2023-10-16
The Committee on Public Finance questioned the officials of the Ministry of Finance as to why it took the Ministry 15 weeks to submit a Gazette published on the 16th of June 2023 to the Committee on Public Finance for approval.
The Committee Members mentioned that, as a result, the Committee faces criticism for delaying the approval of certain Gazettes. In reality, it is the Ministry that causes these delays by submitting the Gazettes late, leaving the Committee insufficient time for thorough analysis and consideration. The Committee emphatically instructed the officials to ensure that Gazettes intended for consideration are promptly sent to the Committee, without any unnecessary delays, and expressed great dissatisfaction with the current delays.
The aforesaid was stated at the Committee on Public Finance held recently in Parliament, Chaired by Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva when the Committee met to consider and approve a Resolution under the Customs Ordinance, two Orders under the Excise Ordinance and three orders under the Excise (Special Provisions) Act, No. 13 of 1989.
The Committee reconsidered Resolutions under Customs Ordinance (Gazette Extraordinary No. 2336/72, 16th June 2023) at its meeting and noted that 'soap noodles' are imported for soap production, with a few companies importing palm oil fatty acids. Due to a new customs duty of 24% on palm fatty acids, certain companies are importing palmitic and lauric acids at lower tax rates in order to produce soap noodles. To maintain market price equality and prevent tax revenue loss, a new tax of 29% is proposed to be imposed on these substituted acids, now categorized under a new HS code. Evidently, the Committee noted its concern regarding the policy inconsistency related to this gazette, as the general policy for importation of raw materials is to implement lower taxes than finished or semi-finished products. However, the Gazette detailing the introduction of new HS codes for these derivatives was approved by the Committee on Public Finance upon further review.
While reviewing the Orders under the Excise Ordinance, the Committee engaged in a thorough discussion regarding the use of counterfeit stickers on liquor bottles and the massive loss of tax revenue to the country, given that 40% of alcohol in the market features counterfeit stickers. The Committee highlighted that since its revelation during the Committee on Ways and Means, numerous raids have been conducted, resulting in a sudden surge in revenue of 2 billion rupees within two weeks for the Excise Department. Consequently, the Committee has decided to further address this issue during a joint meeting with the Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on Public Accounts. Furthermore, the Committee questioned officials as to why no court cases have been filed to date to pursue such illicit activities. In addition, Dr. Harsha raised concerns about the procurement contract for the digital sticker, as a price discrepancy was observed. A digital sticker costs only 0.20 cents, while the Government is paying the contractor 1.90 rupees per sticker, resulting in an overpayment. Officials stated that this was due to the contract being originally made for the previous physical sticker, and no amendments were made to the contract when stickers were digitalized.
State Minister Hon. (Dr.) Suren Raghavan, Members of Parliament Hon. Chandima Weerakkodi, Hon. Nimal Lanza, Hon. (Dr.) Major Pradeep Undugoda, Hon. Premnath C. Dolawatte, Hon. Madhura Withanage, Hon. U.K Sumith Udukumbura, Hon. Rauff Hakeem, Hon. Patali Champika Ranawaka, Hon. Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Hon. Mayantha Dissanayake, Hon. Harshana Rajakaruna, were present at this Committee meeting held.
2026-09-18
Hon. Member of Parliament Sugath Wasantha de Silva, MP (Parliament of Sri Lanka) was awarded the 2026 New Parliamentarian Award in recognition of his contribution to promoting inclusive parliamentary democracy. The award was officially presented to him yesterday (Sep. 17) at the 69th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference held in Cape Town, South Africa.Elected in November 2024 as Sri Lanka's first-ever blind Member of Parliament, he has advanced the principles of disability-inclusive governance through his work as Chair of the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities. Through cross-institutional collaboration, he has also delivered practical reforms, best exemplified through Sri Lanka's first national participatory budget consultation with persons with disabilities.
2026-09-18
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, has decided to summon representatives of Pradeshiya Sabhas and Municipal Councils before the Committee to examine how local authorities coordinated their response during the disaster situation.Committee members particularly highlighted the need for further investigation into how local authorities, including Pradeshiya Sabhas and Municipal Councils, were involved in official communication and coordination processes during the disaster.At a recent meeting of the Committee held in Parliament under the chairmanship of Hon. Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, information was sought from members of the National Council for Disaster Management and the District Secretaries of Kandy and Matale regarding the disaster management process in the Kandy and Matale districts.Accordingly, the Committee focused its attention on the early warning systems, communication among government institutions, and emergency response procedures in response to the heavy rainfall, landslides, and flooding experienced in these areas from 23 to 27 November 2025.The Committee also discussed the need to establish formal written procedures to be followed during emergency disaster situations, conduct disaster preparedness drills regularly, and further improve the efficiency of early warning systems.Committee members, including Hon. Deputy Ministers Major General (Retired) Aruna Jayasekara and Anton Jayakody, and Members of Parliament Attorney-at-Law Anuradha Jayaratne, Rohini Kumari Wijerathne, Kanthasamy Prabu, Ruwan Mapalagama, and Dr. Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam, also participated in the meeting.
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.
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