2024-01-18
News Categories : Committee News
The Sectoral Oversight Committee on Children, Women and Gender directed its focus in conducting a discussion at length on the National Policy on Day Care Center Facilities for Children prepared by the National Child Protection Authority.
This was discussed at the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Children, Women and Gender which met recently (Jan. 09) under the Chairmanship of Hon. Thalatha Athukorala in Parliament.
Officials representing the Ministry of Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment, National Child Protection Authority, Department of Probation and Child Care Services, representatives of Verité Research Institute and youth representatives assigned to the Sectoral Oversight Committee were present during this discussion.
Officials of the National Child Protection Authority stated that the national policy, which has been prepared to apply to the entire country, has now been submitted to the Ministry of Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment and thereafter steps will be taken to obtain the approval of the Cabinet Ministers.
Furthermore, the Committee observed that there is no proper mechanism for the registration and regulation of day care centers operating in the country and since the registrations are done under the provincial councils, different methods are followed in different provinces. Therefore, as it is essential to ensure the safety of children in any province, the Committee pointed out that there is a need for a common mechanism for the whole country as well as fields such as education and health.
Accordingly, it was decided to call the provincial chief secretaries and the officials of the Attorney General's Department to discuss this matter.
There was also a discussion at length regarding the pilot project implemented in Sabaragamuwa province through the Presidential Secretariat regarding day care centers. Accordingly, the representatives of Verité Research Institute pointed out the need to analyze the observations and results obtained through this pilot project and implement future projects accordingly. The Committee Chair, Member of Parliament Hon. (Mrs.) Thalatha Athukorala instructed to obtain a report from the Chief Secretary of Sabaragamuwa Province regarding this pilot project.
Furthermore, the youth representatives assigned to the said Sectoral Oversight Committees also presented their views.
Members of Parliament Hon. Rohini Kumari Wijerathna, Hon. Manjula Dissanayake, Hon. Muditha Prishanthi, Hon. D. Weerasingha and Hon. Velu Kumar, were present at the Committee meeting held.
2026-01-08
A meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Defence was held yesterday (Jan. 07) evening in the Parliament premises under the chairmanship of Hon. President and Minister of Defence Anura Kumara Dissanayaka.At this meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Defence, Members of Parliament raised several issues such as reviewing the progress of the implementation of decisions reached at previous committee meetings, the release of lands in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, the opening of roads, and the functioning of schools.Accordingly, His Excellency the President issued the necessary instructions to officials to provide feasible solutions to those matters, and discussions were also held regarding existing obstacles and the steps to be taken in carrying out these activities.Matters such as the welfare of members of the defence forces and deploying more personnel for the United Nations peacekeeping forces were also discussed.Deputy Minister of Defence Major General (Rtd.) Aruna Jayasekera was also present at this meeting, along with several Ministers, Deputy Ministers, and Members of Parliament. Likewise, a group including the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Heads of the Tri-Forces, several senior officials of the defence sector, the Secretary General of Parliament Mrs. Kushani Rohanadeera, and officials of the Ministry were also present at this meeting.
2026-01-08
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Transport, Highways and Urban Development has approved the Regulations under the Motor Traffic Act (Chapter 203) scheduled to be presented to Parliament for approval on 08.01.2025.Accordingly, this approval was granted at the recent (Jan. 06) meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Transport, Highways and Urban Development held in Parliament under the chairmanship of Hon. Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake.As such, the Regulations published in the Extraordinary Gazette bearing No. 2452/40 under the Motor Traffic Act (Chapter 203) state that in an instance where a police officer has reasonable suspicion that a person driving, operating or physically controlling a motor vehicle on any road has used drugs, such police officer shall produce that person to a Government Medical Officer or an officer of a hospital who has been empowered for the purpose, for further examination.Furthermore, the Regulations published in the Extraordinary Gazette bearing No. 2455/29 under the Motor Traffic Act (Chapter 203) state that every person travelling on an expressway must wear a seat belt. Accordingly, the Committee granted approval for the said Regulations.In addition, officials of the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development briefed the Committee on the damage caused due to the sudden disaster situation that arose within the country and the progress of restoration efforts. Officials of the Road Development Authority stated that approximately 287 road sections belonging to the Authority, covering a distance of around 1481 kilometers, have been damaged. They further informed the Committee that the estimated cost for reconstruction would be around Rs. 86 billion.Officials of the Railway Department stated that the Department has incurred a loss of approximately Rs. 300 billion. Furthermore, officials stated that the Sri Lanka Transport Board has suffered a loss of around Rs. 63 million due to the emergency disaster situation.The Chair of the Committee also stated that a web page has been created to inform the public regarding the damage caused to the road system in various parts of the country. Accordingly, he pointed out that the public may access the page https://road-lk.org/ to obtain information on the relevant damage.Hon. Deputy Chairman of the Committees Hemali Weerasekara, Hon. Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa, Hon. State Minister of Transport and Highways (Dr.) Prasanna Gunasekera, Hon. Deputy Minister of Urban Development Eranga Gunasekara, other Hon. Deputy Ministers, Hon. Members of Parliament and several government officials were present at this occasion.
