2025-12-16
News Categories : Committee News
Officials of the Ministry of Transport and Highways and Urban Development stated that, due to the destruction of roads and bridges caused by the disaster situation that occurred across the island, it has been preliminarily estimated that the Road Development Authority has incurred a loss of approximately Rs. 75 billion.
Furthermore, the officials stated that when taking into account the additional rehabilitation work required to fully restore the destroyed roads and bridges, it has been estimated that a sum of approximately Rs. 190 billion will be required for this purpose.
This was disclosed at the meeting of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Infrastructure and Strategic Development, convened to discuss and analyses the nature of the disaster that the country has been struck with and the measures to be taken to assess the resulting social, economic, and environmental damage. The meeting was held recently (Dec. 11) at Parliament under the chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament S.M. Marikkar.
During the meeting, officials of the Ministry of Transport and Highways and Urban Development pointed out that, as a result of the disaster situation, 316 roads and 40 bridges under the purview of the Road Development Authority have been damaged. However, the Chair of the Committee pointed out that assessments regarding damage to railway lines and regional roads across the island have not yet been carried out. The Chair further emphasized the importance of the Ministry taking the lead in formulating a mechanism to provide financial allocations for the rehabilitation of regional roads.
Accordingly, the officials informed the Committee that it is currently expected to obtain a loan of Rs. 2 billion from the World Bank, and that funds required to carry out these rehabilitation works are also expected to be obtained from several other institutions.
Meanwhile, officials of the Ceylon Electricity Board informed the Committee that the Board has incurred an estimated loss of approximately Rs. 20 billion due to the disaster situation. They further stated that discussions are underway to obtain a loan from the World Bank for this purpose. Commenting on this, the Chair of the Committee advised the officials of the Ceylon Electricity Board to attempt to obtain these funds as a grant rather than as a loan. He emphasized the importance of securing the funds as a grant, as obtaining them as a loan could result in an increase in electricity bills for consumers.
In addition, officials informed the Committee that Lanka Electricity Company (Pvt) Ltd. has incurred an estimated loss of approximately Rs. 252 million due to the disaster situation. Officials representing Lanka Electricity Company (Pvt) Ltd. further stated that since the expenditure required for the repair work can be covered through the budgetary allocations already provided to them, no additional loan or grant is required.
Officials also informed the Committee that the National Water Supply and Drainage Board has incurred an estimated loss of approximately Rs. 5.6 billion due to the disaster situation. The Secretary of the Ministry of Housing, Construction and Water Supply stated to the Committee that 156 water supply schemes of the National Water Supply and Drainage Board were damaged, and that all of them have now been restored after carrying out maintenance work. The Secretary further informed the Committee that arrangements are currently underway to obtain the funds required for rehabilitation as a grant from the Asian Development Bank.
Accordingly, emphasizing the importance of preparing plans to face potential future disasters, the Chairman of the Committee stated that the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Infrastructure and Strategic Development is prepared to provide the necessary support to the relevant ministries and officials for this purpose.
Members of Parliament Nalin Bandara Jayamaha, Ajith P. Perera, and Asitha Niroshana Egoda Vithana, along with a group of officials, were present at this occasion.
2026-08-18
The Committee on High Posts has approved the appointments of one Ministry Secretary and three chairpersons to government statutory boards and institutions.Accordingly, the Committee approved the appointment of Dr. Anil Jasinghe as Secretary to the Ministry of Health and Mass Media; Mr. S.A.M. Peiris as Chairman of the Colombo Lotus Tower Management Company (Pvt) Ltd.; Mr. H.M.P. Ratnayake as Chairman of Kurunegala Plantations Limited; and Dr. (Mrs.) W.M.V. Wanasinghe as Chairperson of the National Insurance Trust Fund.The meeting was chaired by the Hon. Prime Minister (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya and was attended by the Hon. Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar, the Hon. Members of Parliament Kumara Jayakody, and Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney at Law.
