The government will address the issues that the railway employees face and make permanent the casual workers and fill the vacancies in the Railway Department soon, Transportation, Power and Energy Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said in Parliament yesterday.
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Parliamentarian Dr. Nalinda Dissanayake raised a supplementary question if the Transport Ministry issue the appointment letters to the casual workers who have served the Railway Department and the public in the recent past and make their jobs permanent. “Over 1,488 such casual workers are rendering their services to the Railway Department and their appointment letters are ready to make them permanent. So why are not you giving them their appointment letters to make them permanent? Do you intend doing this any time soon?” he asked.
Minister Amaraweera said that the matter had been discussed with the President and the Prime Minister and although there is no plan yet to hand over these appointment letters, this issue will be resolved soon. “We are preparing a Cabinet paper in this regard and making them permanent in the near future. We will not putting them out of work. We will also resolve all other issues in the Railway Department and transform the Department into an efficient and profit making establishment. We discussed this matter at the Cabinet meeting last Tuesday and decided to enhance the railway services for passengers as well as for goods transport. The government discussed the funding needed to develop the railway service, not only for the average low income public, but also for the middleclass. We want to improve the facilities so that even the middleclass public will use public transport.”
The JVP MP raised his second supplementary question regarding the smart driving licence issued by the Department of Registration of Motor Traffic which had commenced in 2009 for seven years. “The agreement was to produce 22,500 smart licenses per month at Rs. 1,700 per licence. Of this number, the government only gets Rs. 360 per licence and the rest goes to the licence producing company. Although the agreement was to produce 22,500 licences per month, this company produces between 55,000-60,000 licenses per month. Accordingly, over the seven years from 2009 to 2016 this company had raked in Rs. 6 billion. According to the agreement, the company had to hand over all the equipment to the RMV at the end of the seven years and also train the RMV staff in producing these licenses.
They were also required to provide the police with machines which could read these licences. Further the 25 island-wide centres had to be made accessible online. But none of this was done and since 2016, the contract was extended every year. Every bank charges only around Rs. 200 to issue such a card, but this company charges Rs. 1,700 and every four years when you have to renew the licence too, you have to pay Rs. 1,700. Moreover, the money does not even go to the government, it goes to Metropolitan. It is the same company which does the RMV E-monitoring project as well. What is the government doing about this?”
Having agreed with the points raised by the JVP-MP, Minister Amaraweera however, did not agree with the figures given by the former saying that preparing this licence is a more complicated process.Minister Amaraweera also noted that a comprehensive investigation has been launched into this matter after he took over the ministry. “The committee appointed will report to me their findings if any official or the company or anyone else has committed any wrong. Thereafter, on the report by the committee, we will not hesitate to take action against anyone who has committed any wrong.This issue has also been discussed at the Cabinet meeting. It is true we received a request to extend the contract by one year. If we had not agreed, by now the issuing licences would have been stalled.
Government does not acquire people’s land in North - Vasudeva
It is not the government's policy to acquire land of the Tamils in the North, Water Supply Facilities State Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara yesterday assured.He was responding to TNA MP Charles Nirmalanathan, who said that land of Tamil people in Vavunia are acquired to grant to the Sinhalese in Vavunia by the Vavunia District Government Agent.He said that none of the government members approve such an act. If any opposition member has facts to point out that government officials do so, it should be brought to his notice and relevant ministers without delay, he said.
"It is not the government's policy to acquire such land," State Minister Nanayakkara said. "If you have a complaint, you have to report me and the relevant minister the facts," he said.State Minister Nanayakkara was speaking joining the debate on the orders under the Special Commodity Levy Act, revolutions under the Customs Ordinance, regulations under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act and orders under the Value Added Tax Act were taken up in Parliament.
He asked Secretary of Defence Kamal Gunaratna to stop deploying police and STF personnel to prevent small scale gem excavation in Ratnapura in the dry season.He said that during the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration, people of Ratnapura were allowed to excavate gems in streams and rivers freely. The people used to check if there were precious stones in the rivers and streams in the dry season.
Former government did not carry out One Million Job Programme – Johnston
The former UNP led Good Governance government had no any plan to implement the One Million Job Programme which was the first of their election pledges, Roads and Highways and Ports and Shipping Minister and Chief Government Whip Johnston Fernando said in Parliament yesterday.He was responding to a question raised by MP Udaya Prabatha Gammanpila on the number of the jobs that had been provided under the UNP One Million Job Programme.
He said that they cheated the youth by promising one million jobs, and they had to leave before five years. He added that this has proved that the youth and people cannot be cheated long.
UNP Parliamentarian Kabir Hashim said that the jobs provided have not been documented.
He added that the documents at the ETF would testify the increase of the number of employments though. He added that when one refers to those documents, it is obvious that the UNP government has provided one million employments. He said that nearly 170 youth who were given jobs during the previous regime have been ousted from their jobs.
