2025-08-01
News Categories : Committee News
Hon. Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, Ananda Wijepala, recently stated that while there are approximately 28,000 vacancies in the Sri Lanka Police at present, steps have already been taken to urgently fill 5,000 of those vacancies. He further stated that Cabinet approval has been obtained for this purpose and that the relevant processes have already commenced, with recruitment to be completed within this year. He also pointed out that 10,000 personnel currently serving in the Civil Security Department are expected to be attached to the police service.
The Minister made these remarks during the meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, held recently (Jul. 25), chaired by him and attended by Hon. Deputy Minister Sunil Watagala, Attorney-at-Law.
Responding to queries raised by Hon. Members of Parliament at the Committee meeting regarding issues faced by the Police Service, Minister Wijepala stated that steps are being taken to provide necessary training programs to improve the efficiency of police officers currently in service, and that recruitment of 1,000 female police officers has also commenced.
Furthermore, the Minister, in his capacity as Chair of the Committee, stated that a separate salary structure for the Police Service is expected to be introduced next year. He mentioned that the President has already been informed of this matter and that proposals will be submitted in relation to the 2026 Budget.
Attention was also drawn during the meeting to police stations where allegations have been made of misconduct by certain Officers-in-Charge and where fair investigations into some unlawful activities have not been conducted. The Committee Chairman instructed the Acting Inspector General of Police to pay special attention to these concerns and take appropriate action.
The Acting IGP also informed the Committee that in addition to the existing Police Anti-Corruption Unit in Welikada, several other such anti-corruption units will be established for special operations. He further pointed out that anyone can file complaints regarding unlawful activities via the hotline number 1997.
The meeting also focused on issues such as drug eradication efforts, the use of illegal fishing explosives, and the need to ensure confidentiality of informants providing information to the police regarding unlawful activities.
A number of Members of Parliament who are members of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, as well as other Members of Parliament, participated in the meeting. Also in attendance were Mr. D.W.R.B. Seneviratne, Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, and officials from institutions under the Ministry.
2026-06-19
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Environment focused its attention on the issue of water pollution in the Kelani River when it met in Parliament recently (10th June) under the chairmanship of the Hon. Minister of Environment, Dr. Dammika Patabendi.During the meeting, the Committee was briefed on the progress of discussions being held with companies that have expressed willingness to invest in a project aimed at cleaning the waters of the Kelani River.The Committee also discussed a number of proposals and other issues raised by Hon. Members of Parliament.The meeting was attended by Hon. Members of Parliament and officials.
2026-06-18
A meeting of the Women Parliamentarians Caucus was held in Parliament recently to discuss the importance of incorporating Gender-Responsive Budgeting into Sri Lanka’s national budget formulation process and to examine the challenges associated with its implementation.The meeting was chaired by the Chairperson of the Caucus and Hon. Minister of Women and Child Affairs, Saroja Savithri Paulraj. Hon. Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya also participated in the discussion.A key concern raised during the discussion was the lack of adequate data and indicators to accurately assess and measure women’s economic contributions within the budgetary process. Drawing on examples of approaches adopted in India and other countries, members of the Caucus underscored the need to identify and address existing systemic and technical gaps in Sri Lanka’s budgeting framework.The Caucus also emphasized the importance of disaggregating data by gender in project reporting and strengthening digital data management systems to support such efforts. It was further noted that identifying relevant gender-related considerations at the initial stages of project design and implementation at the ministerial level would facilitate more effective project analysis, monitoring, and evaluation of outcomes.The need to move away from existing traditional and time-consuming methods towards formal online systems and data-driven analytical tools was also emphasized.The current progress and challenges in integrating Gender-Responsive Budgeting into Sri Lanka’s public financial policy were discussed in detail during the meeting.It was also emphasized that such budgeting should not be limited to nominal percentages in documents, but that the need to establish a formal framework and data system to ensure it has a real and practical impact was also highlighted.The Hon.Deputy Chairperson of Committees Hemalee Weerasekera, Hon. Deputy Minister Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathne, Co-Vice Chairpersons of the Caucus, Hon. Members of Parliament Chamindrani Kiriella, Attorney at Law and Samanmalee Gunasinghe, Hon. Members of Parliament Thushari Jayasinghe, Attorney at Law, Krishnan Kaleichelvi, Sagarika Athauda ,Attorney at Law, Nilanthi Kottahachchi, Attorney at Law, Ambika Samivel and Lakmali Hemachandra, Attorney at Law, along with a group of officials from the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, also participated in the event.
2026-06-17
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government met recently (Jun. 12) at Parliament under the chairmanship of the Hon. Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government, Prof. A.H.M.H. Abayarathna.During the meeting, Members of Parliament discussed a range of issues and proposals relating to their respective electorates, as well as several other matters of public importance.Hon. Members of Parliament and officials were present at the meeting.
2026-06-17
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs met recently (Jun. 09) at Parliament under the chairmanship of the Hon. Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi.During the meeting, Members of Parliament discussed a number of proposals and issues, including reviewing the progress of discussions initiated with the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education and the Department of Examinations regarding the formulation of regulations to prevent the conduct of private tuition classes on Sunday mornings, thereby facilitating the holding of Dhamma School classes on Sundays.The meeting was attended by Hon. Deputy Ministers, Hon. Members of Parliament and officials.
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