2023-10-05
The Committee on Public Finance approved to repeal the order under Section 2 of the Special Commodity Tax Act No. 48 of 2007 published under the Gazette Extraordinary No. 2340/45 on the 13th of July 2023.
The approval for the said was received when the Committee on Public Finance met recently (Oct. 03) under the Chairmanship of the Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva, Member of Parliament.
Although the Committee approved to repeal the order, the Committee instructed the officials present to prepare a complete report on the maize imports and Thriposha production. The Committee also pointed out that it has observed that for many years, the production is lower than the targeted production. Furthermore, the Committee Chair stated that all the parties required to discuss and propose the necessary changes for the purpose of preparing a supply of Thriposha to meet the demand will be called before the Committee on Public Finance.
Excise Duty of Rs. 75 per Kilogram on the import of corn for Thriposha production has been reduced to Rs. 25 under the Gazette Extraordinary No. 2332/14 of 17th May 2023. This reduction was stated to be valid for a year from May 18th, 2023 and by this new Gazette Notification the said period has been canceled. Therefore, the Special Commodity Levy per kilogram on import of corn is increased to Rs. 75.
Accordingly, the Committee on Public Finance Chair Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva stated that while the contents of one Gazette have been submitted for the approval of the Parliament, it is concerning to cancel the contents of the previous Gazette Notification by means of another Gazette Notification.
When inquired from the officials present, they pointed out that this is done on the basis of policy. They further pointed out that the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Finance will take initiative in this regard. Moreover, the Members of Parliament inquired about the importers who are going to import corn required for the preparation of Thriposha. Accordingly, the officials present said that the Ministry of Health is working on this issue.
State Ministers Hon. (Dr.) Suren Raghavan, Members of Parliament Hon. Patali Champika Ranawaka, Hon. Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Hon. Nimal Lanza, Hon. Harshana Rajakaruna, Hon. Isuru Dodangoda, Hon. (Prof.) Ranjith Bandara, Hon. (Dr.) Major Pradeep Undugoda, Hon. M. W. D. Sahan Pradeep Withana and Hon. Madhura Withanage, were present at this Committee meeting held.
2026-09-17
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Energy Affairs approved the Order relating to the calling for investment proposals for the exploration and development of petroleum resources in Sri Lanka and the formalization of the relevant process.The approval was granted at a meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee held recently (Sep. 11) at Parliament under the chairmanship of Anura Karunathilaka, Hon. Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation and Energy.The Order, made by the Minister of Energy under Section 48 of the Petroleum Resources Act, No. 21 of 2021, read together with Section 17 of the said Act, and approved by the Cabinet of Ministers, was published in the Extraordinary Gazette No. 2497/37 dated 16 July 2026.Under this Order, any person seeking to explore or develop petroleum resources in one or more identified blocks is required to submit an investment proposal together with payment of the administrative fee specified in the relevant invitation for bids.Deputy Minister of Energy Arkam Illyas, Members of Parliament, officials of the Ministry of Energy, and other officials participated in the meeting.
2026-09-17
Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Hon. Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, emphasized that universities must take the necessary measures to ensure that victim students have confidence in the investigations being conducted into incidents of ragging at universities.This matter was discussed at a meeting of the Subcommittee on Higher Education, convened under the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, which was held at Parliament under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister.The meeting included an extensive discussion on measures to be taken regarding vacancies in the higher education sector, particularly at universities, as well as incidents of ragging.The Prime Minister pointed out that universities have a moral responsibility to prevent and control ragging and emphasized that students subjected to ragging must have confidence in the investigative procedures currently in place at universities.Accordingly, the Prime Minister stressed that investigations into ragging incidents must be efficient and effective and should be conducted in a manner that enables relief to be provided to victim students without delay.The Prime Minister also inquired from university vice-chancellors about the failure to date to make appointments that have already been approved by the Ministry to fill vacancies at universities. She instructed officials to take the necessary measures to fill the approved vacancies expeditiously.The meeting was attended by Hon. Dr. Upali Pannilage, Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Social Empowerment; Hon. Dr. Madhura Seneviratne, Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education; Hon. Member of Parliament Manjula Sugath Ratnayake; university vice-chancellors; the Chairman of the University Grants Commission; and a number of other representatives.
2026-09-15
The wearing of seat belts will be made mandatory from September 20 for all persons travelling in all seats of vehicles operating on expressways. The Order published in Extraordinary Gazette No. 2493/19 dated June 17, 2026, which was introduced to bring an end to the concessionary period granted for compliance with this requirement, has been approved by Parliament.The matter was discussed at length recently at a meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Transport, Highways and Urban Development, chaired by Hon. Bimal Rathnayake, Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development, held at Parliament.An amendment to the Motor Traffic (Expressways) Order dated August 3, 2011, published under Gazette No. 1717/14, was introduced through Gazette Notification No. 2455/29 dated September 25, 2025, making the wearing of seat belts mandatory for all persons travelling in vehicles operating on expressways. The measure was introduced with the objective of reducing the number of fatalities resulting from the increasing number of road accidents and minimizing the severity of injuries caused by such accidents.Accordingly, a three-month concessionary period was granted from the date of publication of the Gazette notification for the installation of seat belts in seats that had not been fitted with seat belts by the vehicle manufacturer. This concessionary period ended on December 25, 2025.However, taking into consideration various public requests to further extend the concessionary period to allow vehicle owners additional time to install seat belts, steps were taken to extend the period again from March 20, 2026, to June 19, 2026.The Committee also discussed the inspection of the minimum standards and specifications relating to the technical condition of vehicles used for passenger transport services regulated by the National Transport Commission, Provincial Road Passenger Transport Authorities, or the Sri Lanka Transport Board. This included passenger transport services, school transport services, office transport services, and vehicles engaged in special tours operated on a hired basis, with the objective of ensuring their roadworthiness.The Orders published in Extraordinary Gazette No. 2489/22 dated May 19, 2026, introduced for this purpose, have also been approved by Parliament.With the increasing number of motor vehicles in Sri Lanka, the need to ensure road safety, environmental protection, and the technical fitness of vehicles has become increasingly important. During the Committee meeting, it was also noted that studies of road accidents occurring in Sri Lanka have revealed that serious traffic accidents are frequently caused not only by driver errors but also by mechanical defects and vehicle maintenance issues.The Chairperson requested Members of Parliament to take steps to raise awareness among vehicle owners and the general public regarding these matters.The meeting was attended by Dr. Prasanna Gunasena, Hon. Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways; Eranga Gunasekara, Hon. Deputy Minister of Urban Development, along with several Members of Parliament and government officials.
2026-09-14
The Subcommittee on Education Reforms met recently (Sep. 09) in Parliament under the chairmanship of Hon. Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education.The meeting focused on the progress of the General Education Reforms and Preschool Education Reforms scheduled to be implemented from 2027.It was stated that, as the initial step in implementing the General Education Reforms, activity books, teacher guides and modules required for Grades 2 and 6 have been prepared, while teacher training programmes are currently being conducted.It was also stated that plans are in place to include seven subjects, including History and Aesthetic Studies, for the G.C.E. Ordinary Level examination; introduce vocational education from Grades 10 and 11; and introduce modules on social cohesion, law and ethics for Grades 12 and 13.It was further announced that a series of awareness programmes on the new education reforms will be conducted in the future.The meeting also revealed that a National Preschool Education Policy has been formulated to formalize preschool education, and that work is underway on activities including the registration of preschools, preparation of curricula and teacher guides, and implementation of teacher training programmes.Hon. Dr. Madura Seneviratne, Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education, along with Members of Parliament and a group of officials, participated in the meeting.
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