2025-03-08
News Categories : Committee News
The Hon. Minister of Power, Kumara Jayakody, stated that the wind power project that was to be carried out with the Adani company has not yet been canceled.
The Hon. Minister made this statement during the first meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Energy of the First Session of the Tenth Parliament, which was held recently (Mar. 06) at the Parliament under his Chairmanship.
During the meeting held, Hon. Members of Parliament inquired about the said project, Hon. Minister Kumara Jayakody further stated that, as the pricing of Adani Company’s power project was high, the matter had been referred to the Cabinet for reconsideration. At that time, Indian Adani parent company had sent a letter to the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka informing that they were withdrawing from this project, and accordingly, the Board of Investment had informed the Ministry regarding the same, the minister further said. However, discussions regarding the wind power project were held with the representative institution of Adani in Sri Lanka, and thus, that institution had been informed to consider this matter, the Minister pointed out. Therefore, the Minister stated that a response regarding this matter is expected within two weeks following the letter that was sent.
He further emphasized that only if a negative response is received within these two weeks it will be necessary to move toward an alternative. Additionally, he stated that in the future, such projects will only be carried out through government-to-government (G2G) agreements and competitive procurement.
Furthermore, attention was also drawn regarding the steps taken to fill the existing vacancies in the Ceylon Electricity Board, including for engineers. The officials present pointed out that during the period of economic crisis, many engineers had migrated overseas, creating vacancies. However, they further noted that Cabinet approval had recently been obtained to fill these vacancies under three phases, and recruitment for the first batch is currently underway.
Moreover, discussions were held regarding unexpected power outages, with officials highlighting that even minor fluctuations in the system have the potential to destabilize it. Therefore, they stated that efforts are currently being made to maintain system stability by utilizing other energy sources such as solar power.
Additionally, attention was drawn to the inadequate maintenance of streetlights, and the Committee emphasized the necessity for local government institutions and the Electricity Board to work together on this matter. Particularly, as this is a nationally essential issue, the Committee suggested that local government institutions and the Electricity Board should engage in discussions. Moreover, the Minister stated that a policy on this matter will be formulated and finalized within two months.
Furthermore, discussions were held regarding matters related to the Ministry at the provincial, district, and divisional levels.
Members of the Ministerial Consultative Committee, including Hon. Members of Parliament, participated in this meeting.
2025-09-12
The Committee on Public Finance has granted approval for the 2026 budget estimate of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).This approval was granted during a meeting of the Committee held yesterday (Sep. 11th ) in Parliament, chaired by Hon. Dr. Harsha de Silva, Member of Parliament.During the meeting, the Chairman of the Committee pointed out that just as the Central Bank of Sri Lanka experience the financial independence, it is important to grant financial autonomy to institutions such as the Bribery Commission (CIABOC) and the Auditor General’s Department to ensure greater independence in their operations. He further stated that with such financial independence, these institutions would be able to function more autonomously, irrespective of which government is in power, and free from prevailing political authority. Accordingly, the Committee decided to inform the Minister of Finance, who is also the President, about this matter.Additionally, Hon. Dr. Harsha de Silva stated that the remuneration of the Chairman, Director General, and members of the Commission should be aligned with that of the President of the Court of Appeal. Therefore, as the salary of the President of the Court of Appeal is revised, the salaries of these officials should also be revised accordingly. The Committee Chair also noted that the necessary intervention will be made in this regard.Members of Parliament Ravi Karunanayake, Harshana Rajakaruna, (Dr.) Kaushalya Ariyaratne, Wijesiri Basnayake, Sunil Rajapaksha, Nimal Palihena, Thilina Samarakoon, and Nishantha Jayaweera participated in the meeting.
2025-09-12
For the first session of the Tenth Parliament, Hon. Member of Parliament Kabir Hashim was appointed as the new Chair of the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA). This appointment fills the vacancy created following the resignation of Hon. Member of Parliament Aravinda Senarath, who served as the Chair of the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) for the first session of the Tenth Parliament, on 06.08.2025. The Committee convened in Parliament today (Sep. 12) to elect the new Chairman. For the position of Chair, the name of Hon. MP Kabir Hashim was proposed and seconded respectively by Hon. Members of Parliament J.C. Alawathuwala and Rohitha Abeygunawardhana. Subsequently, addressing the Committee, the new Chair stated that he expects to carry out his duties in a neutral manner, free from political bias, with the cooperation of all members. He further expressed his special appreciation for the work performed by former Chair Hon. Member of Parliament Aravinda Senarath and stated that he expects to carry out the responsibilities of his office even more effectively. Moreover, the new Chair indicated that he is prepared to take the necessary measures to further systematize the functions of the COPA Committee by formulating new plans. The occasion was also attended by Hon. Deputy Minister Sugath Thilakaratne, Hon. MPs (Dr.) M.L.A.M. Hizbullah, Rohitha Abeygunawardhana, J.C. Alawathuwala, Chamara Sampath Dasanayake, Hector Appuhamy, (Dr.) Kavinda Heshan Jayawardhana, Oshani Umanga, Ruwanthilaka Jayakody, Thushari Jayasingha, Attorney at Law, M.A.M. Thahir, Lal Premanath, Chanaka Madugoda, as well as Parliament officials including Director (Legislative Services) and Acting Director (Communication) M. Jayalath Perera.
