2024-02-27
News Categories : Committee News
Hon. Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Committee Chair of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Economic and Physical Plans stated that he will convey the need to maintain the Valaichchenai Paper Mill as a public private joint venture without allowing a situation of closure is presented to the concerned ministers and the Hon. President
The Committee Chair stated the above when the National Paper Company Limited annual reports for the years 2013, 2014 and 2015 were taken into consideration by the Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Economic and Physical Plans recently (Feb. 20).
Ms. Thilaka Jayasundara, Secretary to the Ministry of Industry stated that since the machines of the Valaichchenai factory were imported in 1956 and thus 1.2 million dollars are required for repairs. However, since no financial allocation was received from the treasury, a cabinet paper was submitted to run this as a public private joint venture, but was not approved as the land was allocated for tourism.
It was also disclosed that if USD 1.2 million is spent and repairs are made to the machines in the factory, a profit of 22 million rupees per month can be made by producing 5 tons per day. It was also discussed that this entire land, which is spread over an area of 340 acres, could be considered for a tourist zone instead of only a part of it. The Committee Chair stated that if the Valaichchenai Paper Mill is to be closed down, instead of selling it, it is important to run it as a public private joint venture, and thus, the recommendation of the Committee shall be forwarded to the Ministry of Finance and industry and the Hon. President.
Moreover, the Committee emphasized the need to build a manufacturing economy by developing the industries of the country instead of depending on the tourism industry itself. The Secretary to the Ministry of Industries pointed out that the contribution of the manufacturing sector is only 15% of the country's gross domestic product, while in a developed country this figure is 30%. She stated that the land reserved for industries is 0.04 percent of the total land in the country and it is usually 3 percent in a developed country.
Furthermore, attention was paid to the concern of not having a specific region for the leather industry and it was pointed out that plans should be prepared taking into account the development of both industry and tourism sectors.
Moreover, taking into account the 2022 annual report of the Department of Fiscal Policy, the Committee Chair drew attention to the weaknesses in the tax collection process in this country. The Committee pointed out that it is unacceptable for people with large incomes to sneak through the tax net and collect taxes from people with low incomes and advised to conduct a more extensive study on the tax policy and streamline the related mechanism. The Committees emphasized that the Inland Revenue Act should be amended and the officials including the Ministry of Finance should take the initiative for the said.
The Committee Chair expressed his displeasure that although a number of recommendations were made to connect the Land Registry Department and the Motor Transport Department with the Ramis system of the Inland Revenue Department, it has not been done so far. He also stated that the government will lose a considerable amount of tax due to the provision of temporary VAT number by the Inland Revenue Department.
Additionally, the 2022 Annual Report of the Public Accounts Department, the 2020 Annual Report of the HDFC Bank, the 2022 Performance Report of the Ministry of Commerce, the 2021 Annual Report of the Sri Lanka Accreditation Board, the 2022 Performance Report of the Cooperative Employees Commission, the 2022 Annual Report of the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing and Condominiums The management authority's annual report for the year 2021 was also considered at the Committee meeting held.
Members of Parliament Hon. Eran Wickramaratne and Hon. Madhura Withanage, officials from relevant government institutions were also present at the Committee meeting held.
2026-04-29
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, called officials from the Department of Meteorology and the Disaster Management Centre to appear before it.These matters were discussed when the Committee met recently in Parliament under the chairmanship of the Hon. minister (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa. The meeting was attended by a group of senior officials from the respective institutions, including the Director General of the Department of Meteorology, Mr. Athula Karunanayake, and the Director General of the Disaster Management Centre, Major General (Retd) Sampath Kotuwegoda.During the meeting, the Committee inquired into how the Department of Meteorology and the Disaster Management Centre operate as primary responding institutions during natural disasters.Officials also clarified the shortcomings in the existing system as well as deficiencies in the relevant technical equipment.It was also decided to summon officials from the Department of Irrigation and the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka before the Committee in the future to examine how those institutions function as primary responding bodies, and subsequently to call these institutions separately to investigate incidents related to Cyclone “Ditwah.”The meeting was attended by the Committee members including Hon. Deputy Ministers Dr. Prasanna Gunasena, Major General (Retd.) Aruna Jayasekara, and Anton Jayakodi, as well as Hon. Members of Parliament Attorney at Law Anuradha Jayaratne, Hector Appuhamy, Rohini Kumari Wijerathna, M.K.M. Aslam, Attorney at Law Anushka Thilakaratne, Kandasamy Prabhu, Ruwan Mapalagama, and (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam.
