Hon. Ravi Karunanayake, M.P.

New Democratic Front (NDF)· National List

Profession: Chartered Accountant

Roster profile ↗

Speeches 694 #4 of 225·#1 in party

Attendance 8/8 days present (of recorded)

Top topic Parliamentary Procedure 359 speeches

Last spoke 10 June 2026 in Debate

Activity by sitting

114 sittings · counts only, no scoring.

Topic focus

AI summary AI-assigned tags, 1–3 per speech. Counts only — not a score.

Speech history

694 speeches

3 June 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake stated that he would not speak during the proceedings. Debate: Personal Data Protection (Amendment) Bill - Second Reading Parliamentary Procedure Read →
3 June 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake sought clarification under Standing Orders 26(1), (2) and (3) regarding the Prime Minister’s Note on Supplementary Allocations under Head No. 240. He stated that the usual details for the Ministry of Finance Suspense Account—total available capital and recurrent expenditure, deductions, and final total—were missing, and asked that the total under the expenditure head be provided for later consideration. Ministerial Statement: Drugs Shortage and Government Initiatives Public FinanceParliamentary Procedure Read →
3 June 2025 AI summary Ravi Karunanayake briefly interjected to say that if the relevant Minister provides an answer, there would be no issue. His remark appears to press for a ministerial response to resolve the matter under discussion. Private Notice Question: Sri Lanka-German Technical Training Institute Autonomous Status Parliamentary Procedure Read →
3 June 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake raised a point of order directed to the Minister concerning a procedural matter. The intervention was brief and did not set out further details, proposals, or substantive arguments. Private Notice Question: Sri Lanka-German Technical Training Institute Autonomous Status Parliamentary Procedure Read →
3 June 2025 AI summary Ravi Karunanayake noted that recruitment to the armed forces is declining, citing information that only nine recruits joined in the latest intake. He suggested that this reduction in numbers could be considered as part of the solution to the issue under discussion. Oral Question: Government Universities and Higher Education Admissions (Q.381/2025) Security & Defence Read →
3 June 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake asked why the Government had stopped the third Z-score-based intake to the Kotelawala Defence University Medical Faculty and urged intervention to keep it open to local students, citing a reported Supreme Court case and discussions between Vice Chancellors and the President. He linked the issue to shortages and emigration of doctors, arguing that university capacity should be expanded rather than restricted. He also proposed using medical education capacity to attract foreign students and earn foreign exchange. Oral Question: Government Universities and Higher Education Admissions (Q.381/2025) HealthcareEducation Read →
3 June 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake raised a supplementary question on higher education capacity and foreign exchange outflows. He noted that while 174,000 students reportedly qualify for university admission after the G.C.E. Advanced Level Examination, only about 55,400 are accommodated by the UGC in 22 universities, and cited media reports that around 100,000 students go abroad annually for higher education. He sought to quantify the resulting financial outflow, estimating an average annual cost of Rs. 7 million per student and referring to its conversion into US dollars. Oral Question: Government Universities and Higher Education Admissions (Q.381/2025) Education Read →
3 June 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake asked the Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education to provide detailed data on Sri Lanka’s government and private universities. He requested figures on universities, faculties, student enrolment, professors, operating costs, student costs, degree costs by discipline, asset values, and world rankings, with separate information for each institution. Oral Question: Government Universities and Higher Education Admissions (Q.381/2025) Education Read →
23 May 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake noted that bringing a Bill before Parliament typically takes six to nine months and stated that credit should also be given to the relevant individual involved. He added that the matters under discussion were not entirely new. Debate: Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill and Foreign Loans (Repeal) Bill - Second Reading Parliamentary Procedure Read →
23 May 2025 AI summary Ravi Karunanayake noted that the debate included a Finance Bill and said the Deputy Minister had addressed its legal aspects while others had discussed the economic aspects. He requested that the amendments be viewed positively, emphasizing that they were based on laws introduced under Ranil Wickremesinghe and that bringing them forward now was beneficial. Debate: Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill and Foreign Loans (Repeal) Bill - Second Reading Public Finance Read →
