Poson Poya Day is a traditional day celebrated by Sri Lankan Buddhists as the inaugural day of the Sri Lankan national culture.

The national culture of the country began to be nurtured through the interpretation of Buddhism with the arrival of Arahant Mahinda on the day of Poson Poya.

I would like to add my best wishes on the occasion of this sacred day.

In particular, Poson Poya Day is the day when the Sri Lankan state was blended together with the essence of Dhamma politics as well as the spiritual well-being of the Sri Lankan people.

That is why the Maha Sangha, the people and the state government celebrate Poson Poya Day as a Poya Day which is revered by the Buddhist people of this country.

As Poson Poya Day 2022 dawns, it should be recalled that I, as the then Prime Minister, was able to make Poson Poya Day a national state event.

We consider Poson Poya Day as a Spiritually Symbolic Day for Sri Lanka.

With the arrival of Arahant Mahinda on the day of Poson Poya, the Dhamma dialogue and the political socio-cultural dialogue began. This led to a self-sufficient economy.

Even at this moment, the path of Dhamma endorsed by Arahant Mahinda is like a road map for a society that is looking to alleviate the political and socio-economic turmoil that has taken hold of the Sri Lankan state.

The advice given by Arahant Mahinda to shape the governance of Sri Lanka by adopting the Chulla Hasthi Padopama Sutta, setting aside differences and ideological inequalities while producing food on local soil, should be taken as our model at this moment.

At the same time, with the Poson Poya Day in mind, we must all unite in determination to transform the State of Sri Lanka back into a calm and prosperous society following the preconceived Dhamma message.

This path is the way to preserve the Poson culture inherited from Arahant Mahinda.

Ranil Wickremesinghe
Prime Minister,
Socialist Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka

Hon. Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana, the Speaker, announced in Parliament today that it was decided at the recent meeting of the Committee on Parliamentary Business to publish the annual reports, performance reports and other relevant reports as e-versions.

The Speaker said that the decision was taken as a measure to address the contemporary economic crisis in the country and to minimize possible environmental concerns. The Speaker also appreciated the support of all Members of Parliament in this regard.

Accordingly, it has been decided to appoint an officer to deal with the matter and to send soft copies to the Hon. Members of Parliament of those reports which are to be tabled on the relevant dates through an e-mail.

It was also decided to include soft copies of daily tabled reports in a specialized web portal on the Parliamentary website so that they can be accessed on laptops/desktops, tablets or mobile phones. The Speaker further stated that steps will be taken to make several hard copies of these reports available to the Committees for reference purposes which will be kept in the library.

Accordingly, it was decided at the Committee on Parliamentary Business meeting held recently to inform the Secretaries of all the Ministries in this regard and expedite the implementation of this program, the Speaker further stated.
The focus of the Committee was directed towards the current environmental difficulties in procuring printing materials, as well as the difficulty of finding imported CDs in the market and the high cost it involves, as well as the adverse environmental impact of CD recycling on the environment when making the decision, the Speaker said.

The Speaker further stated that the Committee has taken this decision considering the timeliness of the creation of a sustainable e-public service through the digitization of the public service as all the Hon. Members of Parliament are currently using technological tools.

1. Amendment of Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation Act No. 6 of 1982

Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was granted at their meeting held on 04.01.2021 to
amend the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation Act No. 6 of 1982 including provisions to
enable appointment of a representative from the Treasury and the Secretary of the subject
Ministry or a representative at him to the Board of Directors of Sri Lanka Rupavahini
Corporation. Accordingly, clearance of the Attorney – General has been granted for the
draft bill formulated by the Legal Draftsman. Therefore, the approval of the Cabinet of
Ministers is given to the proposal submitted by the Minister of Mass Media for
publishing the relevant draft bill in the gazette and submit it to the Parliament
subsequently in order to obtain approval.

