2023-12-01
News Categories : Committee News
Several associations representing various sectors were called before the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Increasing Export of Goods & Services to obtain ideas for the improvement of the export of goods and services in Sri Lanka.
Accordingly, the Mawbima Suraksha Ekumuthuwa, National Consumer Front, United Cooperation Front, Cinnamon Export Owners Association, Communication Owners Association, Construction Workers Association, All Ceylon Tenants Association and Low Country Land Owners Association were called before this Committee.
These groups were called when the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Increasing Export of Goods & Services met in Parliament recently (Nov. 28) under the Chairmanship of the Member of Parliament Hon. Buddhika Pathirana.
Each of these sections presented their proposals and ideas to the Committee. Mawbima Suraksha Ekumuthuwa Committee stated before the Sectoral Oversight Committee that the country's agricultural economy should be improved and priority should be given to improving the domestic agricultural economy in particular. The National Consumer Front pointed out that the middlemen get a lot of profit when focusing on market goods and this situation should be eliminated and priority should be given to the producers of the goods. The United Cooperation Front pointed out that it is important to include a section pertaining to law into the education system of this country.
The Cinnamon Export Owners Association pointed out that small scale exporters involved in the export sector should be encouraged. The Association of Communication Owners pointed out that the development and implementation of mobile applications (Apps) like Uber and PickMe in Sri Lanka is a good way to save foreign exchange in Sri Lanka.
The Construction Workers Union pointed out that it is important to keep raw material prices stable. They further asked the Committee to focus on reducing prices. The All Ceylon Tenants’ Association stated that the majority of tenants in this country do not have the right to vote. Moreover, there are many problems in enrolling children in to schools. They further stated that getting a bank loan is difficult and thus, they pointed out to focus on providing solutions for this.
The Low Country Landowners' Association pointed out that the tea industry is currently crippled and the government should focus on this.
The Committee Chair said that he would draw the attention of the relevant parties regarding these matters and also drew the attention of the government officials who were present regarding certain matters.
Members of the Committee were present at this committee meeting.
2026-06-19
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Environment focused its attention on the issue of water pollution in the Kelani River when it met in Parliament recently (10th June) under the chairmanship of the Hon. Minister of Environment, Dr. Dammika Patabendi.During the meeting, the Committee was briefed on the progress of discussions being held with companies that have expressed willingness to invest in a project aimed at cleaning the waters of the Kelani River.The Committee also discussed a number of proposals and other issues raised by Hon. Members of Parliament.The meeting was attended by Hon. Members of Parliament and officials.
2026-06-18
A meeting of the Women Parliamentarians Caucus was held in Parliament recently to discuss the importance of incorporating Gender-Responsive Budgeting into Sri Lanka’s national budget formulation process and to examine the challenges associated with its implementation.The meeting was chaired by the Chairperson of the Caucus and Hon. Minister of Women and Child Affairs, Saroja Savithri Paulraj. Hon. Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya also participated in the discussion.A key concern raised during the discussion was the lack of adequate data and indicators to accurately assess and measure women’s economic contributions within the budgetary process. Drawing on examples of approaches adopted in India and other countries, members of the Caucus underscored the need to identify and address existing systemic and technical gaps in Sri Lanka’s budgeting framework.The Caucus also emphasized the importance of disaggregating data by gender in project reporting and strengthening digital data management systems to support such efforts. It was further noted that identifying relevant gender-related considerations at the initial stages of project design and implementation at the ministerial level would facilitate more effective project analysis, monitoring, and evaluation of outcomes.The need to move away from existing traditional and time-consuming methods towards formal online systems and data-driven analytical tools was also emphasized.The current progress and challenges in integrating Gender-Responsive Budgeting into Sri Lanka’s public financial policy were discussed in detail during the meeting.It was also emphasized that such budgeting should not be limited to nominal percentages in documents, but that the need to establish a formal framework and data system to ensure it has a real and practical impact was also highlighted.The Hon.Deputy Chairperson of Committees Hemalee Weerasekera, Hon. Deputy Minister Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathne, Co-Vice Chairpersons of the Caucus, Hon. Members of Parliament Chamindrani Kiriella, Attorney at Law and Samanmalee Gunasinghe, Hon. Members of Parliament Thushari Jayasinghe, Attorney at Law, Krishnan Kaleichelvi, Sagarika Athauda ,Attorney at Law, Nilanthi Kottahachchi, Attorney at Law, Ambika Samivel and Lakmali Hemachandra, Attorney at Law, along with a group of officials from the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, also participated in the event.
2026-06-17
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government met recently (Jun. 12) at Parliament under the chairmanship of the Hon. Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government, Prof. A.H.M.H. Abayarathna.During the meeting, Members of Parliament discussed a range of issues and proposals relating to their respective electorates, as well as several other matters of public importance.Hon. Members of Parliament and officials were present at the meeting.
2026-06-17
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs met recently (Jun. 09) at Parliament under the chairmanship of the Hon. Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi.During the meeting, Members of Parliament discussed a number of proposals and issues, including reviewing the progress of discussions initiated with the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education and the Department of Examinations regarding the formulation of regulations to prevent the conduct of private tuition classes on Sunday mornings, thereby facilitating the holding of Dhamma School classes on Sundays.The meeting was attended by Hon. Deputy Ministers, Hon. Members of Parliament and officials.
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