2026-01-13
News Categories : Committee News
The Sectoral Oversight Committee on Environment, Agriculture and Resource Sustainability focused its attention on the progress of distributing compensation received in relation to the damage caused by the X-Press Pearl vessel, including payments made to fishermen and expenditures on coastal conservation.
Accordingly, the Committee recommended that a comprehensive report be submitted detailing the total amount of compensation received to date, the amount paid as compensation to fishermen, the amount spent on coastal protection activities, and the balance of funds remaining at present.
This matter was taken up when the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Environment, Agriculture, and Resource Sustainability met in Parliament on 8th January 2026, under the chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament Hector Appuhamy.
During the meeting, the Committee also inquired into the progress of legal proceedings instituted in Sri Lanka and Singapore in relation to the damage caused by the vessel. Discussions were held on the manner in which legal action was initiated in Singapore, independently of the legal proceedings undertaken in Sri Lanka.
The Chairperson of the Committee further emphasized the need to organize a programme to brief all Members of Parliament on developments related to this matter in the future.
Hon. Members of Parliament (Attorney-at-Law) Ajith P. Perera, Roshan Akmeemana, Chathuri Gangani, Susantha Kumara Navaratne, (Attorney-at-Law) Chithral Fernando, (Attorney-at-Law) Bhagya Sri Herath, and Aboobucker Athambawa participated in the Committee meeting.
Officials representing the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources; Ministry of Justice and National Integration, Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, the Central Environmental Authority, the Marine Environment Protection Authority and the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) were also present.
2026-01-14
The nominations for the appointments of three new Ambassadors and a new High Commissioner have been approved by the Committee on High Posts of Parliament. Moreover, the Committee has also granted approval for the appointment of a Secretary to the Ministry. This was when the said Committee Chaired by Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Hon. Prime Minister met recently (Jan. 09) in Parliament.Accordingly, the Committee on High Posts has granted its approval for the nomination of Mr. Dharshana Mahendra Perera as the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Malaysia, the nomination of Mr. Dassanayake Mudiyanselage Sumith Priyantha Dassanayake as the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.Furthermore, the Committee has also granted approval for the nomination of Ms. Dayani Mendis as the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the Republic of Austria, and for the nomination of Mr. Samantha Priyadarshana Weerasinghe Pathirana as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Romania.In addition, the Committee on High Posts of Parliament has granted approval for the appointment of Mr. K. R. Uduwawala as Secretary to the Ministry of Environment.
2026-01-14
The attention of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Governance, Justice and Civil Protection was drawn to the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Bill and the Judicature (Amendment) Bill. Discussions on these Bills took place at a meeting of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Governance, Justice and Civil Protection, held in Parliament on 9th January 2026, under the chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament (Dr.) Najith Indika.The two Amendment Bills aim to amend existing laws and introduce new legal provisions and procedures to control the trafficking and production of dangerous drugs in the high seas.Extensive discussions were held on the two Bills at the Committee meeting, during which the Members of Parliament present proposed several additional amendments to be incorporated into the Bills. Officials pointed out that legal advice should be obtained from the Attorney General’s Department in this regard and that the proposed amendments should be submitted for Cabinet approval. Accordingly, it was decided that the Committee would reconvene in the future to review the matter further.Furthermore, discussions were held on the delays in receiving Government Analyst’s reports, as well as reports indicating the use of eZ Cash and mCash in drug trafficking activities. Legal measures that could be taken in relation to these issues were also discussed.The meeting was attended by Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees Hemali Weerasekara and Hon. Members of Parliament (Attorney-at-Law) Ajith P. Perera, Faiszer Musthapha, PC, Thushari Jayasinghe (Attorney-at-Law), Chandana Sooriyaarachchi, (Dr.) Sellaththamby Thilaganathan, and Major General (Retd.) G.D. Sooriyabandara.