Legislative Standing Committee members announced
The names of the members nominated for the Legislative Standing Committee were announced yesterday (6) by Deputy Speaker Ananda Kumarasiri. The Legislative Standing Committee will function under the chairmanship of the Deputy Speaker.Ministers Dinesh Gunawardena, Johnston Fernando, Gamini Lokuge, Thilanga Sumathipala and MPs (Dr.) Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, Faiszer Musthapha, Vijayakala Maheswaran, Sriyani Wijewickrama, Edward Gunasekara, Namal Rajapaksa, Thushara Indunil, Nalaka Prasad Calonne, Sisira Jayakody, (Dr). Nalinda Jayatissa were nominated for the Legislative Standing Committee.
Sugar industry will be restored – Wakkumbura
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has instructed to restore the local sugar industry including the closed down Kantale Sugar Factory, Export Agriculture State Ministry Janaka Wakkumbura said.“About 21,000 acres are belonged to the Kantale sugar factory. They are abandoned. When we explained this to President Rajapaksa, he instructed us to cultivate all these lands and start a sugar factory,” State Minister Wakkumbura said.
Wakkumbura said that the government has received Rs. 42 MN from stopping importing ethanol and purchasing it from the Pelawatta-Sevanagala sugar factories.“The Pelawatta factory could not pay the salaries of its workers last month. They were planning to obtain a loan. Under the instructions of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, we stopped importing ethanol and bought 200,000 liters of ethanol from Pelawatta-Sevanagala. I think we would be able to get Rs. 30 MN from buying all necessary ethanol for industries,” Wakkumbura said.
Opposition Leader urges government to address issues of persons with disabilities
For the first time in the history of the country, the members of the DisabilityOrganizationsJoint Front(DOJF) had met me, the then presidential candidate at the time of the presidential election campaign on October 28, 2019, and I got a clear understanding of the issues faced by the disabled community in the country, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said.
Raising a question under standing orders 27/2, Premadasa said the members of the DOJF had met him regarding the formulation of a Charter for disability inclusion and signing of a Social Contract with Persons with Disabilities. “The country has 1.7 million people with disabilities which is around 8.7 per cent of the population. The only piece of legislation to ensure the rights of the disabled is the Protection of the Rightsof Persons with Disabilities Act, No. 28 of 1996,”he noted.
“This act prohibits discrimination in employment or education on the grounds of a disability. It is our belief that through this it ensures that the persons with disabilities are able to enjoy their rights, similar to other citizens of this country without any prejudice.
As such it was an urgent requirement for Sri Lanka to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on February 8, 2016. Under this situation, I expect the government to provide answers to the following; Does the government have a proper plan to update and implement the national policy on disabled persons which was approved by the Cabinet in 2003 and the action plan for the rights of those with disability which got the Cabinet nod in 2014? If so, do take steps to inform the House regarding the government’s plans,” Premadasa said.
Commission to evaluate and regulate development projects
The Select Committee of Parliament to ensure National Evaluation Capacity in Sri Lanka will submit a proposal to Parliament on February 20 to appoint an Independent Commission to evaluate and regulate the development of domestic and foreign-funded projects along with projects implemented through budgetary allocations of government policies approved by parliament.
The Select Committee report will also recommend Parliament to draft a new Bill to enact the Commission, a communique issued by the Parliament Communication Unit said.
People-centered economy will be set up – Shehan
The government will establish a people-centered economy under the guidance of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to restore the country that was left in the lurch by the Yahapalana government, State Minister for Development Banking and Loan Schemes Shehan Semasinghe yesterday said in Parliament.
Semasinghe observed that the present government has swiftly taken steps to encourage the small and medium scale entrepreneurs with tax concessions and concessionary loan facilities so that they would soon start contributing to the country’s economy again.
The State Minister also said that the government has taken many steps to encourage agricultural sector while dissuading unnecessary importations such as spices and artificial decorations.
The government will issue a certified price of Rs. 50 to one kilo of paddy, State Minister Semasinghe said. The Treasury has already allotted Rs. 3,900 MN for these purchases, he added. The purchasing paddy will be coordinated by the District and Divisional Secretariats, he said. “For the first time in history a government will pay a certified price of Rs. 44 for wet paddy as well.
We will assist the small and medium scale mill owners too. We shall not allow few people to decide on the paddy or rice prices in the country.” State Minister Semasinghe said.
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State Minister for Development Banking and Loan Schemes Shehan Semasinghe yesterday (6) in Parliament assured that the government is not in anyways carrying out pension cuts.
He said some political parties are claiming that the government is trying to cut the pensions, which is totally untruth.
Semasinghe also said that the government will not sack anyone who got jobs from Yahapalana government during the last Presidential election period without any legal backing or approval.
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‘UNP should mind their issues rather than government’s’
Power State Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage yesterday (6) requested the UNP politicos to mind their own issues in their political party without questioning government’s plans for country’s economy.
State Minister Aluthgamage made these observations following the speech delivered by former Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera in Parliament yesterday. Aluthgamage said the Yahapalana government lost its footing because of the former Finance Minister. “He is someone who levelled war crime allegations. These people are NGO supporters, people who have bowed down to foreign forces,” Aluthgamage said.
“When the UNP led a government, it increases taxes, put pressure on people and steal public monies. When we lead a government, we cut taxes, lift the pressure off from people and give them as much concessions and facilities as possible,” he said.
