2024-07-23
News Categories : Committee News
It is the responsibility of every government institution summoned before the Sectoral Oversight Committee on An Open & Accountable Government within a year to implement the recommendations given by the Committee, as well as to act according to the Public Administration Circular No. 27/2023 related to providing an open and responsible public service. This was pointed out by Hon. Jagath Kumara Sumithraarachchi, Chair of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on An Open & Accountable Government.
The Chair of the Committee stated the said when the Sectoral Oversight Committee on An Open & Accountable Government met in Parliament on 11.07.2024.
The top officials of the institutions were summoned before the Committee to investigate the progress of implementation of the recommendations given to the institutions of State Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government, Ministry of Education, Western Provincial Council, Ministry of Transport and Highways, Ministry of Mass Media and the Election Commission. It was also necessary to inquire regarding the measures taken by the said public institutions according to the Public Administration Circular 27/2023 issued through the intervention of the Committee. Furthermore, the Election Commission's performance report for the year 2023 was also considered.
Attention was drawn to the earlier recommendation by the Committee that further coloring of fingers is not necessary as the identity will be clearly verified during the election. According to the said, the Election Commissioner General Mr. Saman Sri Ratnayake stated that although the Cabinet has submitted the document to remove finger coloring, it has been decided not to implement it at this juncture as per the decision of the Cabinet. It was also discussed that eliminating the coloring of the finger would save a lot of money, time and effort. Accordingly, the Committee Chair informed the Election Commissioner General to submit all the proposals related to the amendment of the Election Act to the House.
He also stated that many positive steps have been taken in the upcoming elections for the disabled community and that a special tactile ballot paper will be introduced for the visually impaired community for the first time in this presidential election. He also mentioned that a new sign language vocabulary of 320 words related to the election has been introduced for the benefit of the hearing-impaired community and to provide maximum facilities for the disabled community's activities including access facilities has been planned.
Furthermore, the Committee also gave necessary instructions to appoint a separate group at the ministerial level to educate all officers regarding open and responsible public service and conduct officer awareness programs. Moreover, Hon. Jagath Kumara Sumithraarachchi, Chair of the Committee, expressed his appreciation to the organizations that are successfully carrying out these activities.
Additionally, the officials to the Ministry of Education were instructed to take steps to inform the education authorities including the principals regarding this.
The Director General of Pensions was also informed regarding the need to prepare a program to obtain the names of persons who die during the payment of pension from the Registrar General's office. The Committee pointed out that it would prevent the inconvenience of obtaining the life certificate and confirm the ability to carry out the work in a more transparent manner.
The Committee Chair also emphasized the need to prepare a reasonable program to give the benefit of fuel price reduction to the people. The officials stated that they expect to take further steps to update the equation used for the revision of bus fares to match the present.
The Committee Chair also pointed out the need to run a few special trains during a railway strike. The Chair further instructed that special trains should be deployed for tourists, especially as the tourism industry, which is a major source of income in this country, will collapse.
Members of Parliament Hon. Wajira Abeywardana, Hon. Mohomad Muzammil, Hon. Rohana Bandara, Hon. Jayantha Weerasinghe, PC, Hon. Marjan Faleel and Hon. W. H. M. Dharmasena were present at this Committee meeting held.
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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