “Voice to Policy” programmes conducted to date, and to take the necessary measures to further engage young people with parliamentary processes and activities.The programme was sponsored by CII (Coalition for Inclusive Impact).
2026-09-07
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 recently questioned senior officials of the Sri Lanka Police who were involved in responding to the disaster at the time.The questioning took place when the Committee met recently at Parliament under the chairmanship of Hon. Minister (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa.Accordingly, a group of Senior Superintendents of Police and Superintendents of Police from the districts affected by Cyclone Ditwah were summoned before the Committee.Former Member of Parliament Nimal Piyatissa was also summoned before the Committee. He was called to provide detailed information regarding comments he made to the media concerning the measures taken in response to the cyclone at the time it occurred.Members of Parliament serving on the Committee also participated in the meeting.
2026-09-07
The 13th meeting of the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities was held recently at Parliament under the chairmanship of Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva, Chair of the Caucus.The meeting focused on the draft action plan of the Caucus prepared for the period from July 2026 to June 2027, and discussions were held on its implementation going forward.Prepared with the technical assistance of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), the action plan has been developed under four key areas: parliamentary coordination and oversight; budget advocacy and accountability; legal and policy reforms; and accessible and inclusive public services. The meeting discussed future actions relating to each of these areas.IFES Sri Lanka Deputy Director Mr. Indraka Ubesekara, Senior Programme Officer Ms. Anojitha Sivaskaran, and National Council for Persons with Disabilities member Mr. Tikiri Kumara Jayawardena briefed the Caucus on the work carried out to date and the plans for the future.The importance of incorporating the views and needs of persons with disabilities into planning at the local level was also highlighted. Based on the experiences of district-level consultation programmes conducted in Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Kalutara and Polonnaruwa, it was noted that a similar programme is scheduled to be held in the Hambantota District in the future.Discussions were also held on establishing an appropriate mechanism to ensure the active participation of the disability community in the preparation of local development plans through district-level accessibility audit committees and district coordinating committees. It was further pointed out that incorporating accessibility features from the initial stages of building and urban planning can help minimize the costly modifications that may otherwise be required at a later stage.The meeting was also informed that a report comprising 234 policy and practical proposals, prepared with the participation of nearly 60 organizations representing the disability community for the 2027 National Budget, has already been submitted to the Presidential Secretariat, the Ministry of Finance and relevant government institutions. The Caucus decided to closely monitor how these proposals are implemented and whether they result in tangible benefits for persons with disabilities.Attention was also drawn to further strengthening the existing legal and policy framework to safeguard the rights of persons with disabilities and ensure accessibility. It was decided to hold a special discussion with officials of the relevant ministries and the Legal Draftsman’s Department to inquire into the progress of the proposed “New Bill on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities” and the “Sign Language Bill”, which are currently being drafted.The meeting also discussed the need to update existing legal provisions and standards relating to accessibility for persons with disabilities in line with international best practices. Proposals were put forward to introduce accessibility guidelines for private-sector institutions and gradually incorporate them into the legal framework, as well as to implement a pilot project with several selected private institutions.Special attention was also given to making public services more accessible and inclusive. The meeting discussed the findings of accessibility audits conducted at the Ministry of Labour’s “Mehewara Piyasa” building and Sethsiripaya Buildings Phases I and II. It was also noted that steps have been taken to ensure that the construction of Sethsiripaya Phase III is designed to be accessible to persons with disabilities from the outset.In addition, programmes such as low-floor bus services, accessible tourism for persons with disabilities, and the “Friendly Cities” programme were identified as models for improving accessibility within public services. Attention was also drawn to removing accessibility barriers faced by persons with disabilities when accessing healthcare services.Addressing the meeting at its conclusion, the Chair of the Caucus, Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva, stated that one of the Caucus’s primary objectives is to create an environment in which the disability community can lead free, independent and dignified lives without fear or uncertainty.The Chair further stated that Parliament would continue to fulfil its role in giving priority to the voices of persons with disabilities when making decisions concerning them, and in ensuring their participation in every sector of society. He also expressed his appreciation to all Members of Parliament, IFES and other stakeholders who have contributed to this work.The meeting was attended by Hon. Members of Parliament, including (Dr.) Nihal Abeysinghe, Attorney-at-Law Susantha Dodawatte, Padmasiri Bandara, (Dr.) Elayathamby Srinath, Attorney-at-Law Bhagya Sri Herath and Chandima Hettiarachchi, among others.
2026-09-03
The Committee on Ways and Means of Parliament recently reviewed the operations of Sri Lanka Customs, including its revenue performance. The matter was considered when the Committee met recently under the chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament Wijesiri Basnayake.Officials, including the Director General of Customs, informed the Committee that the expected Customs revenue as of June 30, 2026, was Rs. 1,060,559 million, while actual revenue collected by that date amounted to Rs. 1,379,084 million. This represented 130% achievement against the expected revenue target. Officials further informed the Committee that Customs had generated revenue exceeding the monthly targets in every month of the year to date, and that, compared with 2025, higher revenue performance had been recorded in each month.Providing information on vehicle imports in 2026, officials stated that 316,000 vehicles had been imported as of June 30, 2026, generating Rs. 512,547 million in tax revenue. According to the information presented to the Committee, the highest amount of tax revenue, Rs. 386,726 million, had been generated through the importation of motor vehicles.Furthermore, among the categories of commodities generating the highest Customs revenue, petrol motor cars less than 1,000cc ranked first, generating Rs. 137.4 billion. This represented 9.96% of total revenue.The Committee also focused on matters including the volume of imported containers and the procedures followed for their inspection, the introduction of modern technology to improve the efficiency of Sri Lanka Customs operations, challenges in revenue administration, and future plans.Several Members of the Committee on Ways and Means, together with officials representing the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and Sri Lanka Customs, participated in the Committee meeting.
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