2022-12-13
News Categories : Committee News
Minister of Trade, Commerce and Food Security Hon. Nalin Fernando said that at present his ministry has been able to control the rise in the market price of essential food items. He said so at the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Trade, Commerce and Food Security held in Parliament recently.
Addressing the committee, the minister further mentioned that when comparing the prices of the open market in the months of March and April, the consumer has been able to get relief from the reduction in the price of essential goods by November. Accordingly, one kilogram of dhal in the open market in July was 595 rupees, and in December, one kilogram of dhal was reduced to 389 rupees from Lanka Sathosa . He further mentioned that 1 kilogram of wheat flour which was 410 rupees in the open market, was reduced to 265 rupees from Lanka Sathosa in December.
Also, the minister said that the Sathosa was able to reduce the price of one kilogram of white sugar which was at 280 rupees to 229 rupees and to reduce the price of one kilogram of samba rice from 225 rupees to 198 rupees.
The Minister instructed the Consumer Affairs Authority and the Department of Measurement Units Standards & Services to continue market monitoring and inspections for the sake of consumer protection during the upcoming festive season.
In addition to that, he emphasized that the Consumer Act No. 9 of 2003 will be amended with the aim of establishing a fair market system. The Minister said that the qualifications of the full-time members including the Chairman of the Consumer Authority are expected to be included in the Act and the method of investigating consumer complaints against manufacturers and traders is expected to be included in the Act in a more systematic manner. Minister also said that he intends to present the revised draft including new clauses to the next consultative committee meeting.
Opinions were also expressed about the implementation of programs to attract the youth to the cooperative sector. Minister said that it is proposed to implement relief programs through the cooperative sector to identify young entrepreneurs and direct them to the production process. Also, through the empowerment of cooperative societies, it is expected to further strengthen the retail and wholesale network and to introduce a cooperative scholarship system, he said.
The minister also said that at present, it has been possible to run the State Trading Corporation (STC) profitably. STC was given the exclusive right to import and distribute the ammonium nitrate required by the country, but with the ban on the export of ammonium nitrate by India, the explosives industry in the country suffered a setback. But again, ammonium nitrate has been imported and distributed through STC, minister said.
Also, the minister said that the government has paid close attention to ensuring food security in the country. It was also emphasized that a project to promote women entrepreneurs in order to increase incomes and improve the quality of life will be started within this month. The chairman mentioned that at the moment, identification of the relevant beneficiaries is going on at the divisional secretariat level and after the relevant identification, the necessary equipment will be provided to the women entrepreneurs by STC.
Discussions were held on the relaunch of the Mahapola Education and Trade Fair and the Minister said that the Mahapola Education and Trade Fair will be restarted by March 2023.
State Ministers Hon. S. Viyalanderan, Hon. Kader Mastan, Hon. Rohana Dissanayake and several Members of Parliament were present at the meeting held. Also, a group of officials representing relevant institutions including the Secretary to the Ministry of Trade, Commerce and Food Safety also participated.
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 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
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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