2024-05-10
News Categories : Committee News
Many administrative weaknesses and irregularities in the University of Sabaragamuwa were revealed at COPE. Accordingly, the Secretary to the Ministry of Education was recommended to investigate these irregularities and prepare a report promptly and present it to the COPE. COPE further pointed out that following this report, it will be handed over to the CID to start investigations.
Particular pertaining to the said was revealed when the Committee on Public Enterprises met in Parliament recently (May 08) under the chairmanship of Hon. Rohitha Abeygunawardana, Member of Parliament.
Prior to the discussion regarding the University of Sabaragamuwa, attention of the Committee was directed towards the 5 newly established medical faculties. Accordingly, it was disclosed that the functioning of the 4 faculties of medicine is at a good level and the said university pointed out that the facilities of the Kalutara hospital are adequate for the clinical activities of the students of the faculty of medicine attached to the University of Moratuwa.
It has been proposed to use the Neville Fernando Hospital for this purpose, but the officials who were present pointed out that there is a financial problem regarding the acquisition of this hospital. Thus, the Committee recommended that a quick decision be taken within two weeks after holding a discussion with the intervention of the President's Secretary, the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance and the relevant ministry officials.
Thereafter, discussion regarding the University of Sabaragamuwa and the progress of the implementation of the orders and recommendations issued by the Committee on Public Enterprises held on November 09th, 2023 was reviewed.
Thus, in the year 2007, to construct the administrative building, Rs. 1,494,543 was borne as initial expenses, but COPE also drew attention to the fact that the construction had not begun. The officials present mentioned that the report prepared by the former Secretary to the Ministry of Education was given to the Auditor General and COPE a few days ago with the signature of the new Secretary. However, although it was recommended to give it within a month with time extended until February 09, 2024, the Committee expressed its displeasure that it took about 6 months to submit this report.
Moreover, the Committee paid attention to the condition of the university playground when it was summoned before COPE in November. COPE has at a previous meeting inquired about the retention of water in the playground, the rough surface due to the application of gravel mixed soil and the bursting of the embankment. According to the said, officials present pointed out that the existing issues have been fixed and completed.
Furthermore, attention was paid to the provision of an advance bond of 72,461,830 rupees while the contractors had defaulted on the construction of the new library building with a contract value of 315,051,433 rupees. Accordingly, COPE recommended that an investigation be conducted under the leadership of the Secretary to the Ministry of Education in this regard.
Irregularities in the purchase of books was also disclosed. Furthermore, many administrative weaknesses and irregularities of this university were discussed and the committee made recommendations to the Secretary of the Ministry of Education to investigate all such matters and prepare a report to be submitted it to this Committee. COPE further stated that following this report, it will be handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department to start investigations.
Government officials, State Ministers Hon. Indika Anuruddha, Hon. Janaka Wakkumbura, Members of Parliament Hon. Upul Mahendra Rajapaksha, Hon. (Major) Sudarshana Denipitiya, and Hon. Madhura Withanage were present at this 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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