2023-11-30
News Categories : Committee News
The Committee on Ways and Means recommended to the Department of Pensions to introduce a formula for raising the pensions in proportion to the existing cost of living index in a humanitarian manner. This was stated when the Committee met in Parliament on 29.11.2023 under the Chairmanship of Hon. Patali Champika Ranawaka, Member of Parliament.
Officials of government institutions such as the Department of Pensions, National Secretariat for Elders, and representatives of pensioners' associations were called for this meeting.
The department disclosed that more than 700,000 active pensioners are currently registered in the Department of Pensions, and it was disclosed that some people are not active due to reasons such as investigations, deaths, etc.
It was disclosed that about 26,000 retirees (19,000 civil, 7,000 armed forces) join active status every year, and about 20,000 are removed from the retired list due to death. It was reported that Rs. 413 billion has been earmarked for the Department of Pensions for a month, and 24 times the required pension will be paid as gratuity for those retiring at the age of 55, which will be deducted from the pension within 10 years.
The role of the National Secretariat for Elders is to provide a monthly allowance of 2000 rupees to low-income earners over 70 years of age, whose monthly income is less than 6000 rupees, and on the certificate of the Grama Niladhari, 733,204 elderly allowances are currently being paid, the officials of that institution said. The Committee Chair instructed the officials of the National Secretariat for Elders to provide the Committee with statistics on the number of people who join the list of elderly allowance payers, the number of people who leave due to death, and the number of elderly people on the waiting list.
It was discussed that the increase in wages for public servants with effect from 01.01.2016 was implemented under 5 phases till 01.01.2020, and that those who retired after 01.01.2020 will receive the full pension adjusted according to the increase in salary, which has resulted in a huge pension disparity between those who retired before 2017 and those who retired after 2020. The decision taken by the Council of Ministers to suspend the pension increase due on 01.01.2020 was a cause and additionally due to the salary increase for teacher principals in 2021, a severe pension discrepancy has arisen for those who retired before 01/01/2017 was mentioned. Moreover, although government employees were given a salary increase of Rs. 10,000 with effect from 01/01/2024, the allowance of pensioners has been increased only by Rs.2500/- and considering the salary increase, the pension has only increased by 25% and given the increase is not sufficient in view of the increase in the cost of living, the pensioners stated before the Committee. The Chair recommended to introduce a formula for the purpose of increasing the pension in proportion to the existing cost of living index in a humanitarian manner.
The benefits of the Agrahara insurance scheme are available to those who retired after 01.01.2016, and those who retired before that date should also be extended the insurance scheme in such a way that they get the same benefits. Thereby, the necessity of providing hospitalization allowances, surgery allowances, death gratuity allowances etc. to those who retired before the relevant date was emphasized on the part of the pensioners. The Committee Chair instructed to look into the possibility of providing the benefits of Agrahara Insurance Scheme to those who retired before 01.01.2016.
Committee Chair Hon. Patali Champika Ranawaka instructed the officials to appoint an authorized representative of the Department of Pensions to discuss the issues faced by the pensioners and to make arrangements to hold the initial discussion between the representatives of the pensioners' associations and the authorized officer on December 15 at 9.00 am.
It was emphasized here that those who receive senior citizens allowance and persons with disabilities should be included in the list of those who should receive social benefits (social registry). The need for setting up a digital system that can quickly update the deaths of pensioners was also emphasized as there is a significant impact on the payment of pensions.
State Ministers Hon. Lasantha Alagiyawanna and Hon. Anuradha Jayaratne, and Members of Parliament Hon. W. D. J. Seneviratne and Hon. Nalaka Bandara Kottegoda were present at this Committee meeting held.
2025-03-24
Priority given to detecting unimplemented Committee recommendations of 4 Committees including COPE, COPA The Committee Appointed to Review Non-implementation of the Recommendations of the Parliamentary Committees, met for the first time on the 21st of March under the chairmanship of Hon. Minister Harshana Nanayakkara, Attorney at Law, at the Parliament. Accordingly, discussions were held regarding which unimplemented Committee recommendations should be prioritized for review. The Committee focused on examining the non-implementation of Committee recommendations issued by the Ninth Parliament. Among these, priority was given to reviewing the unimplemented recommendations of the Committee on Public Enterprises (CoPE), the Committee on Public Accounts (CoPA), the Committee on Public Finance (CoPF), and the Committee on Public Petitions. The Committee Chair stated that the Committee expects to take necessary steps to expedite the implementation of the unimplemented Committee recommendations by connecting with the respective officials responsible of carrying out the tasks. Hon. Deputy Minister Sunil Watagala, Attorney at Law, Hon. Members of Parliament Ravi Karunanayake, Ajith P. Perera, Oshani Umanga, and parliamentary officials were present at this Committee meeting held.
