Hon. (Dr.) V.S. Radhakrishnan, M.P.

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB)· Nuwara - Eliya

Profession: Businessman

Roster profile ↗

Speeches 54 #91 of 225·#29 in party

Attendance 7/8 days present (of recorded)

Speech history

54 speeches

12 March 2025 AI summary (Dr.) V.S. Radhakrishnan clarified that he had not urged the Government to bring Indian teachers, but had only referred to a past 2017 proposal that was opposed by the JVP. Speaking during the Agriculture Ministry debate, he urged attention to Upcountry farmers in Nuwara Eliya, Badulla and Welimada, including better management of vegetable seed supply and prices, soil pH testing, protection of local potato farmers through import controls or higher taxes during harvest, and support for common livestock sheds. He also requested more veterinary services in milk-producing areas such as Maskeliya and Bogawantalawa. He thanked Minister Bimal Rathnayake for prompt action over a Hatton bus incident involving a student, including suspending the officer concerned and obtaining an apology. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation AgricultureCost of Living Read →
10 March 2025 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) V.S. Radhakrishnan urged the Government to expedite unfinished school development works under the “Nearest School is the Best School” programme and to use the 2025 education budget allocations effectively, including for teacher training colleges, sanitation, water, computer facilities, and incomplete Tamil language training infrastructure. He requested swift action to release 2,500 estate-sector teacher appointments, clarifying that appointments should be based on “Tamil schools” rather than “Tamil-medium schools,” and called for more graduate teachers to improve A/L access and university admission rates among estate students. He also proposed further development of selected estate schools for science and mathematics A/L streams, continuation of National Tamil Language Day as a national event, and attention to stalled works such as the Kotagala Training College. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Public FinanceEducation Read →
10 March 2025 AI summary Dr. V.S. Radhakrishnan moved a token cut to the Ministry of Education expenditure heads during the Committee Stage of the Appropriation Bill, 2025, and opened the debate by emphasizing the importance and legacy of free education in Sri Lanka. He credited C.W.W. Kannangara and successive leaders and education ministers for policies such as Central Colleges, teacher training, midday meals, uniforms, textbooks, Mahindodaya laboratories, and technology streams. He also set out current education sector figures, including the number of schools, students, teachers, principals and teacher training colleges. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Education Read →
6 March 2025 AI summary Hon. V.S. Radhakrishnan urged the Health Ministry to upgrade hospitals in Nuwara Eliya District, particularly Dickoya, Maskeliya and Nuwara Eliya General Hospital, citing unchanged cadres, inadequate facilities, ambulance shortages and pressure from accidents and Sri Pada pilgrims. He called for estate hospitals to be brought under Government control and integrated into the national health system, with qualified medical staff appointed, and highlighted plantation health problems linked to line-room housing, malnutrition, poor sanitation, lack of safe drinking water and transport barriers. He also proposed coordinated action across relevant ministries, resumption of nutrition support such as Triposha, provision of restrooms for estate workers, and Government assistance for Tamil journalists facing welfare and housing difficulties. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Health and Mass Media InfrastructureLand & HousingHealthcare Read →
4 March 2025 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) V.S. Radhakrishnan sought clarity on whether the proposed plantation wage is a basic daily wage or aggregated earnings, calling for an unconditional Rs. 1,700 per day without requirements such as 25 days’ work. He said support would depend on effective implementation and recalled earlier demands for higher wages that were not delivered. He also raised salary anomalies and promotion issues affecting Management Assistants, local authority clerical officers, and graduates, proposing a return to competitive examination-based promotions and the application of MN3 rather than MN2 salary scales. He urged the Government to protect the interests of public servants and the plantation community, noting their electoral support, and said he would address plantation sector matters further during the relevant ministry debate. Appropriation Bill 2025 — Twelfth Allotted Day — Committee Stage Public FinanceEmployment Read →
4 March 2025 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) V.S. Radhakrishnan opposed the proposed transfer of the Norwood Divisional Secretariat to Hatton and requested funds to construct or adapt facilities in Norwood, arguing that the service point must remain accessible to the large Norwood/Maskeliya population. He also called for improved facilities and staffing at Talawakelle DS, relocation of Valapane DS to Ragala, and stronger integration of Malaiyaha estate communities into public administration without reliance on estate management approvals. He urged action to regularize documentation and release EPF/ETF entitlements for workers in state-run and leased estates, citing missing records, unpaid benefits, and lack of compensation. He further questioned whether the Government had secured plantation company agreement to implement the promised Rs. 1,700 daily wage. Appropriation Bill 2025 — Twelfth Allotted Day — Committee Stage Public FinanceEmploymentJustice & Human Rights Read →
4 March 2025 AI summary A petition was presented on behalf of Mr. T.K.M. Maddumabandara of Nuwara Eliya. No further details of the petition’s subject matter were stated. Petitions presented Parliamentary Procedure Read →