2. Amendment of Rubber Control Act No. 11 of 1956 and Rubber Replanting Subsidy
Act No. 36 of 1953

Instructions have been given to amend legal provisions required for winding – up the
statutory funds which are in the inactive status as per the provision 423 of the Public
Finance circular. Accordingly, measures have been taken to liquidate both Rubber
Control Fund effective under the Rubber Control Act No. 11 of 1956 and the Rubber
Replanting Subsidy Fund established under the Rubber Replanting Subsidy Act No. 36 of
1953. The said two acts have to be amended since there is no further requirement of
existing provisions in those acts in regard to the aforementioned funds. Accordingly, the
Cabinet of Ministers granted consent to the proposal furnished by the Minister of
Plantation Industries for instructing the Legal Draftsman to prepare draft bills in order to
amend the Rubber Control Act No. 11 of 1956 and the Rubber Replanting Subsidy Act
No. 36 of 1953.

3. Amendment of section 46 of Industrial Disputes Act No. 43 of 1950

From the time of initiation of Labour Tribunals, opportunities have been granted for trade
union representatives and representatives who are not attorneys – at – law to appear
before Labour Tribunals representing their stakeholders equally as the attorneys – at law.
However, various issues emerged with regard to appearing of representatives who are not
attorneys – at – law before labour tribunals. With the objective of circumventing such
circumstances, approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was granted at their meeting held on
21.02.2017 to amend the Labour Disputes Act No. 43 of 1950 to enable appearing for a
representative on behalf of the aggrieved party from whom the power of representing is
granted before a labour tribunal. Accordingly, clearance of the Attorney – General has
been granted for the draft bill formulated by the Legal Draftsman. Therefore, the
approval of the Cabinet of Ministers is given to the proposal submitted by the Minister of
Labour and Foreign Employment for publishing the relevant draft bill in the gazette and
submit it to the Parliament subsequently in order to obtain approval.

4. Procurement of organic and chemical fertilizers required for paddy cultivation for
the Maha season 2022/23

It is expected to cultivate 800,000 hectares of paddy in the 2022/23 Maha season and
estimated that 150,000 metric tons of Urea, 45,000 metric tons of Muriate of Potash
(MOP) and 36,000 metric tons of Triple Super Phosphate (TSP) are required for paddy
cultivation for the 2022/23 Maha season. The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal
presented by the Minister of Agriculture to import the relevant quantities of fertilizer by
Ceylon Fertilizer Company Limited and Colombo Commercial Fertilizer Company
Limited and distribute them to the farmers.

5. Memorandum of Understanding on the Implementation of the Voluntary

Cooperation Program 2020 - 2027 with the World University Service in Canada.
The World University Service in Canada is implementing a voluntary collaboration
program in Sri Lanka for 30 years to provide education, employment and empowerment
opportunities that aim to improve the lives of millions of disadvantaged women and
youth around the world. Under the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the
two parties, the programs have been implemented under this from 2015 to 2020. The
program has not been implemented in Sri Lanka for the past 2 years due to Covid 19
travel restrictions and it is proposed to re-sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
in this regard. Accordingly the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by
the Prime Minister in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization &
National Policies to implement the relevant program under 10 Govt. & Non Govt.
Organizations with a grant of Canadian $ 2.76 million.

6. US $ 55 million Loan Scheme from the Export-Import Bank of India for the
procurement of urea fertilizer

The Government of India has agreed to provide a $ 55 million loan through the Export-
Import Bank of India for the procurement of Urea for the 2022/23 Maha season.
Accordingly the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Prime
Minister in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization & National
Policies to sign the agreements above.

7. Amendment to the Appropriation Act for the year 2022

Due to the difficult economic situation in the country, from the middle of the first quarter
of 2022, the Government had to incur expenditure on other essential functions in addition
to those which had been allocated by the Appropriation Act. Moreover, the ministry
structure that existed at the time of preparing the Appropriation Act for 2022 has now
changed significantly. Therefore the government has decided to introduce an amendment
bill in Parliament to replace the Appropriation Act No. 30 of 2021. Accordingly the
Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Prime Minister in his
capacity as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization & National Policies to advice

legal draftsman to prepare a bill to amend the Appropriation Act No. 30 of 2021.