2025-03-12
News Categories : Committee News
Hon. Member of Parliament Sugath Wasantha de Silva was elected as the Chair of the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities. His name was proposed by Hon. Member of Parliament Chandima Hettiaratchi and was seconded by the Chief Opposition Whip, Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka. This took place yesterday (Mar. 11) during the inaugural meeting of the caucus in Parliament, held under the patronage of the Hon. Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne.
Furthermore, the Chief Opposition Whip, Hon. Member of Parliament Gayantha Karunathilleka, proposed and seconded respectively by Hon. Members of Parliament Susantha Kumara Nawarathna, Susantha Dodawatta, Attorney at Law and Hon. Member of Parliament Dr. Pathmanathan Sathyalingam proposed and seconded respectively by Hon. Member of Parliament (Dr.) Sellaththamby Thilaganathan and Ajith P. Perera were appointed as Co- Chairpersons of the Caucus.
Addressing the Caucus, the Hon. Speaker highlighted that the establishment of this Caucus represents a decisive approach taken collectively towards equality, justice, and inclusion. He emphasized that the primary vision should be to build an economically and socially fulfilling and equitable society for persons with disabilities. To achieve this, the fundamental objective should be to ensure a society where their rights are protected and where equal access to education, employment, transportation, and other services is guaranteed.
Expressing his views, newly appointed Chair Sugath Wasantha de Silva extended his gratitude for being elected as the Chair of the Caucus. He stated that, as a Parliament, the main expectation of this Caucus is to transform the general Sri Lankan perception towards persons with disabilities into a more sensitive and positive one. The Chair further mentioned that the Caucus aims to amend the existing 28-year-old law related to persons with disabilities to make it more contemporary and to revise the current national policy to align with future needs. Additionally, he pointed out that the court ruling requiring public institutions to provide accessibility facilities for persons with disabilities has not been effectively implemented for the past 14 years. He affirmed that the Caucus would intervene to ensure the proper enforcement of this ruling.
Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees Hemali Weerasekara, Hon. Members of Parliament, Secretary General of Parliament Kushani Rohanadeera, and several other dignitaries were present at the Committee meeting held.
2026-06-08
The Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus met in Parliament recently (5th June) to review the progress of investigations and discuss the next steps relating to the case concerning the abuse of a girl in the Anuradhapura area.The meeting was chaired by the Chairperson of the Caucus and Hon. Minister of Women and Child Affairs, Saroja Savithri Paulraj. Officials representing the Attorney General’s Department, the National Child Protection Authority, the Department of Probation and Child Care Services and the Sri Lanka Police were invited to attend the meeting.During the meeting, the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus instructed the relevant authorities to ensure that all ongoing investigations related to the incident are conducted strictly in accordance with court orders. The Caucus also requested that forensic reports and other medical reports relevant to the case be obtained without delay.As court proceedings concerning the victimized girl are currently being conducted not only in Anuradhapura but also in Attanagalla and Dambulla, the Caucus instructed the National Child Protection Authority to intervene in monitoring those proceedings as well. A request was also made to take measures to minimize the repeated trauma experienced by the victimized girl as a result of her involvement in all three legal proceedings.Furthermore, the Attorney General’s Department expressed its agreement with a request made by the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus to appear before the Anuradhapura Magistrate’s Court in order to facilitate judicial and legal processes and strengthen coordination among government institutions.The Caucus also informed the Department of Probation and Child Care Services to continue paying close attention to matters relating to the girl’s education, health, and safety.The Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus further highlighted the importance of maintaining effective coordination among law enforcement agencies dealing with child abuse cases and agreed to take the necessary interventions in this regard in the future.Moreover, it was decided that guidelines should be developed for media reporting and judicial proceedings relating to child abuse cases in a manner that safeguards the child’s privacy, security, and dignity. A subcommittee functioning under the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus will intervene in this process.The subcommittee will also undertake future measures required to address and overcome the legal and practical challenges that arise in child abuse litigation.Members of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus, Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees Hemali Weerasekara, Hon. Members of Parliament (Attorney-at-Law) Hasara Liyanage, (Attorney-at-Law) Lakmali Hemachandra and (Attorney-at-Law) Sagarika Athauda attended the meeting. The Hon. Deputy Minister Dr. Kaushalya Ariyaratne, Hon. Members of Parliament (Attorney-at-Law) Thushari Jayasinghe and (Attorney-at-Law) Anushka Thilakarathne joined the meeting online.