2026-08-18
The “Voice to Policy” dialogue programme organized for youth in the Gampaha District by the Parliamentary Caucus for Open Parliament Initiative was held recently (Aug. 16) at Jetwing Blue Hotel in Negombo. The programme provided an opportunity for young people from the Gampaha District to present their policy proposals directly to Members of Parliament. The programme was conducted as the first in a series of workshops organized by the Parliamentary Caucus for Open Parliament Initiative, covering all districts of the country with the aim of further promoting the concept of an Open Parliament. The main objective of the programme was to provide young people with an opportunity to directly present their views, concerns and policy proposals to Members of Parliament. Young men and women representing the Gampaha District participated in the workshop. The event was attended by the Co-Chairs of the Parliamentary Caucus for Open Parliament Initiative, Hon. Minister Prof. Krishantha Abeysena and Hon. Member of Parliament Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, as well as Members of Parliament Chamindranee Kiriella, Attorney at Law, S. M. Marikkar, Retired Lieutenant Commander N. R. Prageeth Maduranga, Retired Major General G. D. Suriyabandara and Champika Hettiarachchi.During the programme, young participants presented their views and proposals on a wide range of issues, including education and higher education, political participation, vocational training, employment opportunities, technology, entrepreneurship, and access to opportunities and information available to young people.Particular attention was given to reducing the time required to complete higher education courses and degree programmes, creating greater opportunities for young people who wish to enter politics, and expanding youth entrepreneurship.A key feature of the programme was that the young participants themselves identified their priority concerns, discussed them, grouped them into common areas, and selected fields requiring policy attention before engaging in direct dialogue with Members of Parliament on those issues.The Parliamentary Caucus indicated that it would give consideration to forwarding the proposals presented by the youth during the programme for further consideration by Parliament. Discussions were also held on providing youth representatives with opportunities to engage in the future with the relevant Sectoral Oversight Committees of Parliament on these matters.In addition, Youth Rapporteurs were appointed to document the recommendations and proposals raised during the programme and submit them to the Parliamentary Caucus for Open Parliament Initiative.This workshop was organized in collaboration with the CII (Coalition for Inclusive Impact) and sponsored by the NDI (National Democratic Institute).
2026-08-14
The Caucus on Climate Parliament of Sri Lanka emphasized the need to move beyond reactive crisis management and establish Anticipatory Crisis Governance mechanisms to strengthen Sri Lanka’s climate resilience in the face of climate change, including El Niño conditions.At the meeting, held recently in Parliament under the joint chairmanship of Hon. Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa and Hon. Member of Parliament Prof. L.M. Abeywickrema, discussions covered a wide range of issues, including climate change, El Niño conditions, agriculture, water management, wildlife conservation, human-elephant conflict, disaster management and environmental management.Delivering the main expert presentation at the meeting, Prof. Charitha Pattiarachchi, Winthrop Professor of coastal oceanography at the University of Western Australia, highlighted the need for early preparedness in the face of climate risks, science-based policymaking and stronger disaster management mechanisms. The disaster management model of the Indian state of Odisha was also discussed. It was noted that, during a cyclone in 2019, the state was able to evacuate approximately one million people to safe locations within 24 hours.The interim report presented by Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Human-Elephant Conflict, pointed out that climate conditions could intensify human-elephant conflict and highlighted the need for short- and long-term measures, including community-based electric fences, seasonal paddy-field fencing, wildlife habitat management and water management.The interim report presented by Prof. Sampath Seneviratne, Chairman of the Independent Expert Advisory Group on El Niño Resilience, analyzed the impacts of climate change on agriculture, biodiversity, water security and the rural economy. The report also proposed a Strategic Climate Resilience Framework based on scientific evidence.With regard to wildlife conservation, attention was drawn to addressing the shortage of veterinary officers, strengthening wildlife management, and reducing environmental damage caused by human activities, plastics and waste in and around national parks. Proposals were also put forward to minimize environmental impacts in sensitive sacred areas, introduce a differential pricing system for the tourism sector, and develop infrastructure in national parks.The meeting also emphasized the need to strengthen science-based policies, institutional coordination and early-preparedness mechanisms in order to enhance Sri Lanka’s resilience to climate change.Members of Parliament, government officials, representatives of international organizations and development partners, researchers, youth representatives and representatives of civil society organizations participated in the meeting.
