2021-09-07
News Categories : Committee News
Hon. Minister of Energy Udaya Gammanpila stated that the USD 267 billion worth of oil and gas resources hidden in the Mannar Basin could generate three times the total debt of the country. The Minister stated the aforesaid at the Consultative Committee on Energy held in Parliament today (07).
The Minister further stated that although investors who invest in these oil and gas drills are given 50%, USD 133.5 billions is Government owned and it is almost three times the total debt value of the country which is a total of USD 47 billion.
The Minister made this observation while briefing the Committee including Hon. Parliamentarians on the Petroleum Resources Bill to be tabled in Parliament for the second reading. Accordingly, the Bill was approved by the Committee.
The Minister further stated that this Bill, which seeks to regulate and manage the exploration of petroleum resources, including the establishment of the Petroleum Development Authority of Sri Lanka, will be presented to Parliament as a matter of priority for the Government.
Hon. Minister of Energy Udaya Gammanpila said that the Norochcholai power plant could operate for 120 years only from the gas in the Mannar Basin and the Sapugaskanda oil refinery could operate for 143 years with the oil alone.
Although our neighboring country India has been extracting oil and gas from the seas close to Sri Lanka since the 1940s, Sri Lanka has missed it due to various reasons. After lengthy discussions with experts on the subject, it was identified that there were several reasons have contributed for the aforesaid, the further Minister said.
The Minister said large companies around the world have not come to explore oil resources in Sri Lanka in the recent past due to various reasons.
Quote:
“We took steps to hand over this task to experts on the subject matter through the establishment of the Petroleum Development Authority given the lack of understanding on the scope of subject the officials who were to take decisions on this regard previously had. Also, as the regulatory powers such as the issuance of licenses were completely concentrated in the hands of the Minister, all activities had been disrupted when there was a change of the Minister. Therefore, we have decided to transfer all the powers of the Minister to the Board of Directors of this Authority. Also, a modern map was prepared to replace the existing traditional map for oil and gas exploration” the Minister added.
The Bill will also introduce a strong legal framework to protect these large investments and appoint a special committee to advise the minister, as billions of dollars will have to be invested in the industry, the Minister of Energy said.
Furthermore, in general, a country would succeed in one when drilling seven wells in search for oil and gas according to world standards. The Norwegian government had to dig 31 wells for one success story whilst 3 out of 4 wells drilled in Sri Lanka were successful the Minister said.
He also stated that he intends to seek the assistance of Sri Lankan experts in the field from around the world in this regard.
Committee Members Hon. State Minister Jayantha Samaraweera, Hon. Members of Parliament Chandima Weerakkody, Nalin Bandara, Muditha Prishanthi, Gunathilaka Rajapaksha, B.Y.G Ratnasekera and the Secretary to the Mrs. KDR Olga, Secretary to the Ministry were present at the meeting.
2025-07-28
The recommendations of the Committee on High Posts, which met on the July 24th at Parliament approved the appointments of 5 new Ambassadors, a High Commissioner, and a Secretary to the Ministry. Accordingly, Miss. Sumadhurika Sashikala Premawardhane as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Republic of Indonesia, Mrs. C.A. Chaminda Inoka Colonne as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Federative Republic of Brazil, Mr. Mohamed Rizvi Hassen as the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to the Republic of Maldives, Mr. L.R.M.N.P.G.B. Kadurugamuwa as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Republic of Turkey, Mrs. Ruwanthi Delpitiya as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Nepal, and Mr. Marimuththu K. Pathmanaathan as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Republic of South Korea have been recomended by the Committee on High Posts. Furthermore, the name of Miss. Ayesha Jinasena (PC) has also been recommended by the Committee on High Posts for the appointment as the Secretary to the Ministry of Justice and National Integration. The Committee on High Posts, chaired by Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya, Prime Minister, comprised of the following Members of Parliament: Hon. Kumara Jayakody, Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha, Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara, Attorney at Law, Hon. (Dr.) Upali Pannilage, Hon. (Mrs.) Saroja Savithri Paulraj, Hon. (Dr.) Hansaka Wijemuni, Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen, Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney at Law, and Hon. M. Nizam Kariapper, PC.
