2023-07-18
The Hon. President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the program carried out by the Committee on Public Accounts has led to an increase the efficiency of the public sector in Sri Lanka. The President expressed his gratitude to its Chair State Minister Hon. Lasantha Alagiyawanna, and all who worked towards it.
The Hon. President expressed these views while participating in the gold and silver award ceremony for 65 institutions that achieved high performance levels in 2019 and 2020 according to the reports of the Committee on Public Accounts.
The said awarding ceremony was held today (Jul. 18) under the patronage of the Hon. President, Ranil Wickremesinghe and the participation of the Prime Minister Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena and the Speaker Hon. Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana.
Speaking further, the Hon. President sated a green economy, driving the economy ahead through digitization and innovation cannot be done through outdated means. He also emphasized the need for all government institutions to work as one unit with one goal and one plan.
In his address, the President emphasized the significance of digitalization, innovation, and the need for unified efforts to drive economic progress. He called for effective control of public expenditure, maximizing value, boosting revenues, and strengthening the country’s economy through a robust administrative mechanism.
Furthermore, the President underlined the importance of joining the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and expanding relations with India as essential steps toward building a strong economy.
During the ceremony, Mr. Lasantha Alagiyawanna, Chairman of the Committee on Public Accounts, commended all successful government institutions and highlighted that over 98 percent of them had made significant progress since 2015
The public accounting system, financial control and performance of the State, Provincial Councils and local government bodies are evaluated annually by the computer network system developed by the Department of Information Systems and Management of the Parliament and implemented under the guidance of the Committee on Public Accounts. Accordingly, the Auditor General analyzes and the government institutions which showed high performance as per the investigation and evaluations were awarded.
Accordingly, 833 government institutions were evaluated, and for the year 2019, 15 selected institutions were given gold awards and 30 institutions were given silver awards, and for 2020, 15 selected institutions were given gold awards and 30 institutions were given silver awards, totaling 90 awards each. The presenting of awards was presided over by Hon President.
Accordingly, awards will be presented under the categories of main Expenditure Units of Government, Government Ministries, Government Departments, District Secretariats, Provincial Council Funds, Provincial Ministries / Departments / Special Expenditure Units, Provincial Authorities, Municipal Councils, Urban Councils and Provincial Councils.
Based on the concept of the Committee on Public Accounts of the Eighth Parliament, the Evaluation Program for State, Provincial Council and Local Government Institutions started in the year 2016 based on the 2015 fiscal year, with the aim of streamlining the finances and performance of the government institutions.
More than 1000 government institutions including Ministries, Departments, Provincial Councils and Divisional Secretariats joined the award ceremony through Zoom technology.
Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana, Deputy Speaker Ajith Rajapakse, Chief Organizer of the Opposition Lakshman Kiriella, Prime Minister’s Secretary Anura Dissanayake, Secretary of the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Sirwardena, Auditor General W. P. C. Wickramaratne, Secretary General of the Parliament Kushani Anusha Rohanadeera were present at the event held.
2026-11-11
Mr. Davis Myers, Chargé d’Affaires / Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of the United States of America in Sri Lanka, paid a courtesy call on the Hon. Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Dr. Rizvie Salih, recently. The Secretary General of Parliament, Mrs. Kushani Rohanadeera, was also present on the occasion.The Hon. Deputy Speaker warmly welcomed Mr. Myers and reaffirmed the longstanding ties between Sri Lanka and the United States of America. He expressed his sincere appreciation for the continued support extended by the Government of the United States, particularly during challenging periods, and acknowledged the assistance provided through USAID towards strengthening Parliamentary affairs and institutional capacities.During the meeting, the Secretary General of Parliament highlighted the recent visit of Hon. Members of Parliament of Sri Lanka to the US Congress conducted through the collaboration of the U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka and the U.S. Congressional Budget Office (CBO). She also recalled the various forms of assistance extended to Parliament, including initiatives aimed at strengthening Parliamentary outreach programmes through USAID.Mr. Davis Myers reaffirmed his commitment to continuing and further strengthening cooperation between the two countries. He also commended the beauty and architectural significance of the Parliament building, as well as the natural beauty of Sri Lanka.Both parties engaged in cordial discussions on matters of mutual interest, including maritime security and measures to combat the drug menace.Mr. Myers also participated in a guided tour of the Parliament building, during which he was briefed on its architectural features and Parliamentary facilities.Ms. Rachel Huggins, Political Officer of the US Embassy, Ms. Nazreen Marikkar, and Political Specialist of the US Embassy were also present on this occasion.
