2022-12-14
News Categories : Committee News
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Environment recently discussed at length whether the Sinhala name of the national flower of Sri Lanka is ‘Mahanel’ or ‘Nil Mahanel’.
This was discussed at the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Environment, chaired by the Minister of Environment Hon. Nasir Ahmed recently in Parliament.
Mrs. Deepthi Yakandawala, Senior Professor of the Department of Botany, University of Peradeniya and Mr. Kapila Yakandawala, Senior Professor of the Faculty of Agriculture and Plantation Management, University of Wayamba, delivered a lengthy presentation on the unresolved and controversial issue of what is the national flower of Sri Lanka for many years.
As presented by Professor Yakandawala, the national flower of Sri Lanka was announced on February 26, 1986. The national flower has been officially declared as the ‘Blue Water Lily’ by a cabinet paper. But the professor said that a photo of a ‘Purple Water Lily’ is used to depict the ‘Blue water Lily’.
Accordingly, in 2010, the professor and others informed the President, the Minister of Environment, the Secretary to the Ministry of Environment, and the Director of the Biodiversity Secretariat of this mistake that made in 1986. Accordingly, in 2015, an accurate photo of the national flower has been included. But in 2015, the Ministry of Environment published a photo of the correct flower, while declaring the Sinhala name of Sri Lanka's national flower is ‘Manel’, the English name is ‘Blue Water Lily’ and the Tamil name is ‘Nilothpalam’.
The Ministry of Environment pointed out that the reason for the change of the name ‘Nil Manel’ to ‘Manel’ was based on the opinion expressed by the veteran Sinhala language expert, Prof. Wimal G. Balagalle on the national flower. According to his opinion, it has been suggested that the Sinhala name of the national flower should be used as ‘Manel’, since the meaning of ‘Manel’ is the noblest blue flower.
Prof. Yakandawala emphasized that according to the globally accepted standards of plant classification, the scientific name may be subject to change, but the common names used in the general public, which have a very long history, should not be changed.
Both Professors pointed out that ‘Manel’ is a common name and since there are many types of ‘Manel’ (Water Lilies) in Sri Lanka, such as Purple Water Lilies, White Water Lilies, Blue Water Lilies, etc., the Sinhala name of national flower of Sri Lanka should be chosen as ‘Nil Manel’ (Blue Water Lily).
The professor pointed out that the Blue Water Lily has met all the criteria considered by the National Flower Selection Committee in 1986, such as endemicity, utility, historical and cultural significance, etc.
Prof. Deepti Yakandawala mentioned that the ‘Sri Lanka Philatelic Bureau’ has issued a stamp with a picture of the Blue Water Lily and it is not the real flower but a picture of a wrong flower. She also pointed out that the text books contain an image of a wrong flower and not only in schools but also in some higher education institutes, they are teaching by showing the picture of a wrong flower.
Also, these two researchers are of the opinion that not only in books but also those sold as Blue Water Lilies near religious places are not real Blue Water Lilies.
Addressing the committee the Minister emphasized that an expert committee has been appointed by the Prime Minister to consider this matter and to present recommendations. The Members of Parliament who spoke about the matter pointed out that it is a matter of national importance that a definite decision should be taken soon.
Apart from this, the activities of the institutions affiliated to the Ministry of Environment were also discussed at length in the Consultative Committee.
Several Parliamentarians also participated in this meeting and a group of officials including Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Secretary to the Ministry of Environment were also present.
An image of a Blue Water Lilly which was included in the Cabinet Paper in 2015, sent by Prof. Yakandawala is attached for your reference.
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
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
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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