2025-07-28
No shortage of very essential medical items – Ministry of Health officials The Sectoral Oversight Committee on Health, Media and Women's Empowerment inquired into the medicine shortage and related matters at the Committee meeting held recently (Jul. 23), under the chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament (Dr.) Nihal Abeysinghe. Officials from the Ministry of Health informed the Committee that the current shortage of medicines has arisen due to delays in placing orders in previous years. However, they assured the Committee that procurement process for the year 2026 has already taken commenced, and there will be no shortage in 2026. They further stated that by the end of this year, 80% to 90% of essential medicine items are expected to be available in the country. In response to an inquiry made by the Committee regarding the availability of very essential medical items, the Ministry officials confirmed that there is no shortage of such items at present. Furthermore, the Committee also considered and approved the Annual Reports for the years 2022 and 2023 of the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation of Sri Lanka, the National Medicines Regulatory Authority, the Sri Lanka Ayurvedic Drugs Corporation, and the Wijaya Kumaratunga Memorial Hospital. While reviewing these reports, the Committee raised concerns over unresolved audit queries related to these institutions. The Committee Chair recommended that an internal review mechanism be established within the Ministry to ensure timely and appropriate responses to audit observations. Hon. Deputy Minister Muneer Mulaffer, Hon. Members of Parliament (Attorney-at-Law) Dayasiri Jayasekara, Amirthanathan Adaikkalanathan, (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna, Samanmali Gunasingha, (Prof.) Sena Nanayakkara, (Dr.) S. Sri Bavanandarajah and Jagath Manuwarna were present at the Committee meeting. Officials representing the Ministry of Health and Mass Media, including Secretary to the Ministry Dr. Anil Jasinghe, also participated in the meeting.
2025-07-28
A working Committee was appointed pertaining to the future activities of the Parliamentary Caucus on Arts and Cultural Affairs, established for the Tenth Parliament. The purpose of this working Committee is to implement the programmes expected to be carried out by the Caucus for the advancement of the arts and cultural sectors of the country and to obtain ideas and proposals from experts and scholars in the respective fields for that purpose. Hon. Members of Parliament Prof. Sena Nanayakkara, Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi, Hiruni Wijesinghe, Attorney-at-Law, Nilanthi Kottahachchi, Attorney-at-Law, Sugath Wasantha de Silva, Susantha Dodawatta, Attorney-at-Law, Ruwan Mapalagama, and Dinesh Hemantha were appointed as members of this Committee. These appointments were made during the meeting of the Parliamentary Caucus on Arts and Cultural Affairs, held recently (Jul. 22) in Parliament, under the chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament Jagath Manuwarna, Chair of the Caucus. At this meeting, lengthy discussions were held regarding the steps that could be taken to uplift the cultural, literary, and arts sectors of the country, to promote the development of artists and professionals engaged in those fields, and on the necessity of fostering an interest among the general public and children in art appreciation. It was also proposed by the Member MPs that programmes should be initiated to create awareness among Members of Parliament and the parliamentary staff regarding the Parliamentary Caucus on Arts and Cultural Affairs. Hon. Members of Parliament Prof. Sena Nanayakkara, Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi, Hiruni Wijesinghe, Attorney-at-Law, Nilanthi Kottahachchi, Attorney-at-Law, Sugath Wasantha de Silva, Susantha Dodawatta, Attorney-at-Law, Ruwan Mapalagama, and Dinesh Hemantha were present at this Committee meeting held.
2025-07-28
The proposed Education Reform Plan was taken into discussion at the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Education, Manpower and Human Capital. The discussions were held when the Committee met on the Jul. 25th at Parliament, under the chairmanship of Hon. Hesha Withanage, Member of Parliament. Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Training, Mr. Nalaka Kaluwewa, representatives of the National Education Commission, the Director General of the National Institute of Education, along with several other senior officials of the Ministry of Education, participated in this meeting. The Ministry officials explained in detail to the Committee the steps taken to prepare the proposed Education Reform Plan and also presented the steps taken in the past in this regard. The Chair of the Committee stated that experts from relevant sectors who have been involved in reforming the education sector in the past are expected to be consulted to examine the proposed Education Reform Plan more comprehensively. He further stated that the full support of the Committee will be extended to ensure the proper implementation of the Education Reform Plan. Committee Members also emphasized the need for properly structuring the syllabus when implementing reforms in the education sector and pointed out the factors that should be considered in that regard. Meanwhile, the attention of the Sectoral Oversight Committee was also drawn to the Samurdhi (Amendment) Bill. The Committee inquired into the operations of the Samurdhi Bank, and the relevant approval was granted to present the said Bill to Parliament for the Second Reading. Hon. Members of Parliament Sunil Rajapaksha, Chanaka Madugoda, Thurairasa Ravikaran, Nilusha Lakmali Gamage, Attorney at Law, and Krishnan Kalaichelvi participated in this Committee meeting.
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