2023-01-20
News Categories : Committee News
The Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) chaired by Hon. (Dr.) Harsha De Silva, Member of Parliament greatly appreciated the swift action taken by the Port City Economic Commission following the previous meeting held on 05.01.2023, to give redress to the online presence of the Commission and the submission of audited accounts for 2021 which were key issues raised by the Committee at the previous meeting.
The Hon. Chair stated above, when the Port City Economic Commission was summoned by the Committee on Public Finance yesterday (Jan. 19).
Initially having established that, per the Act, the Port City Economic Commission is a body corporate established under the ordinances that govern a Commercial entity in Sri Lanka and is wholly owned by the State, discussion centered around the legality of enterprises incorporated in the territory and their scope therein.
With CoPF raising some technical prerequisites for the validity of issued licenses, it was agreed that the burden of proof would lay with the applicant when the Port City Economic Commission was queried about its capacity and capability to check the validity of the information provided in the application. It was confirmed that a register of all companies within the territory designate will be maintained electronically – accessible to the general public.
The Committee raised concerns about the privilege of applicants who have freedom to choose to conduct business outside of the Colombo Port City citing the varying tax policies. The Port City Economic Commission responded that corporates will be imbued with the power to formulate their own Human Resources policies with regards to salary structures. The Chairman of the Finance Committee stressed that this would need to be strictly monitored in the future and possibly revisited as it leaves room for malpractice. Additionally, on an interim basis, if the Minister in charge authorizes and nominates a location, companies can, for an interim period of no longer than 05 years, open an enterprise outside of the Port City.
When the Committee queried the mention of surcharges and fines, the Port City Economic Commission confirmed that they are working with the Attorney General’s department and respective regulators to confirm the parameters of penalties. Dr. Harsha reiterated that The Port City Economic Commission cannot take on the job of multiple regulators when governing the Colombo Port City. He directed them to work closely with the Finance Ministry who are already under instructions by the Finance Committee to finalize a gaming regulator by the end of 2023 for Sri Lanka.
Dispute Resolution was addressed, and it was confirmed that as per the act, the arbitrary body within the Port City will only provide a space for conflict resolution, however all judicial matters will be taken up on a priority basis at Magistrate and Civil courts within the borders of Sri Lanka. The Attorney General’s office confirmed that this will be reviewed in the future.
All Gazettes submitted for review were approved conditional to further redress to provide more clarity to the process of renewing licenses and ensure that the Port City Economic Commission regularly meet to ensure future avoidance of delays for the submission of audits and other legally required queries.
State Minister Hon. (Dr.) Suren Raghavan, Hon. Anupa Pasqual, Members of Parliament Hon. Chandima Weerakkodi, Hon. Mayantha Dissanayake, Hon. (Prof.) Ranjith Bandara, Hon. (Dr.) Nalaka Godahewa, Hon. Premnath C. Dolawatte, Hon. Madhura Withanage and officilas of the Port City Economic Commission, Attorney Generals Department were also 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.
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
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.
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