2025-03-24
The Committee on High Posts, which met in Parliament recently (Mar. 21), has approved the nominations to appoint two Ambassadors and a High Commissioner. The Committee also approved the nomination to appoint the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in New York, United States of AmericaAccordingly, the nominations of Mr. Ratnayake Mudiyanselage Mahinda Dasa Ratnayake, to be appointed as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Republic of Cuba and Professor Pivithuru Janak Kumarasinghe, to be appointed as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Japan were approved by the Committee on High Posts.The nomination of Mr. Senadheera Dumunnage Nimal Upali Senadheera, to be appointed as the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was also approved by the Committee on High Posts.Furthermore, the Committee on High Posts approved the nomination of former Chief Justice Jayantha Chandrasiri Jayasuriya P.C to be appointed as the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in New York, the United States of America.Committee on High Posts which met under the patronage of the Hon. Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, was attended by Hon. Bimal Rathnayake, Hon. Kumara Jayakody, Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha, Hon. (Dr.) Hiniduma Sunil Senevi, Hon. (Dr.) Hansaka Wijemuni, Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney at Law, Hon. (Mrs.) Chamindranee Kiriella, Attorney at Law.
2025-03-24
The actions taken by the Department of Motor Traffic regarding the 25 audit observations as per the recommendations of the previous COPA are unacceptable. Conduct a formal investigation again by appointing an independent team – COPA recommends. The government incurs a loss of 6.2 million due to the Department of Motor Traffic fraudulently issuing vehicle registration certificates for unused blank numbers –COPA disclose A loss of Rs. 122 million due to registration of other vehicles with cancelled foreign diplomatic vehicle numbers – Auditor General Due to the failure of charging the prescribed fees for the registration of 296 motorcycles falling under the engine capacity category of 201 to 450, the government has incurred a loss of Rs. 78.15 million. Additionally, it was disclosed at the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) that 3,088 motorcycles had been registered without Cabinet approval and without the necessary legal documentation required for registration. This matter was discussed during a recent meeting of the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA), chaired by Hon. Member of Parliament Aravinda Senaratne, held on the 21st of March at Parliament. The discussion focused on the Auditor General's reports for the years 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 pertaining to the Department of Motor Traffic and its current performance. Although the Department of Motor Traffic had been summoned previously before the Committee on 10.03.2025 to discuss the concerns related to it, it was sent back due to a lack of proper preparation. Furthermore, the Committee on Public Accounts also inquired into the implementation of the recommendations issued during the COPA meetings held in 2019. A detailed discussion took place regarding 25 points presented by the Auditor General concerning illegal vehicle registrations that had occurred before the integration of the Sri Lanka Customs computer system. Investigations conducted on this matter and the disciplinary actions taken against the responsible officials by the Department of Motor Traffic were also reviewed. During this discussion, the committee expressed strong disapproval of the department’s failure to take any disciplinary action against the relevant officials. It was emphasized that the reports submitted in this regard were entirely unsatisfactory. As a result, the Chairman recommended that immediate disciplinary measures be taken and that an independent team of officials be appointed to conduct the necessary investigations. COPA also paid attention to fraudulent vehicle registration certificates issued by incorporating the engine and chassis numbers of illegally imported vehicles into pre-existing registered vehicle numbers. It was revealed that this had resulted in a loss of Rs. 1.2 billion to the government. Additionally, the committee examined the fraudulent issuance of vehicle registration certificates for unused vacant registration numbers by the Department of Motor Traffic, which had caused a loss of Rs. 6.2 million to the government. Moreover, the misuse of diplomatic vehicle registration numbers to register other vehicles had led to a financial loss of Rs. 122 million. The Auditor General emphasized the importance of making the public aware of these matters. Following an inquiry into the corruption, fraud, and irregularities that have occurred within the Department of Motor Traffic, the committee recommended that disciplinary actions be taken against all responsible officials and that the progress of these actions be reviewed monthly. It was also recommended that the relevant legal enforcement authorities take necessary steps to implement the law regarding any criminal activities that had taken place. The meeting was attended by committee members, including Hon. Deputy Ministers Major General (Retd.) Aruna Jayasekera, Sugath Tilakaratne, Sundaralingam Pradeep, Nalin Hewage and Hon. Members of Parliament, J.C. Alawathuwala, Rohitha Abeygunawardena, Hector Appuhami, Kaveendiran Kodiswaran, Manjula Suraveera Arachchi, Attorney-at-Law Sagarika Athawuda, Oshani Umanga, Ruwanthalaka Jayakody, Susanta Kumara Navaratne, Chandana Suriyaarachchi, (Dr.) Janaka Senaratne, Chanaka Madugoda, T.K. Jayasundara, Dinindu Saman, and Lal Premanath, along with several government officials.
