2026-08-07
The Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) of Parliament has approved the salary of the Auditor General following an extensive discussion on the salary and allowances attached to the office.
The decision was taken when the Committee met in Parliament recently (Aug. 04) under the Chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament Dr. Harsha de Silva, with the participation of Hon. Deputy Ministers Chathuranga Abeysinghe and Nishantha Jayawera, and Hon. Members of Parliament Ravi Karunanayake, Nimal Palihena, Wijesiri Basnayake, M.K.M. Aslam, Thilina Samarakoon and Champika Hettiarachchi.
The proposal relating to the salary of the Auditor General was taken up for consideration in terms of Article 153(2) of the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
During the discussion, the Chair and Committee Members exchanged views on the proposed salary level, taking into account the responsibilities of the Auditor General, the role in overseeing public finance, and the need to safeguard the independence of the national audit function.
The Committee further observed that, in terms of Article 170 of the Constitution, the Auditor General is not a public officer and that, accordingly, special consideration may be given to determining the Auditor General's salary outside the existing public sector salary scale. Officials stated that the proposed salary had been determined after taking into account the salaries of previous Auditors General. They further noted that, while the salary had previously been determined by the National Salaries and Cadre Commission, no such Commission is currently in operation.
While approving the proposed salary, the Committee was of the view that, given the significance of the office and the responsibilities entrusted to the Auditor General, the remuneration should be at a higher level. Accordingly, the Committee emphasized the need to give further consideration to the salary in the future and take any necessary decisions. The Chair of the Committee also proposed the establishment of a permanent and independent Salaries and Cadre Commission.
2026-09-18
Hon. Member of Parliament Sugath Wasantha de Silva, MP (Parliament of Sri Lanka) was awarded the 2026 New Parliamentarian Award in recognition of his contribution to promoting inclusive parliamentary democracy. The award was officially presented to him yesterday (Sep. 17) at the 69th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference held in Cape Town, South Africa.Elected in November 2024 as Sri Lanka's first-ever blind Member of Parliament, he has advanced the principles of disability-inclusive governance through his work as Chair of the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities. Through cross-institutional collaboration, he has also delivered practical reforms, best exemplified through Sri Lanka's first national participatory budget consultation with persons with disabilities.
2026-09-18
The Select Committee of Parliament to conduct a comprehensive study on the lack of preparedness to face Cyclone Ditwah and report to Parliament and submit its proposals and recommendations in that regard, has decided to summon representatives of Pradeshiya Sabhas and Municipal Councils before the Committee to examine how local authorities coordinated their response during the disaster situation.Committee members particularly highlighted the need for further investigation into how local authorities, including Pradeshiya Sabhas and Municipal Councils, were involved in official communication and coordination processes during the disaster.At a recent meeting of the Committee held in Parliament under the chairmanship of Hon. Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, information was sought from members of the National Council for Disaster Management and the District Secretaries of Kandy and Matale regarding the disaster management process in the Kandy and Matale districts.Accordingly, the Committee focused its attention on the early warning systems, communication among government institutions, and emergency response procedures in response to the heavy rainfall, landslides, and flooding experienced in these areas from 23 to 27 November 2025.The Committee also discussed the need to establish formal written procedures to be followed during emergency disaster situations, conduct disaster preparedness drills regularly, and further improve the efficiency of early warning systems.Committee members, including Hon. Deputy Ministers Major General (Retired) Aruna Jayasekara and Anton Jayakody, and Members of Parliament Attorney-at-Law Anuradha Jayaratne, Rohini Kumari Wijerathne, Kanthasamy Prabu, Ruwan Mapalagama, and Dr. Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam, also participated in the meeting.
2026-09-17
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Energy Affairs approved the Order relating to the calling for investment proposals for the exploration and development of petroleum resources in Sri Lanka and the formalization of the relevant process.The approval was granted at a meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee held recently (Sep. 11) at Parliament under the chairmanship of Anura Karunathilaka, Hon. Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation and Energy.The Order, made by the Minister of Energy under Section 48 of the Petroleum Resources Act, No. 21 of 2021, read together with Section 17 of the said Act, and approved by the Cabinet of Ministers, was published in the Extraordinary Gazette No. 2497/37 dated 16 July 2026.Under this Order, any person seeking to explore or develop petroleum resources in one or more identified blocks is required to submit an investment proposal together with payment of the administrative fee specified in the relevant invitation for bids.Deputy Minister of Energy Arkam Illyas, Members of Parliament, officials of the Ministry of Energy, and other officials participated in the meeting.
2026-09-17
Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Hon. Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, emphasized that universities must take the necessary measures to ensure that victim students have confidence in the investigations being conducted into incidents of ragging at universities.This matter was discussed at a meeting of the Subcommittee on Higher Education, convened under the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, which was held at Parliament under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister.The meeting included an extensive discussion on measures to be taken regarding vacancies in the higher education sector, particularly at universities, as well as incidents of ragging.The Prime Minister pointed out that universities have a moral responsibility to prevent and control ragging and emphasized that students subjected to ragging must have confidence in the investigative procedures currently in place at universities.Accordingly, the Prime Minister stressed that investigations into ragging incidents must be efficient and effective and should be conducted in a manner that enables relief to be provided to victim students without delay.The Prime Minister also inquired from university vice-chancellors about the failure to date to make appointments that have already been approved by the Ministry to fill vacancies at universities. She instructed officials to take the necessary measures to fill the approved vacancies expeditiously.The meeting was attended by Hon. Dr. Upali Pannilage, Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Social Empowerment; Hon. Dr. Madhura Seneviratne, Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education; Hon. Member of Parliament Manjula Sugath Ratnayake; university vice-chancellors; the Chairman of the University Grants Commission; and a number of other representatives.
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