2024-05-31
News Categories : Committee News
Chair of the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities, Hon. Dullas Alahapperuma said that steps will be taken to establish a separate independent commission for the disabled community in Sri Lanka. He also mentioned that this independent commission will be able to be established according to the amendments to be brought to the Act No. 28 of 1996 on the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities with the intervention of the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities. Also, the chair pointed out that the amendments are made in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
According to the 2012 census of the country, 8.7 percent of the total population (nearly 1.7 million people) have been identified as persons with disabilities, of which 74 percent are not involved in any economic process and 34 percent of those children have not received any primary education. However, the chairman explained that when looking at these data according to each district and region, there are differences. According to the available data, the highest number of disabled people in Sri Lanka is recorded in the Nuwara Eliya district, the chairman said. Also, he emphasized the issues of lack of accurate data system containing information regarding persons with disabilities all over the island.
Hon. Dullas Alahapperuma said this when the special third program to discuss information about the challenges, issues, opportunities faced by persons with disabilities and the measures and proposals that can be taken to properly address them was held in Nuwara Eliya recently (May 27) under the auspices of the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities. The programme was held under the patronage of the chair of the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities Hon. Dullas Alahapperuma and the Member of Parliament Hon. C.B Rathnayake, Hon. Nimal Piyathissa, Hon K.P.P Kumarasiri and a group of officials including the District Secretariate of Nuwara Eliya Mr. Nandana Galabada were present on this occasion. Also, Consultant of National Democratic Institute (NDI) Mrs. Shyama Salgadu and Chair of Disability Organizations Joint Front Mrs. Rasanjali Pathirage participated.
People with disabilities living in Nuwara Eliya district, representatives of organizations representing the disabled community in Nuwara Eliya district, officials of several institutions that provide education for children with disabilities in Nuwara Eliya district, liaison officers of public representatives in the area also attended the event.
The necessary information and proposals for establishing a coordination mechanism regarding streamlining the process of providing education to children with disabilities, improving access facilities for persons with disabilities in Nuwara Eliya district, as well as improving the inclusion of the disabled community into the country's governance structure and society were discussed at length.
The disabled community and organizations who participated in the discussion presented their views, suggestions and issues. The issues such as providing the necessary facilities for disabled people working as small entrepreneurs, difficulties in accessing schools and care centers for disabled children due to the topography of Nuwara Eliya district, and preventing disabled children from being abused were discussed.
In order to further streamline the functioning of government-aided schools for children with disabilities in Sri Lanka, it was also suggested that the Assisted Schools and Training Colleges (Supplementary Provisions) Act (No. 8 of 1961) should be amended.
Meanwhile, attention was also paid to the issues regarding the lack of public transportation facilities for the disabled community. Accordingly, the chairman stated that arrangements have been made to import buses to be added to the Sri Lankan transport system soon and necessary measures will be taken to facilitate the transportation of the disabled community.
2026-07-22
The draft Terms of Reference (ToR) prepared for the Parliamentary Caucus for Open Parliament Initiative was approved recently at a meeting held in Parliament with the participation of Parliament's development partner organizations.The approval was granted during a meeting of the Caucus chaired by its Co-Chair, Hon. Member of Parliament Shanakkiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam.The draft Terms of Reference was developed based on proposals and recommendations received during a workshop organized by the Caucus in recent months to gather stakeholder input for its preparation.The meeting also agreed that, following the approval of the Terms of Reference, the document would be submitted to Hon. President, and that a discussion would be held with the President on behalf of the Caucus.
2026-07-22
The Sub-Committee appointed by the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) focused its attention on the methodology, implementation timeline and coordination arrangements relating to the research study proposed for the restructuring of the Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technological Education (SLIATE), when it met recently, at Parliament under the Chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament Ruwan Mapalagama.During the meeting, discussions were held on the establishment of the proposed Institutional Operations Committee and a six-member Coordination Team to facilitate the implementation of the research. Attention was also focused on the proposed Mixed-Methods Design, the preparation of questionnaires and the data collection process.The Sub-Committee further reviewed the progress of obtaining public views on the restructuring of SLIATE. Matters relating to obtaining the contribution of the Human Resources and Management Information Systems (MIS) divisions for the research, the preparation of the research implementation timeline through a Gantt Chart, and the stakeholder consultations to be held with representatives of the industry sector were also considered.The programme to obtain the views of stakeholders, including Chambers of Commerce, industry associations and professional bodies, as well as the conduct of field visits to selected SLIATE institutions across the country, was also discussed.The Sub-Committee decided to proceed with the future activities of the research in accordance with the agreed timeline and to present the relevant progress reports at its next meeting.Hon. Member of Parliament Lieutenant Commander (Retired) Prageeth Madhuranga also attended the meeting.
