News
Proposed restructuring of Sectoral Oversight Committees: House in talks with UNDP
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.
In accordance with the water tariff formula approved at the Cabinet meeting held on 2024-07-15, the unit cost of water sales is required to be reviewed on a half-yearly basis, taking into consideration changes in major cost factors.
Based on the analysis carried out on the financial statements of the National Water Supply and Drainage Board for the year 2025, it has been confirmed that the prevailing water tariffs are
sufficient to cover the full operating costs.
Therefore, the Board of Directors of the National Water Supply
and Drainage Board has decided to maintain the unit cost of water sales for the first six (06) months of 2026 without any increase.
Accordingly, the consent of the Cabinet of Ministers has been given for the resolution furnished by the Minister of Housing, Construction, and Water Supply to maintain the prevailing water tariff without any revision during the first 6 months of the year 2026.
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution
furnished by the Minister of Science and Technology to appoint an expert committee with technical special expertise for the formulation of the National Space Policy.
At present, a comprehensive legal framework for the protection of intellectual property is provided under the Intellectual Property Act No. 36 of 2003.
However, it has been observed that there are certain structural and operational challenges within the intellectual property system in the country. Furthermore, although several ministries and public institutions, in addition to the National Intellectual Property Office of Sri Lanka, perform complementary roles within the intellectual property system, it has been observed
that there is a lack of effective coordination among these institutions.
Therefore, the need for a national intellectual property policy has been identified in order to provide a clear strategic direction and to ensure the effective development and utilization of intellectual property in Sri Lanka. Such a policy is expected to facilitate the achievement of domestic priorities, including due consideration of international best practices, safeguarding national interests, preserving appropriate policy space, and promoting innovation, knowledge dissemination, and public welfare.
Taking into consideration of the aforementioned matters, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development to formulate a Comprehensive National Intellectual Property Policy for Sri Lanka.
No change in Water Tariffs for the first half of 2026
A ‘National Space Policy’ to be drafted
A comprehensive National Intellectual Property Policy for Sri Lanka to be formulated
An Inbound Labour Migration Policy for Sri Lanka to be drafted
Cabinet approves establishment of National Regulatory Reform Council for strengthening regulatory governance in SMEs
Jackson Pollock painting sells for record $181m at auction
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