Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was given at the meeting held on 23.02.2026 to impose the custom import duty amounts under four (04) categories as 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30% which had been executed only under three (03) categories in order to increase the target export income of the country, to execute the
recommendations of the national customs duty policies committee, and to implement new national sub division customs codes for promoting the local agricultural and industrial sector.

Imposing provisions in relation to the above, the Revenue Protection Order – No. 01/2026 under the Revenue Protection Act No. 19 of 1962 has been published in the extraordinary gazette notification No. 2478/03 of 03.03.2026.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to submit the said revenue protection order to Parliament for its concurrence.

A committee chaired by the Thimbirigasyaya Divisional Secretary has been appointed to provide housing for unauthorised settlers displaced due to the land acquisition process required for the implementation of Phase III of the Baseline Road Extension Project.

Based on the recommendations submitted by the said committee, housing units have already been allocated to 29 displaced family units from the ‘Sarasavi Uyana’ housing scheme, which is implemented by the Urban Development Authority.

Taking into account unique grievances and specific circumstances identified during field inquiries—such as instances where the floor area of the lost residence exceeds that of the newly allocated housing unit, multiple sub-families live
together within a single household at the time of land acquisition, or the presence of unmarried individuals with special needs—the committee has further recommended the allocation of housing units to an additional 08 displaced residents over and above the initial 29 family units.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Transport, Highways, and Urban
Development to implement the recommendations of the said committee.

Among the school hostels in the country, 126 hostel buildings are in an aged condition, with maintenance and renovation work remaining at a minimal level.

Consequently, it has been observed that constraints in the physical, sanitary, health, and safety facilities of these school hostels adversely affect the living standards and academic performance of the resident students.

Therefore, the necessity to modernize the essential facilities of these hostels has been recognized to foster a qualitative environment conducive to the students’ education and well-being.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Prime Minister, in her capacity as the Minister of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education, to implement a project to modernize school hostel facilities during the 2026–2028 period at an estimated total cost of Rs. 1,008 million.