News
Price controls removed
By Saman Indrajith
There are no goods in the market at the government stipulated prices, says the Samagi Jana Balavegaya.
Chief Opposition Whip and SJB Kandy District MP Lakshman Kiriella told Parliament yesterday that the government had announced maximum retail prices through gazettes but nowhere in the market were goods available at those prices.
“There is a gazette stating the controlled price of sugar at Rs. 88 a kilo but in the market it is Rs. 99 a kilo. This is true of other essential items. There is no place where 27 commodities are sold at the government-stipulated prices.”
Minister Bandula Gunawardane: There is no such gazette. We have withdrawn it.”
MP Kiriella: “When did you withdraw the gazette?”
Minister Gunawardane: We withdrew it today.
Minister Gunawardane said that the gazette on controlled prices had been withdrawn after announcing that the government would maintain fixed prices as regards 27 essential commodities for three months starting Feb 8, subject to foreign exchange rates and any taxes that may be imposed on certain imported goods. As per that directive, prices of red raw, white raw, white nadu, samba, and kiri samba rice, wheat flour, white sugar, brown sugar, green tea, red dhal-Australian, big onion-Indian, potato-native, potato-Pakistani, chickpea, dried chili, canned fish local and imported, sprats, chicken, salt, milk powder, soybean oil, laundry soap, laundry bar soap, fragrance soap, hand wash liquid, mouthwash will be kept stable for the next three months.
The Minister said that when the sugar price increased in the world market, four gazettes had been issued by the President to remove taxes on four essential items including sugar, but nowhere were those items sold at the revised prices except at Sathosa outlets. Therefore, we withdrew the price control gazette today and introduced the new mechanism.”
Latest News
Concessionary priced food packages for new ‘Aswesuma’ applicants from 01st to 13th April
In keeping with the proposal by the President in his 2025 budget, for the provision of a package essential goods at a concessionary price during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year Festival season, it has been planned to provide a food package containing essential food items valued at Rs. 5000/- for only Rs. 2,500/-.
It is expected to select appropriate beneficiaries from among the 812,753 candidates who have submitted new applications for Aswesuma benefits.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal furnished by the Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development jointly with the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation to take necessary steps to provide the food package to the beneficiaries through the Lanka Sathosa outlet network and COOPFED outlets from 01.04.2025 to 13.04.2025
The Cabinet of Ministers have decided as follows considering the resolutions submitted by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Plan Implementation and Economic Development along with the Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Governments on payment of salaries according to the revised salary scales with effect from 01.04.2025 based on the resolution furnished by the President for revising the salaries of government service by the budget 2025;
• To empower the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Governments to issue circular instructions to the the secretaries of all the Ministries, Local Government Secretaries and Heads of Departments in regard to salary revisions of the government service.
• To empower the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Plan Implementation and Economic Development to issue circular instructions for state corporations, statutory boards and fully government owned companies and other institutions.
Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers has been granted to amend the Companies Act No. 07 of 2007 for remedying the shortcomings related to the transparency according to the international standards for prevention of money laundering, financing terrorism and other illegal activities.
Accordingly, the draft bill prepared by the Legal Draftsman has been revised as per instructions provided by the Attorney General subject to the special decision of the Supreme Court No. SC/SD/92/2024 and clearance of the Attorney General has been granted for the final draft bill prepared by the Legal Draftsman.
The Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Safety and Cooperative Development to publish the aforementioned draft bill in the government gazette notification and subsequently submit to the Parliament for its concurrence.
Concessionary priced food packages for new ‘Aswesuma’ applicants from 01st to 13th April
Salary revision of the Government Service – 2025
Amendment of the Companies Act No. 07 of 2007 to be Gazetted
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