2026-08-13
The Committee on Public Finance stressed the need to make the security sticker system used on liquor bottles more efficient and cost-effective.The Committee on Public Finance, Chaired by Hon. Member of Parliament (Dr.) Harsha de Silva, met recently in Parliament. The Committee discussed the security sticker system used on liquor bottles, the Regulations issued under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act, No. 1 of 1969, and matters relating to the dissolution of the Shrama Vasana Fund under the Finance Act, No. 38 of 1971. Hon. Deputy Ministers Chathuranga Abeysinghe and Nishantha Jayaweera, Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathne and Hon. Members of Parliament Ravi Karunanayake, Harshana Rajakaruna and Attorney at Law Lakmali Hemachandra, participated in the meeting. Hon. Wijesiri Basnayake and Hon. Attorney at Law Chithral Fernando, participated online. The Committee paid extensive attention to the cost of the security sticker system, its technical standards and the economic benefits to the Government. It was revealed that the system was introduced in accordance with the 2016 Budget proposals to reduce the use of untaxed liquor, safeguard excise revenue and prevent the circulation of counterfeit liquor. The contract for the system was awarded in 2017 to the Indian company Madras Security Printers (MSP).The Committee also discussed the practical difficulties of using physical stickers in high-speed liquor production processes. Accordingly, permission was granted in 2021 to use digital (inkjet) code printing. The Committee noted that the same fee of US$ 5.99 charged for 1,000 printed paper stickers is also being charged for digital code printing.While the initial infrastructure costs for sticker printing machines at bottling plants need to be considered, a digital sticker would generally cost less than a paper sticker. Therefore, the Committee stressed the need to review the existing cost structure and the benefits received by the Government.The Committee also discussed the need to adequately adopt international ISO standards for the security sticker system, introduce a Track and Trace system to monitor the movement of liquor products from production to the consumer, and provide a facility for consumers to verify the authenticity of products through a mobile application.The Committee further stressed that the new tender process should consider not only the price but also quality, data security and technical standards. It was also emphasized that officers with the necessary technical expertise should be involved in the tender evaluation process to prevent counterfeit stickers and imitation.The Excise Department was instructed to study global best practices followed by other countries and prepare a report for submission to the Committee.Meanwhile, the Committee also considered the new Regulations issued under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act, No. 1 of 1969. The Regulations, published in Extraordinary Gazette Notification No. 2496/38 dated 10 July 2026, prohibit the importation into Sri Lanka of goods manufactured wholly or partly using forced labour. The objective is to strengthen the legal framework for responsible trade and compliance with international labour standards.The relevant Gazette Notification has been submitted to Parliament for approval in terms of Section 20 of the Act. It was also noted that the Gazette Notification prohibiting the importation of goods manufactured using forced labour enabled Sri Lanka to be included in the lowest and more favourable 10% category, instead of the initially applicable 12.5% category, under the United States’ forced-labour-related tariff measures implemented under Section 301, which were concluded on 23 July 2026.The Committee also considered matters relating to the dissolution of the Shrama Vasana Fund established under the Finance Act, No. 38 of 1971. It was stated that the Fund, established under the Act of 1998 and amended by the Act of 2019, had been identified for dissolution due to its lack of relevance to the present context, poor performance and underutilisation of its assets.Officials explained to the Committee that following the closure of the Fund, its essential services would continue to be provided through the Ministry of Labour. This is expected to reduce the cost of maintaining a separate institutional structure and enable public resources to be utilized more effectively.
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