Hon. Eranga Weeraratne, M.P.

Jathika Jana balawegaya (JJB)· National List

Deputy Minister of Digital Economy

Profession: Entrepreneur

Roster profile ↗

Speeches 40 #114 of 225·#58 in party

Attendance 3/8 days present (of recorded)

Speech history

40 speeches

26 November 2025 AI summary Hon. Eranga Weeraratne responded to an Opposition allegation that companies in which he has ownership obtained an RDA toll-gate project through his influence. He stated that the toll system project was carried out in 2019, before his current political role, and described it as a locally developed alternative to systems previously handled by Chinese companies, reducing reliance on imports. Debate: Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Committee Stage, Sixteenth Allotted Day Corruption & Governance Reform Read →
26 November 2025 AI summary Hon. Eranga Weeraratne stated that he had instructed his companies not to accept any new Government contracts after he assumed office. He said the projects in question, including RDA software, were undertaken earlier and are now only being maintained, adding that the companies had contributed to domestic digitalization by developing systems locally. He reiterated that, while he remains in office, the companies will not pursue new Government work. Debate: Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Committee Stage, Sixteenth Allotted Day Corruption & Governance Reform Read →
26 November 2025 AI summary Hon. Eranga Weeraratne stated that the remarks being made concerned him personally and indicated that he needed to respond. Debate: Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Committee Stage, Sixteenth Allotted Day Parliamentary Procedure Read →
26 November 2025 AI summary Hon. Eranga Weeraratne denied allegations of using his official position to secure contracts for a company in which he holds shares, stating he is no longer its CEO. He said the relevant digitalization contracts with the RDA and expressways were awarded about four years before he assumed office. Debate: Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Committee Stage, Sixteenth Allotted Day Corruption & Governance Reform Read →
26 November 2025 AI summary Eranga Weeraratne rose briefly on a point of personal reference, stating that his name had been mentioned and that he needed to respond. Debate: Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Committee Stage, Sixteenth Allotted Day Parliamentary Procedure Read →
26 November 2025 AI summary Eranga Weeraratne clarified that although a tender referred to up to 15 million identity cards, the actual requirement is only five million. He said physical cards remain necessary because systems cannot yet universally accept digital-only IDs, including for Police identity checks. He added that the tender has not closed and has been extended to mid-December to amend the quantity to five million. Debate: Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Committee Stage, Sixteenth Allotted Day Public Finance Read →
26 November 2025 AI summary The Deputy Minister outlined the Digital Economy Ministry’s 2026 Budget-related programme, citing over Rs. 25.5 billion in investment and a Cabinet-approved Digital Economy Blueprint to coordinate digitization across government. He highlighted expanded GovPay services, proposed removal of payment gateway commissions for government e-payments from 1 January 2026, a LankaQR relaunch with temporary zero merchant fees, and use of digital payment histories for credit scoring. He also reported progress on government cloud modernization, digitized civil certificates for overseas Sri Lankans, President’s Fund applications, the JICA-supported digital terrestrial television transition, rural connectivity towers, school connectivity and broadband support for low-income students. He announced a 5G spectrum auction scheduled for 23 December targeting over Rs. 9 billion, with measures to support competition and infrastructure sharing. Debate: Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Committee Stage, Sixteenth Allotted Day EmploymentInfrastructurePublic Finance Read →
20 November 2025 AI summary Eranga Weeraratne said Sri Lanka’s energy-sector restructuring under the amended Electricity Act, including separate entities for generation, transmission, distribution and system operation, is intended to improve efficiency and lower costs. He linked reliable electricity supply to the digital economy, arguing that AI data centres and proposed “data embassies” require 24/7 redundant power and grid resilience, and that Sri Lanka’s location on submarine cable routes creates investment opportunities. He said the Government is pursuing dual-supply regions, smart grids, smart meters, sector digitization, and a power-wheeling framework to enable renewable self-generation and support data-centre-related foreign investment. Committee Stage: Appropriation Bill 2026 - Head 119 (Ministry of Energy) Cut Motion and Debate EnvironmentInfrastructureForeign Affairs Read →
13 November 2025 AI summary The Deputy Minister said the Government had strengthened the economy since taking office, citing 4.8 per cent growth, efforts to reduce public debt, restored vehicle imports, stable reserves of about USD 6 billion, and renewed stalled State projects. He highlighted digital economy initiatives including GovPay, digital payment of traffic fines, the National Cyber Security Centre, upgrades to the Lanka Government Cloud, online access to official certificates and Presidential Fund benefits, and creation of a GovTech company. He said the 2026 Budget supports economic stabilization and development toward 2030 goals, with proposals such as Starlink services, a planned 5G spectrum auction, and vouchers for students in difficult areas to access online education, and sought parliamentary approval for its implementation. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2026 - Second Reading (Fifth Allotted Day) Public FinanceEmploymentInfrastructure Read →
