2025-03-07
News Categories : Committee News
The issue of human-wildlife conflict was extensively discussed during the meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Environment, with an emphasis on the need to seek necessary scientific solutions in this regard. Specifically, the responsibilities of relevant institutions were deliberated separately, while issues such as the wildlife conflict and the lack of adequate human and physical resources were identified as key concerns.
During the discussions, Members of Parliament presented concerns to the Committee regarding conflicts arising due to animals that cause crop damage, including elephants, monkeys, grizzled giant squirrel, and peacocks. It was highlighted that immediate action is necessary to control the overpopulation of monkeys, porcupines, and peacocks, as failure to do so could result in a severe crisis in the agricultural sector. During the discussion, Hon. Minister (Dr.) Dammika Patabendi pointed out that although it may be challenging to provide immediate solutions, efforts are being made to implement the necessary remedies as soon as possible.
Furthermore, it was stated that necessary measures are being taken to mitigate the human-elephant conflict and that elephant migratory paths have already been identified. Hon. Deputy Minister Anton Jayakody stated that efforts are underway to identify and address obstructed migratory routes. Additionally, he mentioned that within two weeks, necessary measures, including the installation of surveillance camera systems, will be taken to prevent elephant-train collisions.
These discussions took place during the meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Environment, Chaired by Hon. Minister (Dr.) Dammika Patabendi at Parliament on the 05.03.2025.
At the beginning of the Committee meeting, officials from the respective institutions under the purview of the ministry provided clarifications. It was also noted that, for the first time in history, all environment-related institutions have been brought under a single ministry, a move that was commended by both Members of Parliament and officials.
Furthermore, Hon. Deputy Minister Anton Jayakody clarified that the assessment scheduled for the 15th of March is not a wildlife census but merely a simple survey. Expanding on this, he explained that the survey is being conducted solely to gather some preliminary data in an area where no prior data is available. He emphasized that it would be inappropriate to ridicule this effort.
Illegal sand mining was also discussed during the meeting, where Hon. Deputy Minister Anton Jayakody revealed that approximately 50% of sand mining activities are not legally compliant.
Joining the discussions, Hon. Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa stressed the importance of addressing the issue of workforce adequacy within the Department of Wildlife Conservation. He also inquired about the government's policies on crop insurance, life insurance, and property insurance. Responding to these concerns, Hon. Deputy Minister Anton Jayakody stated that the government has taken steps to double the compensation payments under the insurance scheme. However, he also emphasized that the government’s primary objective is to prevent the loss of human lives and property.
The meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee was attended by Hon. Deputy Minister Anton Jayakody, Hon. Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa, and other Hon. Members of Parliament.
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.
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.
2026-01-07
CoPF approves the Colombo Port City Economic Commission (Amendment) Bill and Regulations Issued under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act, No. 1 of 1969 post considerationIn consideration of the Colombo Port City Economic Commission (Amendment) Bill, it was stated that the amendment thus limits income tax exemptions for employees of new entrant authorized persons. However, officials present stated that a 3-year transitional period for existing entities has been given.This was discussed at length at the Committee on Public Finance, chaired by Hon. Dr. Harsha de Silva, held in Parliament on 06.01.2026, when Members of the Committee sought clarity on the rationale for amending tax incentives, particularly the decision to limit income tax exemptions for employees of authorized persons to a transitional period for existing entities, while discontinuing such exemptions for new entrants.The Committee also examined proposed changes to application fees and charges, to reduce upfront costs on the part of investors by deferring certain payments until licensing, while seeking assurance that the revised structure would remain competitive and transparent.The Committee also queried the alignment of foreign exchange provisions with the Foreign Exchange Act No. 12 of 2017, seeking clarification on the treatment of rupee earnings, currency conversion, and safeguards to ensure consistency with national monetary and financial regulations.The offshore banking framework attracted significant attention, with the Committee Members requesting updates on the status of banking licence applications, differences between Port City offshore banking operations and domestic banking activities, and the adequacy of regulatory oversight. The Central Bank’s enhanced supervisory role, including capital, liquidity, governance, and compliance requirements, was discussed in the context of international best practices.Concerns were also raised regarding enforcement and penalties for non-compliance, with Members of Parliament emphasizing the need for deterrent-level sanctions, effective monitoring, and strong reputational safeguards to maintain the integrity of the Port City.Officials noted that the amendments are intended to operationalize the Port City framework, enable approvals of new business activities, and balance investor attractiveness with fiscal discipline, transparency, and international commitments.The Committee also took into consideration the Regulations issued under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act, No. 1 of 1969 (as amended). Accordingly, Regulations issued under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act, No. 1 of 1969(as amended), were presented to the Committee seeking approval to enable tax exemptions, streamlined procedures, and the swift clearance and distribution of relief goods donated by foreign donors to those affected by Cyclone Ditwah, received in the name of the Disaster Management Center or any government institution.The Committee questioned the Ministry of Finance on the non-establishment of the Disaster Management Fund, despite the existence of the necessary legal provisions and approvals. The Committee also raised concerns regarding the delay in establishing the “Rebuilding Sri Lanka Fund” as statutory fund, noting the potential issues that could arise if further delays persist. Accordingly, the Committee urged officials of the Ministry of Finance to take proactive measures in this regard.Following in-depth deliberations, the Committee approved the Colombo Port City Economic Commission (Amendment) Bill and the Regulations issued under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act, No. 1 of 1969. (as amended)The meeting was attended by Hon. Deputy Ministers Chathuranga Abeysinghe, Dr. Kaushalya Ariyaratne, Nishantha Jayaweera, Hon. Members of Parliament Ravi Karunanayake, Rauff Hakeem, Attorney-at-Law, Nimal Palihena, Wijesiri Basnayake, Thilina Samarakoon, Champika Hettiarachchi, Sunil Rajapaksha, Ajith Agalakada, and Lakmali Hemachandra, Attorney-at-Law.
2025-12-19
The attention of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Economic Development and International Relations was drawn to the Microfinance and Credit Regulatory Authority Bill and the proposed amendments thereto.This was looked into when the Committee met in Parliament yesterday (Dec. 18), under the chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament Ms. Lakmali Hemachandra, (Attorney at Law). A group of officials representing the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, the Department of Development Finance of the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, and the Legal Draftsman's Department participated in the meeting.The Microfinance and Credit Regulatory Authority Bill was presented to Parliament for its First Reading on 26.11.2025. Accordingly, the Committee held an extensive discussion on the amendments that have been proposed to the Bill. The Chair of the Committee, Hon. Member of Parliament Ms. Lakmali Hemachandra, (Attorney at Law) stated that it is important to give careful and further consideration to this Bill and that discussions on the proposed amendments will be held again on a future date.Hon. Members of Parliament Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi, Thilina Samarakoon, Nilanthi Kottahachchi, Attorney at Law, Sagarika Athauda, Attorney at Law, Suranga Ratnayaka, and Wijesiri Basnayake also participated in this Committee meeting.
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