2026-01-13
Conduct an independent evaluation of all welfare projects including all welfare and development programs carried out by the Department of Samurdhi Development – Committee on Public Finance recommendsThe Committee on Public Finance instructed the officials of the Welfare Benefits Board to amend the existing criteria to make the Aswesuma Welfare Benefits Payment Scheme more effective.Since various issues have arisen in relation to the existing 22 criteria used to determine the eligibility of individuals for the current Aswesuma Welfare Benefits Payment Scheme, officials were instructed to take measures to select future Aswesuma beneficiaries under new criteria.These matters were discussed when the Committee on Public Finance (COPF), chaired by Hon. Member of Parliament Dr. Harsha de Silva, met on 08.01.2026 at Parliament.At this meeting, the extension of the Aswesuma Welfare Benefits Payment Scheme declared under Section 9 of the Welfare Benefits Act No. 24 of 2002, as published in the Extraordinary Gazette No. 2467/03 dated 15.12.2025, was considered.At that point, it was stated that among the categories of transitional, vulnerable, poor and extremely poor beneficiaries who received benefits under the Aswesuma Scheme, the provision of benefits to the transitional category ended on 30 April 2025. Accordingly, officials of the Welfare Benefits Board stated that under the proposed new amendments to the Aswesuma Welfare Benefits Payment Scheme, benefits will be paid to the vulnerable, poor and extremely poor categories. However, considering the potential socio-economic issues that may arise in the future due to unexpected disaster situations, the officials further stated that payments to the vulnerable category, which were scheduled to end on 31.12.2025, are proposed to be extended until June 2026. Furthermore, they informed the Committee that assistance provided to persons with disabilities, persons receiving kidney assistance, and elderly assistance will continue.During the discussions, the Committee inquired from the officials of the Department of Samurdhi Development regarding the tasks carried out by the Department. The officials stated that necessary activities and projects are being implemented for the systematic empowerment of 2 million families. The Committee also inquired regarding the annual expenditure incurred for administrative processes including the payment of salaries of the Department of Samurdhi Development. Accordingly, officials informed the Committee that approximately over Rs. 22 billion is spent annually and that Rs. 27.38 billion has been allocated for the year 2026 for salaries and relevant empowerment activities.Expressing views at this point, the Chair of the Committee questioned how effective it is to allocate a significantly large sum of money for administrative activities including salaries, compared to the empowerment activities carried out by the Department of Samurdhi Development. The Chair further questioned whether any post-review or evaluation has been conducted regarding the community development projects implemented by the Department. The officials informed the Committee that no such evaluation has been carried out. Accordingly, the Committee on Public Finance recommended to the Ministry of Finance that all welfare and development programs carried out by the Department of Samurdhi Development, including all other welfare projects, be subjected to an independent evaluation.Participating in this meeting were Hon. Deputy Ministers Nishantha Jayaweera and (Dr.) Kaushalya Ariyarathne, and Hon. Members of Parliament Ravi Karunanayake, Nimal Palihena, Chithral Fernando, Attorney-at-Law, Wijesiri Basnayake, Sunil Rajapaksha, Thilina Samarakoon, and Lakmali Hemachandra, Attorney-at-Law along with several others.
2026-01-13
The Sectoral Oversight Committee on Infrastructure and Strategic Development emphasized that a broad discussion with all relevant stakeholders is essential before arriving at a final decision on the draft prepared for the proposed National Electricity Policy.This was highlighted when the Committee met in Parliament on the 7th January 2026, under the chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament S. M. Marikkar.Members of the committee appointed to formulate the National Electricity Policy stated that a draft of the National Electricity Policy has been prepared as part of the National Energy Policy, and that they expect to obtain views and opinions from the public and relevant stakeholders in this regard. They further noted that these policies have been formulated with the objective of ensuring an efficient electricity supply at cost-effective prices.Stressing that the formulation of such policies should take place following extensive consultations, the Chairman of the Committee emphasized the necessity of considering the views of stakeholders connected to the electricity sector, including the private sector.During the committee meeting, the proposed National Electricity Policy draft, along with the proposed tariff policy, was discussed in detail. Officials from the Ministry of Energy, along with experts, provided clarifications on these matters.The meeting was attended by Committee Members Hon. Members of Parliament Ajith P. Perera, Manjula Suraweera Arachchi, Chathura Galappaththi, Ravindra Bandara, Dhanushka Ranganath, Asitha Niroshana Egodawithana, Jagath Vithana, Shantha Padma Kumara Subasinghe, Attorney-at-Law Geetha Herath, and with the approval of the Committee Chairman, Hon. Member of Parliament Dr. Harsha de Silva also participated.
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