2023-06-09
News Categories : Committee News
No final decision will be taken about Provincial Councils and Local Government delimitation without consulting with the Members of Parliament.
Even if the number of provincial council members will be reduced, injustice will not be allowed to any part of the population.
- Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena affirms
Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena, Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government affirmed that even if the number of provincial council members will be reduced, injustice will not be allowed to any part of the population and that no final decision will be taken about Provincial Councils and Local Government delimitation without consulting with the Members of Parliament. He said that this should be done with a fair representation of youth and women.
The Chairman to the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils & Local Government stated the aforesaid on 07.06.2023. Members of Parliament, Government officials and State Ministers including State Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government Hon. Janaka Wakkumbura, State Minister of Home Affairs Hon. Ashoka Priyantha were present at this Committee meeting held.
Attention was drawn to the difficulties faced by public servants who submitted nominations for the 2023 local government elections due to the delay in the elections. It was also discussed that even though a circular has been issued that salaries should be paid to them, the work is not done properly in some institutions. Furthermore, according to the situation, these employees have to face great difficulties during the assignment of temporary placements. State Minister Hon. Janaka Wakkumbura said that a circular has been issued to the nearest institution regarding the process of attachment. The Prime Minister instructed to take necessary steps in this regard immediately.
A request was also made by the Members of Parliament to bring the necessary legal amendment to change this situation. If not, a proposal to pass a resolution to cancel the nomination by way of the Parliament was also presented here.
The Committee also paid attention to the activities of the draft Bill prepared to remove the existing obstacles for the field officers to request votes in their electorate. Accordingly, the Bill has been forwarded to the Attorney General for consultation, the officials said. Accordingly, the Prime Minister instructed the officials to take the necessary steps and complete the work pertaining to the Bill.
The members pointed out the need to intervene to carry out the necessary activities for the public as the local government bodies are currently controlled by the local government commissioners. That measures will be taken to provide instructions to the provincial governors to provide the necessary facilities to expedite the work of solving public problems through the district coordination committee chairpersons stated that measures will be taken to provide instructions to the provincial governors to provide the necessary facilities to expedite the work of solving public problems through the district coordination committee chairpersons.
Attention was also drawn to the fact that provincial government officials were not given proper transfers. Accordingly, the Prime Minister also emphasized that the transfers of all administrative officers including divisional secretaries should be done properly. Accordingly, the Prime Minister gave instructions to the officials to take immediate action for the said.
The matters pertaining to that of which the former regional secretary Tissamaharama had told the media was also taken into discussion. It was revealed that an immediate report was called in this regard and a letter was also received stating that a voluntary transfer was requested for personal reasons. The Secretary to the Ministry said that it is not reasonable to issue such a statement and an investigation will be carried out in this regard.
The attention of the Minister was also drawn to the activities of making local councils including Wayangoda local council into municipal councils. It was also revealed that there are 85 such requests. Accordingly, the Prime Minister gave necessary instructions to speed up the work.
The Leader of the Opposition drew the attention of the Committee towards the confirmation of those who have not been given the respective permanent appointments due to the deficiencies in the process in the program of giving appointments to qualified graduates under the 2020 Graduate Trainee Program. The officials pointed out that the review committee headed by the Prime Minister's Secretary has recommended that a policy decision should be taken. Accordingly, the Prime Minister gave necessary instructions to the officials to speed up the work.
Prime Minister Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena said that the necessary measures will be taken to employ nearly 30,000 multi-purpose department employees assigned to government institutions, and their salaries will also be increased.
Furthermore, the committee emphasized the need to work to confirm the people who have worked in the local government institutions for many years. State Minister Hon. Janaka Wakkumbura said that there are currently 9700 such employees and they are being prioritized.