23 May 2025 AI summary Ravi Karunanayake only addressed the Chair as “Hon. Presiding Member,” with no substantive remarks, proposals, questions, or policy positions recorded in the provided excerpt. Debate: Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill and Foreign Loans (Repeal) Bill - Second Reading Parliamentary Procedure Read →
23 May 2025 AI summary Ravi Karunanayake supported the Foreign Loans (Repeal) Bill as part of replacing outdated debt legislation with newer public debt, financial management, economic transformation and liability management frameworks, in the context of Sri Lanka’s IMF programme and debt restructuring needs. He warned that debt service is absorbing much of projected revenue, cited low FDI, ratings concerns, household income pressures and future external repayment obligations, and urged consistent implementation to make the current IMF programme the last. He called for pragmatic revenue growth, clearer investment policies, SOE reform, lower lending rates to support supply-side growth, and avoidance of actions such as strikes that could undermine economic recovery. Debate: Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill and Foreign Loans (Repeal) Bill - Second Reading Foreign AffairsEmploymentPublic Finance Read →
23 May 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake presented and accepted a petition from Mr. P. Premalal Peiris of Balapokuna Road, Colombo 06, for submission to Parliament. Petitions: Citizens' Petitions Presented by MPs Parliamentary Procedure Read →
22 May 2025 AI summary Ravi Karunanayake urged the Government to prioritize securing foreign exchange through migrant worker remittances, estimating that about USD 1.5 billion could be brought in through this avenue. He called for urgent action to pursue this measure. Oral Question: Minimum Monthly Wage for Migrant Workers (SO 27(2)) Foreign Affairs Read →
22 May 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake raised a Standing Order 27(2) question to the Minister of Finance on the annulment of the 2016 minimum monthly wage policy of USD 300 for Sri Lankan workers in the Middle East. He asked whether current minimum wages, bilateral labour agreements, legal protections, recruitment guidelines and monitoring mechanisms exist to prevent wage fraud, underpayment and contract violations. He also urged consideration of reintroducing a mandatory minimum wage policy, citing wage standards in countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia and arguing that improved wage protection for about 1.7 million workers could substantially increase foreign exchange inflows. Oral Question: Minimum Monthly Wage for Migrant Workers (SO 27(2)) EmploymentPublic FinanceForeign Affairs Read →
21 May 2025 AI summary Ravi Karunanayake clarified that the reference being discussed was to the Colombo International Airport, Ratmalana. No further substantive argument or proposal was made in the statement. Debate: Finance Act Order - Tax Exemptions and Government Policy on Renewable Energy Infrastructure Read →
21 May 2025 AI summary Ravi Karunanayake briefly referred to the Deputy Minister’s mention of Bandaranaike International Airport, indicating a possible follow-up or clarification on that matter. No substantive argument, proposal, or demand is included in the provided excerpt. Debate: Finance Act Order - Tax Exemptions and Government Policy on Renewable Energy Infrastructure Read →
21 May 2025 AI summary Ravi Karunanayake raised an urgent question under Standing Order 27(2) on the February 2025 nationwide power outage, noting that PUCSL had rejected the CEB’s explanation blaming high solar penetration and had initiated an independent inquiry. He questioned the consistency of curtailing rooftop solar while approving procurement of 152 MW of solar power at international pricing, arguing that this creates uncertainty and may disadvantage local renewable energy providers. He asked the Energy Minister for generation cost comparisons, justification for international solar procurement, reforms to ensure fair access for Sri Lankan providers, limits on foreign competition for smaller NCRE projects, the status of LNG import plans, and whether electricity tariffs will rise under cost-reflective pricing. Oral Questions - Various Tabled and Private Notice Questions InfrastructurePublic FinanceEnvironment Read →
20 May 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake urged the Government to negotiate with the IMF based on Sri Lanka’s past engagements, rather than simply follow its directions, with a focus on incentivizing investment, improving revenue collection, and reducing interest rates. He warned that rising Treasury interest costs and flat revenue could create fiscal difficulties by September, particularly as capital expenditure continues. He called for more supportive treatment of businesses and SMEs, noting their large contribution to GDP, and proposed reducing taxes where possible and aligning investment incentives and qualifying payments with IMF targets. Debate: Order under the Excise (Special Provisions) Act - Electric Vehicle Tax Revision (Continued) Cost of LivingPublic FinanceEmployment Read →
20 May 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake addressed Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka but no substantive speech content, question, proposal, or policy position is provided in the excerpt. Debate: Order under the Excise (Special Provisions) Act - Electric Vehicle Tax Revision (Continued) Parliamentary Procedure Read →