2026-01-08
Rs. 25 million working capital loan and investment scheme for businesses affected by Cyclone Dithwa, along with a Rs. 25 million loan scheme at 5% interest – Secretary to the Ministry of FinanceThe Ministerial Consultative Committee on Finance, Planning and Economic Development met on 07.01.2026 at the Parliamentary Complex under the chairmanship of Hon. President and Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Anura Kumara Dissanayake.The meeting was attended by the Hon. Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Anil Jayantha, Hon.Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Nishantha Jayaweera, and the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, among others.Discussions focused on financial assistance for industries affected by Cyclone Dithwa. It was noted that several loan schemes have been introduced to support affected business owners. Accordingly, the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, stated that a Rs. 25 million working capital loan and investment scheme, as well as a Rs. 25 million loan scheme at a concessional interest rate of 5%, have already been arranged.It was further revealed that a sum of Rs. 1 billion has already been allocated to the Ministry of Industries and Entrepreneurship Development. The Committee drew attention to the fact that these funds have not yet been utilized in a proper and effective manner.Hon. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake instructed the Ministry to take necessary steps to establish a systematic mechanism to ensure the effective utilization of the funds already allocated and released, before considering the allocation of additional funds.The Committee also discussed the need for a mechanism to register all businesses contributing to the national economy, as well as the importance of raising awareness among the business community about the benefits of such registration.Accordingly, the Chairperson of the Committee stated that the Government has also focused its attention on providing relief to unregistered small and medium-scale entrepreneurs who were affected by the recent disaster. District Secretaries have been instructed to submit reports in this regard.In addition, Hon. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced that the compensation payments for fully damaged houses and the programme for constructing new houses will commence on January 09, starting from Anuradhapura and Kurunegala.The meeting was attended by the Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, Ms. Hemali Weerasekara, several Ministers, Deputy Ministers, and Members of Parliament, the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance and officials of institutions under the Ministry, the Secretary-General of Parliament, Ms. Kushani Rohanadeera and several officials including the Director (Legislative Services) and the Acting Director of Communications, Mr. M. Jayalath Perera.
2026-01-08
Approval of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Labour has been granted for the Regulation under Shop and Office Employees (Regulation of Employment and Remuneration) Act (Chapter 129), scheduled for debate in Parliament tomorrow (Jan. 9).This approval was granted at the meeting of the Committee held in Parliament on 2026.01.06, chaired by the Minister of Labour (Dr.) Anil Jayantha and with the participation of the Deputy Minister of Labour Mahinda Jayasinghe.This Regulation, made by the Minister of Labour on 2025.12.12, was presented to Parliament on 2025.12.18. The Regulation amends the current legal provision which states:“Any female employee who has attained the age of eighteen years may be employed in a residential hotel after 6.00 p.m and before 6.00 a.m, on the work of a female reception officer, ladies linen room attendant, ladies cloak room attendant or ladies lavatory attendant.”Accordingly, the Regulation introduces the required legal amendments to allow, in addition to the designated categories already permitted, female workers over the age of 18 employed in residential hotels as Food and Beverage Stewardess to be engaged in employment after 6.00 p.m. or before 6.00 a.m. on the following day.However, officials informed the Committee that under this Regulation, in any instance where the work shift of a female employer employed under this provision ends between 6.00 p.m. and 6.00 a.m., the employer shall be responsible for ensuring her health care, safety and welfare by providing suitable accommodation until 6.00 a.m. or providing transport facilities to her usual residence.Although the current female population in Sri Lanka is approximately 51%, female labour force participation is around 34%. It was discussed that easing existing legal restrictions is a timely need in order to create opportunities to increase female labour contributions, especially to support the rapidly developing tourism sector.A number of proposals on measures that can be taken to safeguard the rights of female workers and other employees, as well as matters relating to increasing the wages of plantation workers, were presented to the Committee by Hon. Members of Parliament. The Hon. Minister of Labour stated that discussions on these matters will be carried out in the future and necessary steps will be taken accordingly.A number of Members of Parliament, the Secretary to the Ministry of Labour, and officials representing the Ministry of Labour and institutions under it also participated in this Committee meeting.
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