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Timber Corporation earned Rs 1.4 bn profit and transferred only Rs 100 mn to Treasury

Published

4 years ago

2022/04/29

By Saman Indrajith

The State Timber Corporation earned an operating profit of Rs. 1.4 billion in 2021, but transferred only Rs. 100 million to the Treasury. This came to light when the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) questioned a high-ranking state official recently.

COPE Chairman Prof. Charitha Herath said that the annual revenue earned by state institutions should be received by the State Treasury.

The COPE Chairman said state institutions should be prepared to send a significant portion of their earnings to the Treasury.

The Chairman said so when the officials of the State Timber Corporation was summoned before COPE recently to examine the Auditor General’s Reports for 2019 and 2020 and to evaluate their performance.

The COPE noted that the Forest Department had granted approval to the State Timber Corporation on 30 June 2020 for the removal of 28,958 pine trees from the Hein Ford Estate in Weligampola, Kandy but the trees had not yet been removed. Member of the Committee Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Member of Parliament said the State Timber Corporation could have earned a hugh profit if it has carried out that task

It was also revealed that the Committee on Public Enterprises on 10 October 2012 had directed that action be taken to amend the Corporation Act to empower the State Timber Corporation to issue a certificate for imported timber, but that had not been done. Officials of the Timber Corporation said a board paper had been submitted for this purpose. The COPE also drew attention to the delays in the process from 2012 to date.

The COPE inquired into a write off of Rs. 14.4 million worth of debt by the Corporation without the approval of the Treasury. The officials said that the decision had been taken by the then Acting Board of Directors in 2007 with the approval of the Corporate Audit and Management Committee. The COPE Chairman said that since the Secretary to the Treasury was in charge of the Consolidated Fund for Public Debt, if debts are written off, the Chief Accounting Officer should inform the Secretary to the Treasury and obtain permission.

The COPE said that in 2012, it had directed that the loss making Kaldemulla Furniture Factory should be turned into a profitable venture, but there had been no improvement.

The COPE Chairman stated that the furniture outlets owned by the Corporation as a whole had incurred huge losses. The Auditor General stated that the waste of large quantities of timber in the production of furniture had been observed as a reason for these losses and that byproducts of discarded timber could help reduce this loss to some extent. That was due to the lack of employees with proper knowledge of furniture manufacturing and the need to compete with the private sector in the market, the officials of the Timber Corporation said.

The COPE Chairman instructed the Secretary to the Ministry to send a report within one month on the future course of action to be taken in consultation with relevant officials.

The COPE also noted that two advisors and a driver had been recruited for the Chairman of the Corporation in contravention of the circular. The recruits were paid an allowance of Rs. 2,850 per day for 270 days, a sum of Rs. 769,500, from 12 February to 3 September 2019. Although the approval of the General Treasury had been sought for this purpose, it was not received and the COPE Chairman directed the Secretary to the Ministry to take legal action against the relevant Chairperson.

The COPE noted that the corporation had incurred a loss of Rs. 982,473 after reducing the price of items valued at Rs. 1,690,183 by more than 50 percent to Rs. 707,710 and the General Manager of the Corporation stated that this decision had been taken due to the fact that the furniture was in a defective condition after being kept for too long without disposal. The Chairman said that if such concessions could be justified, a Board Memorandum should be submitted and the Auditor General’s Department should be informed.

The COPE meeting was attended by Members of Parliament Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Jagath Pushpakumara, Harsha de Silva, Eran Wickramaratne, Indika Anuruddha, Sagara Kariyawasam, Madhura Withanage as well as the Secretary to the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Conservation and officials of the State Timber Corporation.

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President meets senior officials of the Urban Development Authority

Published

4 hours ago

2026/05/18

Priyan

A discussion between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and senior officials of the Urban Development Authority (UDA) was held this afternoon (18) at the Presidential Secretariat.

The meeting focused extensively on new development projects planned by the Urban Development Authority. The President emphasised the need to ensure that the budgetary allocations made for these projects in the current year are utilised effectively within the same financial year.

Detailed discussions were also held on projects planned to be implemented jointly by multiple institutions, including the importance of holding consultations with all relevant agencies to reach final decisions and the need to clearly define responsibilities for each institution in both implementation and maintenance phases of the projects.

Attention was drawn to key initiatives such as the Kelani River flood control project, water management projects in Colombo city and the Beira Lake restoration project. The need for a dedicated programme for low-income housing in areas such as Ratmalana and Moratuwa was also highlighted. During the discussion, Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake underscored the importance of introducing a structured management framework for the effective coordination of certain projects.

Deputy Minister of Urban Development, Eranga Gunasekara, Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development, Senior Professor Kapila C.K. Perera, Chairman of the Urban Development Authority (UDA), M.G. Hemachandra and the Heads representing the Urban Settlement Development Authority (USDA), Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation (SLLDC), National Physical Planning Department (NPPD) and the Condominium Management Authority (CMA) were also present at the meeting.

(PMD)

News

CEAT Kelani Branch Inter-Company Employees’ Union makes donation to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund

Published

4 hours ago

2026/05/18

Priyan

The Inter-Company Employees’ Union of the Kelaniya Branch of CEAT Sri Lanka has made a financial donation of Rs. 1,148,000.00, a day’s salary of its members to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund established to support the restoration of livelihoods and the rebuilding of areas affected by cyclone Ditwah.

Secretary of the Inter-Company Employees’ Union of the CEAT Kelani Branch, D.G.S.D. Navaratne, handed over the donation to the Chief of Staff to the President, Prabhath Chandrakeerthi at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (18).

Treasurer of the Inter-Company Employees’ Union of the CEAT Kelani Branch, Y.P.I.C. Karunathilaka, together with members of the Executive Committee, were also present on the occasion.

(PMD)

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Prime Minister off to the United Kingdom to participate in the 22nd Annual Commonwealth Education Forum

Published

6 hours ago

2026/05/18

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya departed on an official visit to the United Kingdom to participate in the 22nd Annual Commonwealth Education Forum and the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) 2026 Board of Governors Meeting.

During the visit, the Prime Minister is scheduled to participate in several high-level academic and diplomatic engagements aimed at strengthening cooperation in the fields of education, development studies, research collaboration, and international partnerships.

As part of the visit, the Prime Minister will meet with Ms.Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education of the United Kingdom, at the UK Department for Education, to discuss areas of cooperation in education and related sectors. She is also expected to meet Ms.Yvette Cooper, Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, for discussions on matters of bilateral interest and cooperation between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.

In addition, the Prime Minister is expected to meet Ms.Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, on the sidelines of the 22nd Annual Commonwealth Education Forum and the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) 2026 Board of Governors Meeting.

During the visit, the Prime Minister will attend a public event at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex and she will also take part in the ceremony marking the 60th Anniversary of the Institute of Development Studies. The Prime Minister is also scheduled to address a session at the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies at the University of Oxford, followed by a question-and-answer session with scholars and students.

The visit is expected to strengthen Sri Lanka’s engagement with academic institutions, international development partners, and Commonwealth member states, particularly in the areas of education, research, policy dialogue, and capacity building.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]