2025-10-16
News Categories : Committee News
The Committee on High Posts, which met on 08th October at Parliament approved the appointments of 3 Ministry secretaries.
Accordingly, the appointments of Mr. D.W.R.B. Seneviratne as the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, Mr. S. Alokabandara as the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government and Dr. B.K.K.K. Jinadasa as the Secretary to the Ministry of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources were approved by the Committee on High Posts.
The committee was chaired by Hon. Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and several members of this committee participated in the meeting.
2025-10-16
Officials of the Ministry of Transport, Highways, Ports, and Civil Aviation informed the Ministerial Consultative Committee that currently, more than 300,000 driver’s licenses are pending issuance, and arrangements have been made to print and distribute them within the next three months. They further stated that a new driver’s license with enhanced security features will also be printed and issued within this year. Additionally, all necessary arrangements have been completed to procure one million cards required for the printing of driver’s licenses, according to the officials who briefed the committee. These remarks were made during the meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Transport, Highways, Ports, and Civil Aviation, held in Parliament on the Oct. 9th, under the chairmanship of Bimal Rathnayake, Hon. Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports, and Civil Aviation. Addressing the committee, the Chair instructed officials to install printing machines in every province to expedite the issuance of pending driver’s licenses. The Chair also inquired from officials regarding the issuance of vehicle number plates. In response, officials informed the committee that the process of selecting a supplier is currently underway, and following Cabinet approval, the process will be completed, allowing for the commencement of number plate issuance. Furthermore, the committee discussed the integrated passenger transport timetable currently in operation. The Chair stated that as the integrated timetable is a policy initiative, steps will be taken to identify shortcomings and expand it to more regions in the future to provide a more efficient service to passengers. The Chair also presented details regarding a pilot project aimed at reducing train accidents involving elephants. It was revealed that Rs. 2.8 million will be spent to install long-range surveillance cameras on trains operating on the Madakalapuwa (Batticaloa) line to monitor and minimize elephant-train collisions. The committee also held extensive discussions regarding issues faced in the constituencies of Members of Parliament and possible solutions to those problems. The meeting was attended by Ministers, State Ministers, Members of Parliament, and other officials.
2025-10-16
October is recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It has been decided to hold a debate in Parliament and to have women MPs dress in pink in support of the program. Every year, October is considered as the Global Breast Cancer Awareness Month or “Pink Month” and in line with this, a special awareness session on breast cancer prevention and related programs was held recently (Oct. 09) in Parliament for the Women Parliamentarians' Caucus. This meeting was held under the patronage of Hon. Member of Parliament Samanmali Gunasingha, who was temporarily appointed as Chairperson of the Caucus due to the overseas engagement of the Caucus Chairperson, Hon. Minister Saroja Savithri Paulraj. At the session, the Director of the National Cancer Control Program, along with other medical professionals, briefed the Women Parliamentarians' Caucus on breast cancer prevention. They highlighted that breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide. In Sri Lanka, approximately 15 new cases are diagnosed daily, with about 3 deaths occurring each day. The doctors emphasized that early detection and treatment of breast cancer can lead to a cure and stressed the importance of breast self-examination (BSE) in addition to medical screenings. It was also revealed that awareness programs have started at the school level in Sri Lanka. Under the initiative called “Pink Wednesday,” a program to increase breast cancer awareness was launched for the first time at Colombo Musaeus College with support from various organizations. Accordingly, students at the school wear pink ties on the first Wednesday of every month in support of this program. The members stressed the need to expand this awareness and the programs throughout the country. Furthermore, it was decided that in the next parliamentary week, on a selected day, all MPs and parliamentary staff will wear pink to support the program. They also agreed to request to grant a debate on this matter in Parliament. It was also decided to send a letter to the Ministry of Education, requesting all schools to raise awareness on this issue among students during their morning assemblies. Additionally, the Caucus decided to conduct an awareness program on breast cancer prevention for the parliamentary staff. Members of the Caucus, Hon. Deputy Minister Dr. Kaushalya Ariyaratne, Hon. Members of Parliament Krishnan Kalaichelvi, Attorney at Law Nilanthi Kottahachchi, Chathuri Gangani, Attorney at Law Thushari Jayasinghe and a group of doctors including the Director of the National Cancer Prevention Program, participated in this session.
2025-10-16
As of 30.09.2025, the expected tax revenue was Rs. 1,610,599 million and accordingly Rs. 1,641,997 million has been earned (102 percent), officials of the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) recently informed the Committee on Ways and Means. It was revealed that out of the total tax revenue target of Rs. 2,195,220 million for the year 2025, Rs. 1,641,997 million has been achieved so far, which is 75%. These matters were revealed when the Committee on Ways and Means met in Parliament on 08.10.2025 under the chairmanship of, Hon. Member of Parliament Wijesiri Basnayake. During the meeting, this year's tax revenue targets and revenue growth were discussed at length compared to previous years. Attention was also drawn to the plans and challenges for increasing tax revenue, including digitalization, and tax management. Accordingly, the Committee Chairman informed the officers to provide the Committee with proposals related to the reforms expected from the Inland Revenue Department. A group of Members representing the Committee on Ways and Means and a group of senior officers including the Commissioner General of the Inland Revenue Department, Mrs. R.P.H. Fernando, were present at this Committee meeting.
2025-10-15
The Hon. Minister of Labor and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando stated that attention is currently being given to the introduction of four key bills under the proposed labour law reforms. This was revealed during a meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Labour Affairs, held on the 8th of October 2025 under the chairmanship of Hon. Minister of Labor Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando. Hon. Deputy Minister of Labor Mahinda Jayasinghe also participated in the meeting. Speaking at the meeting, the Secretary to the Ministry stated that a 17-member committee has been appointed to study the reforms of 14 labor laws currently in force. He noted that the committee, at its initial meeting, reached a basic consensus to draft four principal labour-related bills. The Secretary to the Ministry further stated that the committee has agreed to prepare separate bills for four areas: trade unions, labour, occupational safety and termination of employment, and that necessary amendments will be made to the existing laws until new laws are formulated. The Secretary to the Ministry also said that amendments will be made to the Women Working at Night law, the Labour Protection law and matters related to insurance in the event of termination of employment. The Ministry officials also stated that the process of formulating a national policy on occupational safety and health has reached the final stage and that it is expected to be published soon. Furthermore, steps have been taken to update the data base of the Labour Department in a timely manner. Under the government’s digitalization program, amendments are being made to ensure that workers are immediately registered in the system upon entering the labour force, officials stated. During the meeting, the Chairman of the committee stated that the proposed labour law reform drafts will be prepared following detailed discussions with relevant stakeholders, including trade unions. The meeting was attended by a group of Hon. Members of Parliament and government officials.
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