News
Opposition requests Speaker to put off 20A debate, citing need to follow health guidelines
Chief Opposition Whip and SJB Kandy District MP Lakshman Kiriella yesterday requested Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to postpone parliamentary debate on 20th Amendment to the Constitution scheduled to be taken up today (20).
In a letter to the Speaker, the Chief Opposition Whip says that parlimentary sittings would be in violation of the health regulations introduced by a special gazette.
“Patients infected by COVID-19 virus are being found from all districts in the country. It seems that the pandemic had grown out of proportions because of the negligence of the government. The government made statements at various occasions since April 22 that that they had ended the spread of the virus but those statements have been proven false. The government also delayed about 10 months to bring in laws and regulations to control the spread of the virus. After delay the government issued a gazette containing regulations to prevent the spread of the virus. As per those regulations, meetings could not be held as maintaining stipulated physical distance is a must. The sitting arrangements in parliament for the MPs do not comply with the regulations stipulated in the regulations and holding parliament meetings at a time when the meetings are banned is also against those regulations.
What sort of example the government is setting before the country by holding meetings in parliament and thereby breaking the laws at the very same place where they are passed?
Therefore I kindly request you to postpone the debate on the 20th Amendment to the constitution,” it says.
Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers has been granted at their meeting held on 19.05.2025 in order to introduce amendments to the Inland Revenue Act No. 24 of 2017 including the proposed tax revisions to enhance the tax structure paving way for state financial integrity based on revenue.
Accordingly, the revised draft bill has been prepared by the legal draftsman and clearance of the Attorney General has been received.
Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval for
the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Policy Planning and Economic Development to publish the aforementioned draft bill in the government gazette notification and subsequently, forward the same to the Parliament for its concurrence.
The National Mineral Policy was prepared for the first time in the year 1999, and the aforementioned policy has been amended in 2023 to cover matters such as preparing an updated data system related to mineral resources, adding value to the export of minerals, encouraging mineral-related industrialists, extracting mineral resources and managing the environment sustainably, and resolving the issues related to the ownership of the land arising in extracting mineral resources.
The revised National Mineral Policy has been reupdated in line with the manifesto “A Sustainable Resource Utilization – Generation of the Highest Benefit” under the policy statement of the current government” A Thriving Nation – A Beautiful Life.”
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution presented by the Minister of Industries and
Entrepreneurship to implement the so-formulated “National Mineral Policy—2026.”
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