2026-02-12
News Categories : Committee News
The Sectoral Oversight Committee on Governance, Justice and Civil Protection has approved the Parliamentary Pensions (Repeal) Bill.
This approval was granted when the Committee met in Parliament on 11.02.2026 under the chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament (Dr.) Najith Indika.
The Second Reading debate of the Parliamentary Pensions (Repeal) Bill is scheduled to be taken up in Parliament on 17th February 2026.
If the said Bill is passed in Parliament as proposed, in terms of Section 3 of the Bill, any person who is entitled to receive a pension or is in receipt of a pension under the provisions preceding the date of commencement of this Act, shall, on and after the date of commencement of this Act, cease to receive such pension.
Hon. Members of Parliament Chandana Sooriarachchi and Dharmapriya Wijesinghe were present at the meeting. Hon. Members of Parliament M.K.M. Aslam and Major General (Retd.) G.D. Sooriyabandara participated online.
2026-02-13
Officials from the Ministry of Digital Economy stated that there are plans to provide every person in the country with High-Speed Broadband connectivity by the year 2029.These remarks were made during a meeting of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Science, Technology and Digital Transformation, held in Parliament on 06.02.2026 under the chairmanship of Member of Parliament (Dr). Janaka Senarathne, to discuss the action plan related to the allocation of 2026 budget provisions for the Ministry of Digital Economy and the Ministry of Science and Technology.At this meeting, (Dr.) Hans Wijayasuriya, Senior Advisor to the President, made a detailed presentation before the Committee regarding the programme planned to provide High-Speed Broadband connectivity to every person in the country. He pointed out that steps are being taken this year to install 100 new telecommunication towers. He further stated that between 600 to 1000 telecommunication towers would be required to fully meet the national requirement, and that this would be carried out in stages.He also emphasized that although approximately 98% internet coverage currently exists in the country, it does not meet the requirements for High-Speed Broadband coverage. Therefore, he stated that the existing capacity must be increased by around 25% in order to provide High-Speed Broadband facilities to every child.Furthermore, he noted that a commercial model will be prepared in relation to telecommunication towers, and opportunities will be given to the private sector to submit bids for this purpose.The Committee also focused attention on the need to improve digital literacy in areas outside Colombo, and it was proposed that programmes be organized through District Secretariat offices for this purpose.In addition, discussions were held regarding the action plan for allocating 2026 budget provisions for the Ministry of Science and Technology, and several annual reports and performance reports of institutions were approved.The meeting was attended by Hon. Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe, and Members of Parliament Chandima Hettiarachchi, Lasith Bhashana Gamage, Chathura Galappaththi, Aboobucker Athambawa and Ruwan Wijeweera.
2026-02-13
The Committee on High Posts of parliament has approved the nominations of four Heads of Mission. The approval was granted when the Committee met in Parliament recently (Feb. 06) under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.Accordingly, the Committee approved the nominations of Mr. Horana Mahawatte Gedara Saman Kumar Chandrasiri as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the State of Israel, Mr. Warnakulasuriya Peter Rohan Dhammika Fernando as the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to the Republic of Kenya, Anura Withanage as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Lebanese Republic, and Mohamed Farook Mohamed Fawzer as the Representative of Sri Lanka to the State of Palestine.
2026-02-10
Extensive discussions were held at the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus regarding the expedited implementation of the functions of the National Commission on Women. The discussions took place when the caucus met on 05.02.2026 at the Parliamentary Complex, under the chairpersonship of Hon. Minister of Women and Child Affairs Saroja Savithri Paulraj.During the meeting, attention was drawn to a letter dated 2nd February 2026 submitted to the caucus by Senior Lecturer Ms. Janaha Selvaras, a member of the National Commission on Women, requesting immediate action to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of the Chairperson of the Commission and to ensure the Commission becomes operational without delay. Following extensive discussion, it was decided that representatives of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus, the National Commission on Women, and relevant institutions would meet with the Secretary to the President at the earliest opportunity to discuss the matter further.Additionally, the caucus discussed the vacancy of a commissioner position at the National Commission on Women, in accordance with the provisions of the Women’s Empowerment Act, No. 37 of 2024, as highlighted in a letter dated 20th January 2026 addressed to the caucus by Dr. Ramani Jayasundara, who was serving as the Chairperson of the Commission at the time.The caucus also discussed plans to commemorate International Women’s Day, as well as the formulation of an action plan for the year 2026. Accordingly, it was decided to hold a Parliamentary Adjournment Bebate in conjunction with International Women’s Day, to conduct awareness programmes for women members of local government institutions aimed at empowering grassroots-level women in politics, and to engage in discussions with women’s forums at the local government level.Furthermore, the caucus decided to hold discussions with various professional organizations with strong female representation on the prevention of violence against women. Agreement was also reached to hold discussions on the issues faced by women affected by microfinance-related debt.Several members of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus were present at the meeting.
2026-02-06
The Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus has submitted a request yesterday (Feb. 05) to the Hon. Speaker, requesting amendments to the Standing Orders of Parliament in order to prevent conduct or statements by Members of Parliament that result in women Parliamentarians being subjected to verbal harassment or insults within the parliamentary chamber.The Tenth Parliament is distinguished as the parliament which has witnessed the highest number of elected women representatives. As the elected representatives of the people in a country that practices representative democracy, they discharge their duties both within and outside the Chamber. Although the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus has carried out symbolic programmes such as the annual “Orange Day,” as part of the “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence,” it has been observed that these initiatives have not been meaningfully reflected in the actual conduct within the parliamentary chamber. This observation is noted in the request submitted with the signatures of the Chairperson of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus, Minister of Women and Child Affairs, Hon. Saroja Savithri Paulraj, along with other members of the Caucus.In particular, the Caucus emphasizes that a trend of verbal harassment, specifically targeting women Members of Parliament, has been observed over the recent past. It stresses that such conduct is not merely an issue affecting individuals, but constitutes a challenge to the sovereignty of the people, the right of women to freely express their views, and their right to participate in politics. Furthermore, it is stated that this situation also sets a negative precedent for the active participation of women in politics within society at large.Accordingly, the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus proposes that the behaviour or speech of parliamentarians, both male and female, which results in verbal harassment or insults targeting women Members, must be curtailed. The proposal further notes that this can be implemented through the section pertaining to "Discipline in Parliament" under the Standing Orders.Therefore, taking the above matters into consideration, the Caucus requests the Hon. Speaker to amend the Standing Orders by introducing a new Standing Order, so that appropriate action may be taken in this regard.Several members representing the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus were present on this occasion.
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