President Anura Kumara Dissanayake emphasized the need for the support of all professionals to digitize the country and actively participate in the process, at a time when the expectations of the political establishment and digital technologists are aligned.

He further assured that he would firmly stand by this vision at any time.

The President shared these remarks while addressing officials of the Ministry of Digital Economic Affairs after assuming duties as the Minister of Digital Economic Affairs on Thursday (05).

Highlighting the benefits of digitalization, the President stated that it has the potential to enhance the efficiency of economic activities and elevate the country’s economy to greater heights.

The President highlighted that the government’s primary objectives are poverty eradication, transforming social attitudes, and advancing digitalization.

The President emphasized that a country’s development cannot be achieved solely by constructing buildings. Reflecting on the past, he recalled the existence of a dedicated construction ministry two decades ago and noted that currently, construction activities are being undertaken by every ministry.

He revealed that during discussions with the Ministry of Education authorities and university chancellors last year, no attention was given to education reforms, with the focus remaining solely on building construction.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake also highlighted that despite the Ministry of Labor possessing two large buildings, there has been no reduction in public queues, stressing that digitalization is essential to address such issues effectively.

The Ministry has outlined a plan to generate an income of USD 15 billion within the next five years through the digital economy.

Efforts will also be directed towards increasing the digital workforce to 200,000 and digitizing the entire country within the same timeframe.

Engineer Eranga Weeraratne assumed duties as the Deputy Minister of Digital Economy during this occasion.

The event was attended by Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Digital Economy Waruna Sri Dhanapala, Senior Advisor to the President on Digital Affairs Hans Wijayasuriya, who is also the Chairman of ICTA, along with a group of officials

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has directed officials to follow a proper mechanism when issuing excise licenses.

These instructions were given during a meeting with senior Excise Department officials at the Presidential Secretariat on Thursday(05).

The President stressed the importance of not abusing power to act unlawfully and emphasized the need to consistently uphold the law. He also urged officials to ensure timely tax collection.

The discussion highlighted challenges in collecting excise taxes and the irregularities that arise in the process. New strategies were explored, including collecting overdue taxes, revoking licenses of blacklisted institutions, and addressing entities that fail to collect taxes properly.

The discussion also covered the shortcomings of the existing rules and regulations regarding tax collection. The President was made aware of the issues arising in the tax collection process, as well as the weaknesses in the recruitment system for excise officers.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake noted the public’s negative perception of the Excise Department and stressed the importance of managing these institutions in a way that supports the country’s economy.

Officials also briefed the President on challenges in the production and packaging processes, highlighting the negative impact of artificial toddy on the public.

Commissioner of Excise Rohana Senarathna, Deputy Commissioner R.V.S. Tissa Kumara, Assistant Commissioner M. J. De Silva, Chief Financial Officer G. A. Chandani, Chief Accountant W. R. Paranagama, and other senior officials of the Excise Department participated in the discussion.

By Shamindra Ferdinando

The newly elected National People’s Power (NPP) government intends to restructure the existing Sectoral Oversight Committees (SOCs) meant to examine Bills except those defined in Article 152 of the Constitution, treaties and reports, including annual and performance reports pertaining to institutions coming under their purview.

Parliament and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) would examine the government’s proposal in this regard, authoritative sources told The Island.

Sources said that both parties agreed that expenditure could be curtailed through proper restructuring. The UNDP over the years provided a significant amount of funding for strengthening of SOCs, in addition to providing expertise.

SOCs could also examine any other matter referred to them by Parliament or any Committee or a Minister relating to the subjects and functions within their jurisdiction, sources said.

Altogether there were17 SOCs in the last parliament and the majority of them didn’t function properly, sources said. The SOC process attracted public attention late last year when the US invited heads of all SOCs except Colombo District Lawmaker Rear Admiral (retd.) Sarath Weerasekera who led the one on national security. Weerasekera is on record as having said that the US embassy in Colombo sidelined him because of criticism of the US ambassador Julie Chung’s role in the high profile campaign that led to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s ouster.

The fully sponsored 10-day programme gave lawmakers an opportunity to study the committee process in the U.S. Congress. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) facilitated the programme. However, quite a number of MPs who represented SOCs in the last parliament either hadn’t contested the last general election or were defeated, hence the responsibility on the part of the Parliament to pay a lot more attention to the proposed restructuring process.

Parliament introduced the SOC system during the yahapalana administration. The system allowed selected youth to represent SOCs thereby participating in the process, sources said, adding that the operation of the committee system was of pivotal importance.