2023-06-12
The Auditor General's reports of 2020 and 2021 and the current performance of the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd (Lake House) were looked into at the Committee on Public Enterprises held on the 08.06.2023 under the chairmanship of Hon. (Prof.) Ranjith Bandara.
Attention was directed towards the following points.
Attention directed towards the Secretary to the Ministry acting as the Chairman of the Institute.
The Auditor General made an inquiry about the Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media acting as the Chairman of the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd. It was pointed out that a problematic situation may arise due to the implementation of the orders given to the secretary of the ministry when the chairman of the institution acts as the chief accounting officer of the relevant ministry.
The Secretary to the Ministry mentioned that both the appointments were made by the President. Accordingly, no further inquiries were made in this regard and a request was made to the public Trustee, the main shareholder of Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd, to take appropriate action in this regard.
Instructions for the preparation of a compact organizational plan.
Although the institution had prepared a strategic plan for the years 2021-2024, attention was drawn to the lack of a concrete plan. Attention was drawn to the fact that 10 million rupees were spent for a strategic plan during 2018-2020. Accordingly, since the company has many experts including-chartered accountants, it was necessary to give instructions to prepare a concrete plan with their contribution.
Submit a HR plan to COPE in two weeks
Mr. Anusha Palpita, Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media and the Chairman of Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd, said that the number of former employees of the institution has been reduced to 972 and it is expected to be reduced to 850.
The Auditor General pointed out that in 2017, nearly 3.1 million rupees had been paid to a female consultant, and a human resource management plan had been prepared under the contract basis after 2022. Accordingly, the COPE Chair recommended said to the Secretary of the Ministry of Media that the number of employees be limited to 850 and the human resources plan be prepared be sent to the Committee within two weeks.
A report called for within a week regarding the payment of salaries to consultants who have not worked in the organization.
The auditor pointed out facts that the payment of an amount of 1.8 million rupees on December 07, 2020 having been hired by the company as a consultant and the payment on Rs. 900,000 for another consultant who had been released to the Ministry of Mass Media, without any service. It was disclosed that this was done on the recommendation of a former minister and the Committee pointed out that the board of directors should take responsibility for this.
Furthermore, the committee advised to prepare the human resource plan so that the activities can be carried out independently without such interference. The current Chairman assured that such actions will not be allowed to happen in the future. Accordingly, he ordered the secretary to investigate the matter immediately and submit a report within a week.
Attorney General's instructs regarding the application of Ministry of Finance circulars - Recommendations called for from the Trustee regarding organizational changes.
Officials said that since this institution was placed under the trusteeship in 1973 when it was taken over by the government, there is an unclear situation as to whether the Circular Letter of the Ministry of Finance is applicable to the institution. The Committee was informed to seek the advice of the Attorney General in this regard. Moreover, he recommended to the Public Trustee to send information on what kind of rules should be prepared to control this institution and what changes should be made in the institution.
A report regarding a litigation pertaining to the incident of ordering a payment of Rs. 500 million in relation to a newspaper article.
In relation to an article published in the Silumina newspaper, it was disclosed that the Plaintiff was awarded a compensation of 500 million rupees in the lawsuit filed. When the case was been called in the Colombo District Court in 2010, the company's lawyer who appeared on behalf of the company was in the wrong court room and the judgment was given in favor of the Plaintiff where the court has ordered to pay a compensation of 500 million rupees. It was also disclosed that an appeal is filed in the Supreme Court on the matter. It was also revealed that no disciplinary action had been taken against this company attorney and that he had retired in the 2020. The COPE Chair instructed to inform COPE within a week about the measures to be taken after obtaining urgent legal advice in this regard.
14 million financial frauds to the former head of sales Rs. A comprehensive investigation into the payment of 2.5 million gratuities.
Although the former head of marketing the company was found guilty of a financial fraud of 14 million rupees in 2017, facts were revealed regarding the payment of almost 2.5 million rupees as gratuity to him in the end. The Committee also informed that the formal investigation in this regard should be done within two weeks.
Instructions directed to expedite legal action to recover nearly Rs.22 million from return cheques.
It was revealed that the institution should receive nearly 22 million rupees from return cheques. The Committee advised to inform about the legal action taken in this regard.
Furthermore, attention of the committee was also drawn towards the inadequate internal audit in accordance with auditing standards and covering key activities; the need to expedite the collection of 20 million rupees in outstanding loans of 189 institutions that have not been settled for more than two years in advertising for public and private institutions on the basis of loans.
The COPE Chair also said that the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd will be called again in six months to review the progress.
Members of Parliament Hon. Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Hon. Eran Wickramaratne, Hon. Jagath Kumara Sumithraarachchi, Hon. M. Rameshwaran, Hon. (Ms.) Rajika Wickramasinghe, Hon. Madhura Withanage, Hon. (Prof.) Charitha Herath were present at the Committee meeting held.
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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