2026-07-22
The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) focused its attention on referring the matters revealed in relation to land misuse, financial irregularities and administrative deficiencies at the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) for a formal investigation.The matter was taken up when the Committee met recently at Parliament under the Chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament (Dr.) Nishantha Samaraweera to continue its examination of the Auditor General's Reports for the years 2022 and 2023 and to consider the remaining matters relating to the current performance of the National Housing Development Authority.During the meeting, lengthy discussions were held regarding the leasing of valuable NHDA-owned lands located at Maligawatta, Elvitigala Mawatha and Rangirigama, Dambulla to external parties at low nominal values without Cabinet approval, the use of such lands for purposes contrary to the conditions stipulated in the relevant agreements, and the failure to adequately safeguard the Authority's assets.The Committee observed that many of these transactions had been carried out in contravention of the objectives of the National Housing Development Authority and the relevant legal provisions. Accordingly, the Committee recommended that comprehensive reports on the identified irregularities be referred to the Criminal Investigation Department and the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption for the institution of appropriate legal action.The Committee also instructed the officials to expedite internal audit investigations into these matters, identify the officers responsible and initiate disciplinary action against them. Furthermore, the Committee recommended that the necessary measures be taken to strengthen asset management and internal control systems in order to prevent the recurrence of such irregularities in the future.The meeting was attended by Hon. Members of Parliament Attorney-at-Law Dayasiri Jayasekara, S.M. Marikkar, Attorney-at-Law Sujeewa Senasinghe, Mujibur Rahman, Chaminda Wijesiri, Dr. S. Sri Bavanandarajah, Sunil Rajapaksha, Thilina Samarakoon, Chandima Hettiarachchi, Asitha Niroshana Egodavithana, Ruwan Mapalagama, Jagath Manuwarna, Dinesh Hemantha, M.K.M. Aslam and Sudath Balagalla.
2026-07-21
Discussions focus on strengthening disability-inclusive legislation and policy implementationThe Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities held discussions with the United Nations Resident Coordinator and representatives of several United Nations agencies at Parliament with a view to strengthening cooperation in promoting the rights of persons with disabilities and advancing disability-inclusive legislation and policies in Sri Lanka.The meeting was held in Parliament under the Chairmanship of the Chair of the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities, Hon. Member of Parliament Sugath Wasantha de Silva recently.Addressing the meeting, the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mr. Marc-André Franche, commended the Parliament for establishing the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities and emphasized the importance of treating disability inclusion as a national priority across all sectors. He reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations to provide technical expertise and institutional support in areas including legislative reforms, accessibility, inclusive education, employment, community-based rehabilitation and strengthening national coordination.The UNICEF Representative, Ms. Begoña Arellano, highlighted the need to safeguard the rights of children with disabilities, particularly in relation to health, nutrition and education, while emphasizing the important oversight role of Parliament in ensuring the effective implementation of disability-inclusive policies.Representatives of UNFPA, UNDP, ILO and UN Volunteers also briefed the Caucus on ongoing initiatives relating to youth, education, disability data collection, employment opportunities and social inclusion.During the meeting, the Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment, Hon. (Dr.) Upali Pannilage, informed the Caucus that the proposed Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill and the Sign Language Bill are currently with the Attorney General's Department and are expected to be presented to Parliament on September 2026. He further stated that measures are underway to improve accessibility in public institutions, expand employment opportunities, introduce educational grants for university students with disabilities and establish ten day-care centres for children with disabilities within this year.The Caucus also discussed future initiatives, including the preparation of disability-inclusive budget proposals by Government Ministries, the finalisation of a national disability database and the conduct of a sensitisation programme for journalists to promote a rights-based approach to disability related reporting.The meeting concluded with the Chair, Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva, reiterating the Caucus's core theme, "An unhindered social life," and calling for continued, unified collaboration to make an inclusive society a reality.The meeting was attended by the Deputy Co-Chairs of the Caucus, Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka, and Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam, the Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment, Hon. (Dr.) Upali Pannilage, Members of Parliament and representatives of the United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP, ILO and UN Volunteers.
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