2026-04-28
The Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities held discussions with several ministries regarding the allocations made in the 2026 Budget for persons with disabilities and the progress of related programs. The meeting took place recently in Parliament under the chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament Sugath Wasantha de Silva.During the meeting, relevant ministries presented matters related to higher education, religious and cultural sites, accessible housing for persons with disabilities, access to credit for entrepreneurship, and technological innovations.Accordingly, the University Grants Commission stated that 143 students with disabilities were admitted during 2024/2025, and it is expected to increase this number to 203 in 2025/2026. Each university has been allocated between Rs. 25–50 million for infrastructure development. It was also noted that an additional monthly allowance of Rs. 5,000 will be provided to low-income students with disabilities. Officials further stated that a pilot project is being implemented to admit students with disabilities into medical faculties in several universities. Measures will also be taken to recruit permanent sign language interpreters for universities and to develop a program to identify students who become disabled due to accidents and provide them with assistive devices such as wheelchairs.Meanwhile, officials from the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs stated that coordinating officers have already been appointed under the ministry to handle matters related to persons with disabilities. The Chair of the Caucus drew attention to the lack of physical accessibility at religious places, especially temples. It was decided to coordinate with the Central Cultural Fund and the Department of Archaeology to improve accessibility infrastructure at religious and historical sites.The Ministry of Housing, Construction and Water Supply has allocated Rs. 500 million to provide sanitary facilities for persons with disabilities in the Western Province and plans to construct 9,700 houses in 2026. The ministry also agreed to adopt a special loan scheme for persons with disabilities and to develop “model plans” to construct houses that meet their specific needs.Officials further informed the Caucus that housing construction will be carried out based on flexible “model plans” designed with consideration for the specific needs of persons with disabilities.The Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development pointed out that there is a significant “trust gap” between banks and entrepreneurs with disabilities, making it difficult for them to obtain loans. Accordingly, the Chair instructed the ministry to explore the possibility of introducing a Credit Guarantee Scheme for micro and small entrepreneurs with disabilities.In addition, the Ministry of Science and Technology stated that it will pay special attention to research that supports the needs of the disabled community, particularly in the commercialization of innovations. The Caucus advised the ministry to encourage research teams to develop assistive devices and to prioritize bringing such products to market.Officials from the Ministries of Youth Affairs and Sports, Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, and Environment also shared their views.The Caucus further decided to review the progress of all the proposed plans by each ministry again in six months.The meeting was attended by the Deputy Co-Chair of the Caucus, Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam, members of the Caucus including Hon. Members of Parliament Padmasiri Bandara, Chandima Hettiarachchi, and with the permission of the Chair, Hon. Members of Parliament T.K. Jayasundara and Jagath Manuwarna, along with a group of officials.Representatives from several organizations, including the National Forum of Women with Disabilities, the Sri Lanka Central Federation of the Deaf, the Little People Association, and the Youth Network with Disabilities (YND), also attended. Additionally, representatives of the disability community were present as observers at the invitation of the Chair, along with officials from the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).
2026-04-09
The Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) met on 07th April 2026 under the chairmanship of Hon Member of Parliament Dr. Harsha de Silva.The Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, along with members of the Governing Board, the Monetary Policy Board, and senior officials, attended the meeting as part of the Central Bank’s statutory presentation to Parliament conducted once every four months.Hon. Deputy Ministers Chathuranga Abeysinghe, (Dr.) (Ms.) Kaushalya Ariyarathnea and Nishantha Jayaweera, Hon. Members of parliament Rauff Hakeem, Attorney at Law, Ravi Karunanayake, M.K.M. Aslam, Nimal Palihena, Chithral Fernando, Attorney at Law, Wijesiri Basnayake, Thilina Samarakoon, Champika Hettiarachchi and (Ms.) Lakmali Hemachandra, Attorney at Law were also present at the meeting.During the meeting, the Committee took up as a matter of priority the alleged fraud at NDB Bank. The Committee initiated a focused discussion with the Central Bank, underscoring the seriousness of the issue and the need for urgent attention.The Governor informed the Committee that an initial investigation in this regard is currently underway. He further assured that the Central Bank will report back to the Committee at the earliest possible opportunity once the necessary information has been gathered.The Committee observed with serious concern that there appear to have been considerable lapses in corporate governance at the bank, deficiencies in supervision by the relevant departments of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, and undue delays in the reporting of material information.The Committee firmly underscored that such shortcomings are unacceptable and directed that immediate corrective measures be undertaken. It further emphasized that it will continue to closely monitor this matter and exercise stringent oversight to ensure full accountability, transparency, and the safeguarding of public confidence in the financial system.
2026-04-02
The Committee on High Posts has approved the appointments of four Ministry Secretaries.The approval was granted when the Committee met in Parliament recently (Mar. 20) under the chairmanship of Hon. Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.Accordingly, the Committee approved the appointments of Air Vice Marshall H.S.S Thuyyacontha (Retd.) as the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Mr. L Mohamed Navavi as the Secretary to the Ministry of Science and Technology, Mrs. W.M.D.T Wickramasinghe as the Secretary to the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs and Mr. W.W.S Mangala as the Secretary to the Ministry of Ports and Civil Aviation.
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