2025-08-01
News Categories : Committee News
The Parliamentary Caucus for Open Parliament Initiative focused on expanding citizen participation in the affairs of local government institutions.
This was discussed during a meeting of the caucus held in Parliament recently (Jul. 25) under the patronage of its Co-Chairmen, the Hon. Minister of Science and Technology (Prof.) Krishantha Abeysena and the Hon. Member of Parliament Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam.
During the meeting, extensive discussions were held regarding the legal provisions relating to the appointment of members representing civil society to committees established within provincial councils. Hon. Member of Parliament Chandima Hettiarachchi, Chairperson of the appointed subcommittee, emphasized that the objective of this process is to establish a governance system characterized by broad citizen participation while safeguarding transparency in state administration. The committee also discussed in detail the pilot project initiated based on the Beruwala Urban Council in the Kalutara District.
The committee instructed the Western Province Provincial Commissioner to review the legal provisions of the Provincial Councils (Special Provisions) Act No. 21 of 2012 and to submit a report to the committee outlining ways to broaden citizen participation in provincial council affairs.
Mrs. Chandima Wikramasinghe, Additional Secretary to the President, provided an extensive clarification regarding the currently inactive Open Government Partnership, discussing measures that could be taken to reactivate it, which were deliberated upon during the caucus.
To enhance the effectiveness of the caucus’s future activities, members discussed obtaining necessary opinions and suggestions from Hon. Members. Additionally, members were further informed about the activities conducted by the Parliamentary Caucus for Open Parliament Initiative during the Ninth Parliament.
Furthermore, it was decided to continue discussions with relevant institutions to secure the required contributions and cooperation for the programs expected to be conducted by the caucus.
The meeting was attended by Hon. Ministers, Hon. Deputy Ministers, Hon Members of Parliament including the members of the Caucus, and a group of officials.
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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