2026-02-16
The Microfinance and Credit Regulatory Authority Bill was considered and approved by the Committee on Public Finance.This took place at a meeting of the Committee held in Parliament on 10.02.2026 under the Chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament Dr. Harsha de Silva, with the participation of Hon. Deputy Ministers Chathuranga Abeysinghe, (Dr.) Kaushalya Ariyaratne, and Nishantha Jayaweera, as well as Hon. Members of Parliament Attorney-at-Law Rauff Hakeem and Nimal Palihena.The Bill has been drafted with the objectives of establishing the Sri Lanka Microfinance and Credit Regulatory Authority, regulating the money lending business and microfinance business, protecting customers engaged in such businesses, repealing the Microfinance Act, No. 6 of 2016 and providing for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.The Chair of the Committee stated that the original draft of this Bill, which had been presented in 2024, was challenged before the Supreme Court, and that the constitutional inconsistencies identified by the Court appear to have been addressed in this new draft. The Committee expressed its appreciation for the Bill, which had been prepared after obtaining the views of all stakeholders.Officials stated that the Authority to be established under this Bill will issue licenses to and regulate persons engaged in money lending and microfinance businesses, and that the Authority will be governed by a Board of Directors. It was further noted that no person may conduct a money lending business without a license issued by the Authority.The Committee inquired whether online lending activities would also fall under the purview of the Authority. Officials clarified that online lending may also be carried out only by licensed entities. They further emphasized that customer protection is a primary objective of the Bill.Discussions were also held regarding whether the Bill adequately covers the social empowerment role of community-based financial institutions, including through the introduction of relaxed regulatory fees or simplified compliance requirements. Practical operational issues and consumer protection were also identified as areas requiring further attention.Officials noted that certain lenders, such as e-commerce operators, would not fall within the scope of this Act.Taking into account the prevailing public mistrust and uncertainty surrounding legislative reforms, the Committee recommended that the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development implement effective communication programs to raise awareness among the public and all stakeholders. As an initial step, the Committee suggested publishing a document containing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).As the Authority will be vested with statutory powers to determine maximum interest rates in both the lending and deposit sectors, the Committee advised officials to exercise such powers in a manner that preserves the nature of the various financial instruments used by microfinance institutions for savings and lending activities.The delegation of powers to Divisional Secretariat offices was also discussed at length. Officials stated that small-scale lenders would not be required to travel to Colombo to engage with the Authority, and that limited powers relating to connected functions (such as processing applications and other routine matters) would be delegated to the Divisional Secretariat level. The Committee emphasized the need for a robust information technology system to ensure the effective and efficient implementation of this process.Furthermore, at the same meeting, the Committee also considered and approved the Resolution published in Extraordinary Gazette No. 2464/15 under the Customs Ordinance (Chapter 235), as well as three Orders issued under the Special Commodity Levy Act.
2026-02-13
Select Committee of Parliament to look into and Report to Parliament on the release of 323 Containers from the Port of Colombo without undergoing mandatory physical inspection and submit its proposals and recommendations in that regard, met for the third consecutive day on 11.02.2026 in Parliament. The meeting was chaired by the Hon. Minister of Justice and National Integration, Attorney-at-Law Harshana Nanayakkara.A group of officials from Sri Lanka Customs, including Director General of Customs Mr. Seewali Arukgoda, were summoned before the Committee, and evidence relating to the incident was recorded.Prior to the commencement of evidence, the Chair informed the Committee that the Hon. Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation, Mr. Anura Karunatilaka, had tendered his resignation from the membership of the Committee, and that another member would be appointed in due course to fill the vacancy.The meeting was attended by Committee members: Hon. Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Chathuranga Abeysinghe, Hon. Deputy Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, Attorney-at-Law Sunil Watagala, Hon. Deputy Minister of Energy Arkam Ilyas and Hon. Members of Parliament Attorney-at-Law Dayasiri Jayasekara, Ajith P. Perera, D. V. Chanaka, Mujibur Rahuman, Dr. Najith Indika and Attorney-at-Law Lakmali Hemachandra.
2026-02-13
Officials from the Ministry of Digital Economy stated that there are plans to provide every person in the country with High-Speed Broadband connectivity by the year 2029.These remarks were made during a meeting of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Science, Technology and Digital Transformation, held in Parliament on 06.02.2026 under the chairmanship of Member of Parliament (Dr). Janaka Senarathne, to discuss the action plan related to the allocation of 2026 budget provisions for the Ministry of Digital Economy and the Ministry of Science and Technology.At this meeting, (Dr.) Hans Wijayasuriya, Senior Advisor to the President, made a detailed presentation before the Committee regarding the programme planned to provide High-Speed Broadband connectivity to every person in the country. He pointed out that steps are being taken this year to install 100 new telecommunication towers. He further stated that between 600 to 1000 telecommunication towers would be required to fully meet the national requirement, and that this would be carried out in stages.He also emphasized that although approximately 98% internet coverage currently exists in the country, it does not meet the requirements for High-Speed Broadband coverage. Therefore, he stated that the existing capacity must be increased by around 25% in order to provide High-Speed Broadband facilities to every child.Furthermore, he noted that a commercial model will be prepared in relation to telecommunication towers, and opportunities will be given to the private sector to submit bids for this purpose.The Committee also focused attention on the need to improve digital literacy in areas outside Colombo, and it was proposed that programmes be organized through District Secretariat offices for this purpose.In addition, discussions were held regarding the action plan for allocating 2026 budget provisions for the Ministry of Science and Technology, and several annual reports and performance reports of institutions were approved.The meeting was attended by Hon. Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe, and Members of Parliament Chandima Hettiarachchi, Lasith Bhashana Gamage, Chathura Galappaththi, Aboobucker Athambawa and Ruwan Wijeweera.
2026-02-13
The Committee on High Posts of parliament has approved the nominations of four Heads of Mission. The approval was granted when the Committee met in Parliament recently (Feb. 06) under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.Accordingly, the Committee approved the nominations of Mr. Horana Mahawatte Gedara Saman Kumar Chandrasiri as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the State of Israel, Mr. Warnakulasuriya Peter Rohan Dhammika Fernando as the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to the Republic of Kenya, Anura Withanage as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Lebanese Republic, and Mohamed Farook Mohamed Fawzer as the Representative of Sri Lanka to the State of Palestine.
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