01. State Asset Management Bill
During the budget speech delivered by the Hon. President for amending the appropriation
bill for the financial year 2022, it was suggested to introduce several new acts with the
objective of strengthening the economy, enhancing the efficiency of the government
service as well as productive management of government owned resources and the
requirement of revising provisions of several existing acts. Accordingly, the Cabinet of
Ministers approved the proposal furnished by the Hon. President as the Minister of
Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies instruct the Legal Draftsman to
draft a bill in order to introduce a new act for the management of public assets including
appropriate provisions so that provisions will be available to expand duties of the
Comptroller General Office which is under the purview of the General Treasury and to
provide legitimacy to it as well as to prepare a national assets register and to introduce a
central database related to state assets.
02. Revision of the Ayurveda Act (Indigenous Medicine Act)
The Ayurveda Act No. 31 of 1961 has been amended from time to time on several
occasions previously and it has been recognized that the act required to be amended further
to cater to the requirements of the day so that sustainable development goals can be
achieved. Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval for the proposal
furnished by the Minister of Health to amend the Ayurvedha act including appropriate
provisions for expanding services of the Department of Ayurveda for the upliftment of the
indigenous medicine sector and activities such as establishment of Osu Uyna (medicinal
gardens) for research purposes.
03. The Recovery of Possession of the Premises Given on Lease (Special Provisions) Act.
The Cabinet of Ministers has given approval on 27.09.2021 to the draft bill to enact new
law in place of Recovery of Possession of the Premises Given on Lease (Special
Provisions) Act. Attorney general’s clearance has been received for the bill prepared
accordingly by the legal draftsman. The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal
presented by the Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms to publish
the bill in Govt. gazette and to table it in parliament for approval consequently .
04. Establishment of the National People’s Council Secretariat for the formation of the
People’s Council to strengthen participatory democracy.
It has been revealed that due to the gap between the center of governance and the people
of the periphery, the representative democratic structures that have been operating in Sri
Lanka do not pay due attention to the public opinion sufficiently in the policy and
decision-making process and since the people's real issues are not adequately addressed,
social criticism is arising in this regard. Based on this, it has also been seen that opinions
and objections against representative democracy are emerging in the society. Under that
situation, the need for a strong mechanism where public officials and the public can discuss
rural issues together, determine development priorities and rural people can participate in
the decision-making process in an organizational structure where participatory democracy
is practiced at the rural level has emerged. It will be possible to effectively and efficiently
prevent public oppression that may occur due to bureaucracy and arbitrary politicization
through an organized mechanism that actively find public opinions for public policy
formulation and implement those policies with community participation. The National
Movement for a Just Society has accordingly presented a concept paper on " People’s
Council System" with an independent institutional structure where public participation can
be ensured for the formulation of public policies and the successful implementation of
those policies. The concept paper also proposed the establishment of the “National People’
Council and "Village People’s Councils " to cover every Grama Niladhari Division in the
Island. Accordingly the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Hon.
President to accept the proposed People’s Council system as an fundamental policy and
to establish the "National People’s Council Secretariat" as the national level independent
central institution for establishing the People’s Councils system.
05. Establishment of Cabinet Sub-Committee on Reconciliation.
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Hon. President to
establish the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Reconciliation chaired by the President and
consisting of the following members in order to promote reconciliation between the various
sections of the population in Sri Lanka and to propose solutions to the problems faced by
the people regarding resettlement, land and missing persons after the conflict in the North
East
• Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena – Prime Minister
• Hon. Douglas Dewananda – Minister of Fisheries
• Hon. Dr. Wijayadasa Rajapaksha – Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and
Constitutional Reforms
• Hon. Ali Sabry – Minister of Foreign Affairs
