2024-02-27
News Categories : Committee News
Hon. Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Committee Chair of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Economic and Physical Plans stated that he will convey the need to maintain the Valaichchenai Paper Mill as a public private joint venture without allowing a situation of closure is presented to the concerned ministers and the Hon. President
The Committee Chair stated the above when the National Paper Company Limited annual reports for the years 2013, 2014 and 2015 were taken into consideration by the Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Economic and Physical Plans recently (Feb. 20).
Ms. Thilaka Jayasundara, Secretary to the Ministry of Industry stated that since the machines of the Valaichchenai factory were imported in 1956 and thus 1.2 million dollars are required for repairs. However, since no financial allocation was received from the treasury, a cabinet paper was submitted to run this as a public private joint venture, but was not approved as the land was allocated for tourism.
It was also disclosed that if USD 1.2 million is spent and repairs are made to the machines in the factory, a profit of 22 million rupees per month can be made by producing 5 tons per day. It was also discussed that this entire land, which is spread over an area of 340 acres, could be considered for a tourist zone instead of only a part of it. The Committee Chair stated that if the Valaichchenai Paper Mill is to be closed down, instead of selling it, it is important to run it as a public private joint venture, and thus, the recommendation of the Committee shall be forwarded to the Ministry of Finance and industry and the Hon. President.
Moreover, the Committee emphasized the need to build a manufacturing economy by developing the industries of the country instead of depending on the tourism industry itself. The Secretary to the Ministry of Industries pointed out that the contribution of the manufacturing sector is only 15% of the country's gross domestic product, while in a developed country this figure is 30%. She stated that the land reserved for industries is 0.04 percent of the total land in the country and it is usually 3 percent in a developed country.
Furthermore, attention was paid to the concern of not having a specific region for the leather industry and it was pointed out that plans should be prepared taking into account the development of both industry and tourism sectors.
Moreover, taking into account the 2022 annual report of the Department of Fiscal Policy, the Committee Chair drew attention to the weaknesses in the tax collection process in this country. The Committee pointed out that it is unacceptable for people with large incomes to sneak through the tax net and collect taxes from people with low incomes and advised to conduct a more extensive study on the tax policy and streamline the related mechanism. The Committees emphasized that the Inland Revenue Act should be amended and the officials including the Ministry of Finance should take the initiative for the said.
The Committee Chair expressed his displeasure that although a number of recommendations were made to connect the Land Registry Department and the Motor Transport Department with the Ramis system of the Inland Revenue Department, it has not been done so far. He also stated that the government will lose a considerable amount of tax due to the provision of temporary VAT number by the Inland Revenue Department.
Additionally, the 2022 Annual Report of the Public Accounts Department, the 2020 Annual Report of the HDFC Bank, the 2022 Performance Report of the Ministry of Commerce, the 2021 Annual Report of the Sri Lanka Accreditation Board, the 2022 Performance Report of the Cooperative Employees Commission, the 2022 Annual Report of the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing and Condominiums The management authority's annual report for the year 2021 was also considered at the Committee meeting held.
Members of Parliament Hon. Eran Wickramaratne and Hon. Madhura Withanage, officials from relevant government institutions were also present at the Committee meeting held.
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.
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
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 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.
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