2025-09-11
The Committee on Public Finance reviewed the country’s income, expenditure, and debt conditions during the first half of 2025. This took place at a meeting of the committee held in Parliament on the 9th September 2025, chaired by Honorable Member of Parliament Dr. Harsha de Silva. Accordingly, the Sri Lankan government has reported a strong fiscal performance for the first half of 2025 compared to the total revenue for the first six months of 2024, exceeding the mid-year target, officials from the Ministry of Finance informed the Committee. Presenting data, Finance Ministry officials pointed out that the total revenue collected from the half-yearly estimated income of Rs. 2,241 billion from January to June 2025 was Rs. 2,318 billion, which exceeded the half-yearly estimate by 3%. Meanwhile, the total government expenditure in the first half of 2025 was Rs. 3,467 billion, an increase of Rs. 367 billion compared to the expenditure in the first six months of 2024. The main reason for this increase has been debt servicing, which was Rs. 1,984 billion in the first half of 2025. Recurring expenditure on essential public services, including public sector salaries, pensions, social security programs such as ‘Aswesuma’ and ‘Samurdhi’, has also increased, Finance Ministry officials said. Furthermore, the Sri Lanka Customs Department has recorded a revenue of Rs. 996 billion between January and June 2025, recording a growth of 47% compared to the year 2024 (January - June). The revenue received from the import of automobiles contributed significantly to this growth, which had received Rs. 429 billion. Since the opening of vehicles for import, 220,026 vehicles have been imported into Sri Lanka so far, of which 154,537 vehicles have been cleared by Sri Lanka Customs, the Finance Ministry officials pointed out. Furthermore, the Hon. Members of the Committee also inquired from the Sri Lanka Customs Department about the issues faced by importers due to the time taken at Customs for container clearance activities of 9 - 10 days. Accordingly, the departmental officials informed the committee that a method is being developed to resolve the issue and complete the clearance of the relevant goods within 2-3 days. The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) also reported an increase, reporting an income of Rs. 1,040,388 million out of the estimated income of Rs. 1,022,691 million in the first half of 2025. Here, the departmental officials pointed out that TIN (Tax Identification Number) numbers have been issued for about 1.3 million Sri Lankans over the age of 18. Here, the Chairman questioned whether the expected economic growth target for this year can be achieved based on this data. However, Finance Ministry officials said that it can be assumed that economic growth will be around 3.1% this year. The Chairman of the Committee also instructed the officials to take steps to inform the Committee about the policy of the Ministry of Finance regarding the tax policy applied to cigarettes. The Committee also discussed the discrepancy between the forecasts made by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Finance regarding the country's foreign reserves at the end of the year. The meeting was attended by the Hon. Members of Parliament Ravi Karunanayake, Harshana Rajakaruna, Ajith Agalakada, M.K.M. Aslam, (Dr.) Kaushalya Ariyaratne, Nimal Palihena, Attorney-at-Law Chitral Fernando, Wijesiri Basnayake, Sunil Rajapaksa, Champika Hettiarachchi, Attorney-at-Law Lakmali Hemachandra, and Nishantha Jayaweera.
2025-09-10
The Sectoral Oversight Committee on Education, Manpower and Human Capital appointed this subcommittee in order to take necessary measures aimed at creating young entrepreneurs through the National Youth Services Council. This subcommittee, which will be chaired by Hon. Member of Parliament Sunil Rajapaksha, consists of Hon. Members of Parliament Chanaka Madugoda, Nilusha Lakmali Gamage, Attorney at Law, Krishnan Kalaichelvi, and Sujeewa Dissanayake as its other members. The subcommittee was appointed at the meeting of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Education, Manpower and Human Capital, chaired by Hon. Member of Parliament Hesha Withanage Ankumbura Arachchi, which was held yesterday (Sep. 09) in Parliament. Accordingly, this committee is expected to hold discussions with various institutions and individuals in order to take more practical measures for the creation of young entrepreneurs through the National Youth Services Council and to report on the same. The committee chair recalled the individuals produced by the National Youth Services Council for various fields such as arts and sports, and emphasized the importance of treating this program of creating entrepreneurs for the youth community as a national program. Furthermore, the committee chairman inquired about the present status of the Youth Parliament conducted by the National Youth Services Council. Officials informed the committee that the Youth Parliament has currently been dissolved and that arrangements are being made to re-establish it by holding an election next year. The committee chairman emphasized the necessity of carrying out the selection process of members for the Youth Parliament with greater transparency. The following Hon. Members of Parliament participated in this meeting: Hon. Ajith P. Perera, Hon. (Dr.) V.S. Radhakrishnan, Hon. K. Ilankumaran, Hon. Krishnan Kalaichelvi, Hon. Nilusha Lakmali Gamage, Attorney at Law, Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva, Hon. Sujeewa Dissanayake, Hon. Chanaka Madugoda, Hon. Sanjeewa Ranasingha, Hon. Thurairasa Ravikaran, and Hon. Sunil Rajapaksha.
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