20 February 2025 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) V.S. Radhakrishnan said the Opposition would support beneficial Budget measures while offering constructive criticism, welcoming welfare programmes for low-income groups, rural children, pregnant mothers and plantation communities, particularly to address malnutrition. He urged stronger support for SMEs and farmers, lower interest rates, expert economic management, and conditions to attract foreign investment while continuing action against bribery and corruption. He called on the Government to ensure implementation of the proposed Rs. 1,700 basic daily wage for plantation workers by pressuring both private plantation companies and state entities, noting earlier promises of a Rs. 2,000 wage and rising cost-of-living pressures. Budget Bill 2025 - Second Reading Debate Corruption & Governance ReformCost of LivingPublic Finance Read →
17 February 2025 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) V.S. Radhakrishnan requested ministerial intervention to improve facilities at the Nuwara Eliya District General Hospital’s Gynaecology and Obstetrics ward, noting that there is only one toilet for 10 beds in an old building. He said patients had raised the issue with him and urged that it be addressed promptly, while acknowledging past shortcomings. Local Authorities Elections (Special Provisions) Bill: Second Reading InfrastructureHealthcare Read →
17 February 2025 AI summary Dr. V.S. Radhakrishnan supported the Local Authorities Elections (Special Provisions) Bill, stating that local authority elections must be held to restore bodies closest to the people. He recalled the subdivision of large Pradeshiya Sabhas in Nuwara Eliya District during the “good governance” period and argued that such changes improved service delivery, particularly in plantation areas. He suggested, on practical grounds, that the election be held after the Budget Debate and the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, and called for further subdivision of overpopulated Grama Niladhari divisions in Nuwara Eliya after the election. Local Authorities Elections (Special Provisions) Bill: Second Reading Parliamentary ProcedureCorruption & Governance Reform Read →
7 February 2025 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) V.S. Radhakrishnan supported the Private Member’s Motion calling for the Government to take over and develop estate roads, arguing that their unclear ownership leaves them neglected by existing road authorities. He urged the plantation and community infrastructure ministers to assume responsibility, noting that past allocations were insufficient and that the current Government has the parliamentary majority and executive authority to act, including by seeking foreign assistance. He also referred to schools in Ratnapura and Yatiyantota with Advanced Level classes and requested further development of such schools. Private Members' Motion 1: Acquisition of Estate Roads to the Government EducationInfrastructureLand & Housing Read →
6 February 2025 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) V.S. Radhakrishnan urged the new government to address long-standing grievances of Indian-origin estate workers, citing historical statelessness, lagging education and employment, and current cost-of-living pressures. He called for the promised daily wage increase to Rs. 2,000, land rights with 10 perches per family, and individual housing rather than high-rise schemes in hill-country areas prone to landslides. Referring to the April 2024 parliamentary debate on hill-country issues and the government’s mandate, he asked the relevant plantation and community infrastructure ministers to implement solutions within a reasonable timeframe, and also requested relief for farmers in estate areas, including yam cultivators. Debate: Intellectual Property Act Regulations (Geographical Indications) EmploymentLand & HousingCost of Living Read →
8 January 2025 AI summary V. S. Radhakrishnan argued that attracting foreign investment requires peace, stability, and action against corruption and violent crime, while calling for facilitation of major projects such as Port City. He urged the Government to reduce prices of raw rice and coconuts ahead of Pongal, and to implement the “Clean Sri Lanka” programme in a way that does not harm bus, three-wheeler, or small vendor livelihoods. He requested that Glengow Hospital in Hatton be taken under central government control and upgraded following a recent fatal accident, citing staffing shortages and the possibility of further Indian assistance. He also proposed considering a Sri Lanka–India bridge across the Palk Strait to strengthen bilateral relations, tourism, and economic activity. Debate: Orders and Regulations under Import/Export Control Act, Foreign Exchange Act, and Other Acts (continued) Cost of LivingLaw & OrderForeign Affairs Read →
3 December 2024 AI summary Dr. V.S. Radhakrishnan welcomed the Government’s stated commitment to racial harmony and said constitutional reforms, including any changes related to the 13th Amendment, should address both North-East issues and the long-standing concerns of the Up-Country Tamil community while maintaining a prudent relationship with India. He urged the Government to manage economic reforms, including any IMF-related measures, in a way that protects public confidence and allows stability over its term. He requested compensation for farmers affected by recent disasters in Nuwara Eliya and other districts, proper housing for estate families currently in temporary line rooms, and action to resolve legal obstacles to recruiting 2,500 graduate teacher assistants for Up-Country schools. Debate: President's Policy Statement (Continuation with Maiden Speeches and Responses) AgricultureCost of LivingEthnic Reconciliation & Devolution Read →