2026-11-11
The Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Hon. Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi, stated that a sum of Rs. 18,058,884 has been allocated this year for the conservation of 846 sites of archaeological significance identified so far in the Anuradhapura District. Accordingly, the figures tabled in Parliament indicate that this includes Rs. 12,609,034 allocated under departmental grants and Rs. 5,449,850 provided through external funding.The Minister made these remarks in response to questions raised by Hon. Member of Parliament Susantha Kumara Navarathna, who sought oral answers.The Minister further stated that measures have been taken to protect and conserve these archaeological sites, taking into consideration the significance of each site, the nature of potential threats, its location and the relevant legal framework. Accordingly, the measures undertaken include carrying out the monitoring affairs of sites, security affairs, establishment of safety fences, boundary posts, taking legal action, carry out the exploration activities, maintenance, preservative, excavations and conservation activities.
2026-11-11
The National Transport Commission (NTC) earned revenue amounting to Rs. 785,411,317.92 in 2025 and Rs. 673,114,357.25 up to 30 September 2026 through the issuance of permits and other revenue-generating activities, said Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways Dr. Prasanna Gunasena.The Deputy Minister further stated that revenue generated solely through the issuance of permits amounted to Rs. 546,695,018.46 in 2025 and Rs. 439,157,062.25 up to 30 September 2026.These details were revealed in a reply given by the Deputy Minister in Parliament to oral questions raised by Hon. Member of Parliament Rohitha Abeygunawardhana.As of 1 October 2026, the National Transport Commission had issued 2,966 valid passenger service permits for operating buses on inter-provincial routes. These included 1,826 permits for normal services, 257 for semi-luxury services, 651 for luxury services and 232 for super-luxury services, the Deputy Minister stated.He also noted that the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) currently owns a fleet of 7,130 buses, of which 6,987 are normal buses and the remaining 143 are luxury buses. In addition, 114 Metro buses have been imported into the country, he said.Providing a province-wise breakdown of the private buses operating in Sri Lanka, the Deputy Minister stated that 5,520 buses operate in the Western Province, 2,433 in the Central Province, 1,326 in the Southern Province, 976 in the Northern Province, 520 in the Eastern Province, 1,324 in the North Western Province, 509 in the North Central Province, 1,043 in the Uva Province and 1,816 in the Sabaragamuwa Province.
2026-11-11
The Budget Debate will be held over 26 days, from November 13 to December 14The Second Reading Debate will take place from November 13 to November 20The Committee Stage Debate will be held from November 21 to December 14, with the Third Reading vote scheduled for 6.00 p.m. on December 14Parliament is scheduled to meet tomorrow at 1.30 p.m., when the Second Reading of the Appropriation Bill for the year 2027 (Budget Speech) will be presented in Parliament in the afternoon by Hon. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in his capacity as the Minister of Finance.Thereafter, the debate on the Appropriation Bill (Budget Debate) is scheduled to be held over a period of 26 days, from November 13 to December 14.The Appropriation Bill for 2027, which was presented to Parliament for its First Reading on October 7, 2026, will be taken up for the Second Reading Debate from November 13 to November 20, over a period of seven days. The vote on the Second Reading of the Budget will subsequently be held at 6.00 p.m. on November 20.The Committee Stage Debate on the Appropriation Bill for 2027 is scheduled to take place from November 21 to December 14, over a period of 19 days, including four Saturdays. Thereafter, the vote on the Third Reading of the Appropriation Bill will be held at 6.00 p.m. on December 14.During the Budget period, the time from 9.30 a.m. to 10.00 a.m. each day will be allocated for Parliamentary Business listed under Standing Orders 22(1) to 22(6). From 10.00 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., time will be allocated for five Questions for Oral Answers, while the period from 10.30 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. will be reserved for one Question under Standing Order 27(2).The Budget Debate will be conducted from 11.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. On all days except November 20 and December 14, when voting will take place, the period from 6.00 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. will also be allocated for the debate on the Motions at the Adjournment Time.
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