2025-03-24
Although the former chairman stated that the series of programs, including the Smart Youth Exhibition, were carried out following a survey report, the council does not have such a report – officials of the National Youth Service Council states Provide a full report on the 3 committees that provided compensation to officials who faced complications due to political reasons, disregarding a cabinet decision – COPE Subcommittee The COPE Sub-Committee disclosed that Sri Lanka Youth Services (Pvt) Ltd, a subsidiary of the National Youth Services Council, had registered as a supplier and submitted price quotations to the council at higher rates. The matter emerged at the COPE Sub-Committee meeting chaired by Hon. Member of Parliament Chandima Hettiarachchi, which met recently (Mar. 19) in Parliament to review the Auditor General’s reports for the years 2022 and 2023, the current performance, and the progress of implementing recommendations made during the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) meetings held on February 18th and 20th, 2025. During the meeting held, the Sub-Committee inquired officials regarding the recommendation given to former Chairman of the Council Mr. Pasindu Gunaratne to provide all video footage related to the Smart Youth program, including the musical concert held. Officials informed the Committee that the relevant video footage had been handed over. The Committee extensively inquired regarding the payment of Rs. 120 million paid to the respective production entities for this purpose. It was disclosed that Sri Lanka Youth Services (Pvt) Ltd., a subsidiary of the National Youth Services Council, had obtained the contract at a higher cost and then outsourced the work to other institutions. Furthermore, although the former chairman stated that the Smart Youth program and exhibition had been conducted following a survey report, officials of the National Youth Services Council informed the Committee that no such report was available with them. The Chair of the Sub-Committee stated that a massive financial fraud had occurred in the conduct of the Smart Youth program. He instructed officials to conduct an independent investigation at the Ministerial level and submit a comprehensive report to the Sub-Committee within three months. He also directed the National Youth Services Council to conduct its own investigation and take legal action accordingly. Furthermore, the Committee discussed the issue of compensation payments to 40 officials who had faced complications due to political reasons. A Cabinet decision had been issued to appoint a committee of retired officials to handle these payments, but instead, three separate committees had been appointed by the council to grant compensation. The Sub-Committee instructed officials to submit a full report within two weeks, detailing the names of the officials who received compensation, the amounts paid, the dates of promotions, the dates of payments, the dates of approvals, and the names of officials who made the decisions. Moreover, the Committee extensively discussed a complaint regarding a diploma awarded by the National Youth Services Co-Operative Society Ltd (NYSCO). It was revealed that the Sri Lanka National Youth Services Council had no involvement in this diploma program operated by NYSCO. The Chairman of the National Youth Services Council further stated that NYSCO was no longer under the council’s control. Additionally, it was disclosed that the age limit for selecting the General Manager of NYSCO, which was previously set at 35 years, had now been raised to 50 years. The Chair of the Sub-Committee emphasized that the National Youth Services Council's name should not be misused and directed the council’s board of directors to investigate and take necessary actions. Furthermore, he instructed the Secretary to the Ministry to summon NYSCO’s top officials for an inquiry and stated that the Sub-Committee’s recommendations on this matter would be forwarded to the Cooperative Commissioner for necessary action. The Sub-Committee also held extensive discussions on the submission of annual reports and financial statements of the National Youth Services Council and Sri Lanka Youth Services (Pvt) Ltd to Parliament within the stipulated timeframes, as well as the proper functioning of audit and management committees. The meeting was attended by Hon. Members of Parliament Samanmali Gunasinghe, Jagath Manuwarna, Asitha Niroshana Egoda Vithana, Lakmali Hemachandra, Attorney at Law, Auditor General Mr. W.P.C. Wickramaratne, and several other officials.
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