2026-06-05
Discussions Held on Establishing Rebuilding Sri Lanka as a Statutory FundOfficials led by Auditor General (Ms) Samudika Jayaratne briefed the Committee on Public Finance on the progress of the National Audit Office’s Annual Programme for 2026.The briefing took place at a meeting of the Committee held in Parliament on 2nd June, chaired by Hon. Member of Parliament Dr. Harsha de Silva. The meeting was attended by Hon. Deputy Ministers Chathuranga Abeysinghe and Nishantha Jayaweera, along with Members of Parliament Ravi Karunanayake, Harshana Rajakaruna, Champika Hettiarachchi and Attorney-at-Law Lakmali Hemachandra. The auditing of ‘Samurdhi Banks’ was also discussed during the meeting, and officials informed the Committee that the audits for 2023 and 2024 must be completed in order to conduct the audit for 2025. They noted that the procurement process required to outsource these audits to external parties has not yet been finalized.While initial estimates indicated that approximately 300 officers would be required to carry out the audits, the Auditor General stated that the recruitment of 200 officers over a period of one and a half years would be sufficient. Officials further highlighted the absence of a dedicated audit framework for Samurdhi Banks. In response, the Committee Chair recommended that a comprehensive study be conducted and that a proposed audit framework for Samurdhi Banks and affiliated societies be submitted to the Committee for consideration.The Committee also reviewed matters relating to cyber security. Officials from the National Audit Office stated that the department currently lacks in-house information technology specialists to support audit activities. As a result, system audits are carried out by external auditors.In addition, the Committee discussed the account maintained for the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ programme. Officials from the National Audit Office informed members that no statutory fund currently exists under the name “Rebuilding Sri Lanka” and the programme operates through an account maintained under the Deputy Secretary to the Treasury. Officials further confirmed that no payments have been made through this account to date.
2026-06-03
The Select Committee of Parliament to review the laws dealing with Elections (excluding laws dealing with Provincial Council Elections) and report to Parliament and submit its proposals and recommendations in that regard for the Tenth Parliament, has commenced calling for public proposals and views.This Select Committee is chaired by the Hon. Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government, (Prof.) A.H.M.H. Abayaratne, and consists of 11 Hon. Members of Parliament.Its aspiration is to review the laws dealing with elections more particularly the Registration of Electors Act, the Local Authorities Elections Act, the Parliamentary Elections Act and the Presidential Elections Act, together with the several amendments made to the said Acts over the years and the Special Provisions Acts made applicable to the provisions of the Acts set out above, to assess the need to revise, amend and consolidate these Acts and to recommend the reform and amendments necessary to the current laws dealing with elections (excluding Provincial Council Election).The public/other interested parties and organizations are invited to submit proposals/views under the relevant scope for consideration by the said Committee, and such proposals/views are requested to be forwarded to the following address or to the email address legis_com@parliament.lk before 15th July 2026.Address:The Secretary to the CommitteeSelect Committee of Parliament to review the laws dealing with Elections (excluding laws dealing with Provincial Council Elections) and report to Parliament and submit its proposals and recommendations in that regardParliament of Sri LankaSri Jayawardenepura Kotte
2026-06-03
The meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs was held in Parliament under the chairmanship of the Hon. Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, Ananda Wijepala.A number of proposals and issues raised by Hon. Members of Parliament relating to police services were discussed, including strengthening police stations, ensuring police representation in District Coordination Committees and curbing illegal sand mining activities in and around Kilinochchi.The meeting was attended by Hon. Deputy Ministers, Hon. Members of Parliament, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and officials of the Ministry of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, among others.
Handbook of Parliament
The System of Elections in Sri Lanka
How Parliament Works
Business of Parliament
Copyright © The Parliament of Sri Lanka.
All Rights Reserved. | Text.privacy_policy
Design & Developed by TekGeeks
