2025-09-02
News Categories : Committee News
The Sectoral Oversight Committee on Economic Development and International Relations reviewed the performance of the Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development and the performance of the five institutions under it.
This took place recently in Parliament under the Chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament Ms. Lakmali Hemachandra, Attorney at Law. Hon. Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Sunil Handunnetti and Hon. Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Chathuranga Abeysinghe also participated in the Committee meeting held.
Accordingly, the performance reports of the Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development for the years 2023 and 2024, the annual reports of the National Gem and Jewellery Authority for the years 2022 and 2023, the annual report of the Gem and Jewellery Research and Training Institute for the year 2023, the annual reports of the Sri Lanka Export Development Board for the years 2021, 2022, and 2023, the annual reports of B.C.C. Lanka Limited for the financial years 2021/2022 and 2022/2023, and the annual reports and accounts of the National Salt Company for the financial years 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 were reviewed and subsequently approved.
Attention was drawn to the issues prevailing in the country’s industrial sector. The Secretary to the Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development pointed out that several issues, including the allocation of land to investors according to existing procedures, have persisted for a long time. Accordingly, it was revealed that the process of allocating land for a new industry could take more than 4 years. The Secretary also stated that, according to international concepts, generally 3% of a country’s land area should be allocated for industries, whereas in Sri Lanka this figure stands at only 0.01%.
It was also discussed that in the past, land was not allocated for industries in accordance with a national plan, but rather due to political or other reasons, resulting in various problematic situations. Accordingly, officials revealed that plans are now in place to allocate 50,000 acres of suitable land for industries across the island. The Committee recommended that a report be submitted, in consultation with the Land Reforms Commission, the Urban Development Authority, and the Sri Lanka Export Development Board, on the steps that could be taken and the future plan in this regard.
Attention was also drawn towards the current performance and issues of the National Gem and Jewellery Authority. Officials stated that steps will be taken in the future to merge the National Gem and Jewellery Authority with the Gem and Jewellery Research and Training Institute.
The current performance of the Sri Lanka Export Development Board was also taken into consideration. Officials stated that this is the only institution in the country responsible for promoting and developing exports, and that 5-year plans have been prepared covering sectors including apparel, tea, rubber, spices, information technology, gems, and jewellery. They further revealed that successfully managing U.S. taxation policies, the country’s largest export market, has been a significant achievement, and that with an export income of around USD 15 billion in 2023, the target is to increase this to USD 28 billion by 2028.
Officials stated that the production activities of the National Salt Company are being carried out with high efficiency. They pointed out that due to changes in climatic conditions, natural salt production has decreased in recent times. Accordingly, it was revealed that plans are in place to establish a facility in the Elephant Pass area to artificially produce salt using modern technology instead of the natural process. Officials further stated that the revenue target of the National Salt Company for this year is Rs. 1 billion, which is a 50% increase compared to the previous year.
It was also revealed that although B.C.C. Lanka Limited, a 192-year-old institution, produces high-quality coconut oil, the company has not obtained quality certifications. The current Chairman of the company informed the Committee that many export opportunities have been lost due to this situation, and that immediate steps have now been taken to obtain SLS, ISO, and other quality certifications.
Members of Parliament Hon. Anuradha Jayaratne, Attorney at Law, Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan, Hon. Nilanthi Kottahachchi, Attorney at Law, Hon. Kanthasamy Prabu, Hon. Wijesiri Basnayake, Hon. Suranga Rathnayaka, and Hon. Thilina Samarakoon participated in this Committee meeting.
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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