23 October 2025 AI summary Eranga Weeraratne stated that the week-long period before restoration was necessary to ensure full protection and system integrity. He said the Government is procuring LGC 2.5 and a second cloud to strengthen backups and resilience, while CBSL, SLCERT and the Ministry are conducting public awareness programmes on financial cyber risks such as sharing PINs. He added that upgrades are being carried out to provide resilient digital public infrastructure. Urgent Question: Digital Infrastructure Outage (Standing Order 27(2)) Security & DefencePublic Finance Read →
23 October 2025 AI summary Deputy Minister Eranga Weeraratne said the LGC service disruption was caused by an internal hard disk utilization failure that triggered an automatic shutdown, with services restored by Saturday night and no evidence of cyber intrusion, data loss, or compromised integrity. He stated that affected institutions used manual processing, ASYCUDA and other separate data-centre systems were not affected, and no quantified financial losses had been reported. He said the Government is procuring LGC 2.5 to introduce centralized secure backups, geo-redundancy, disaster recovery capacity, and real-time monitoring, while also advancing cybersecurity measures including mandatory VAPT, protection of critical information infrastructure, the NCSOC, a new Cyber Security Law, and proposed Digital Economy and Cybersecurity Regulatory Authorities. Urgent Question: Digital Infrastructure Outage (Standing Order 27(2)) Security & DefenceInfrastructurePublic Finance Read →
23 September 2025 AI summary Acting Minister Eranga Weeraratne said Sri Lanka Telecom had become loss-making by 2023 due to management weaknesses, falling subscribers, and declining revenue, but had returned to profitability under the current Government. He cited figures showing SLT Mobitel moved from a Rs. 1.1 billion loss in the first half of 2024 to a Rs. 1.1 billion profit in the first half of 2025, while the SLT-Mobitel Group recorded a Rs. 4,276 million profit compared with a Rs. 323 million loss the previous year. He attributed the turnaround to new management, higher revenue, reduced operating and capital expenditure, integration of SLT and Mobitel operations, and a Rs. 13 billion reduction in Group debt. Oral Question Q.9/2025: Sri Lanka Telecom Employment InfrastructurePublic Finance Read →
23 September 2025 AI summary Acting Minister Eranga Weeraratne, on behalf of the Minister of Digital Economy, provided figures on Sri Lanka Telecom’s workforce, vacancies, and profits in response to a parliamentary question. He stated that SLT has 5,898 employees, 96 identified external vacancies, and recorded 2024 profits of LKR 3,120 million at group level and LKR 2,113 million at company level. He also outlined debt recovery measures, including external collection agents, Mediation Boards, letters of demand, and legal or writ action depending on arrears and location. Oral Question Q.9/2025: Sri Lanka Telecom Employment Public FinanceEmploymentInfrastructure Read →
21 August 2025 AI summary Eranga Weeraratne outlined the Government’s ongoing digitalization programme, including digital IDs expected from around April, expansion of GovPay to nearly 100 institutions and over 1,200 services, and work on digital TV, driving licences, e-passports, agriculture support systems and justice-sector efficiency. He emphasized that implementation requires participation from the public sector, private sector, academia, schools and citizens, with awareness campaigns to increase usage. He announced that September will be designated “Digital Month” with a 100-day programme featuring events on investment, fintech, AI, cybersecurity and public experience centres, alongside plans for 5G, school digital upgrades and improved digital services in transport, health and education toward 2030 targets. Adjournment Motion: Government's Initiative towards an Inclusive Digital Economy HealthcareEducationInfrastructure Read →
6 August 2025 AI summary Eranga Weeraratne said the proposed amendments to the Sri Lanka Electricity Act are intended to further restructure the CEB by separating system operation, transmission, generation and distribution functions while retaining key entities under full government ownership. He argued that competitive bidding, independent generation including renewables, and digital tools such as smart grids, smart meters, AI, digital tendering and land portals would improve transparency, attract investment, reduce losses and lower tariffs over time. He also stated that the transition would include employment protections, a government-owned employee welfare and pension fund, voluntary retirement options, and training for affected workers. Debate: Sri Lanka Electricity (Amendment) Bill - Second Reading, Committee and Third Reading InfrastructurePublic FinanceEnvironment Read →
3 June 2025 AI summary Eranga Weeraratne argued that accelerating digitalization of government services, identity systems, banking, health data and AI makes cybersecurity and personal data protection essential for both privacy and national security. He said the amendments would support implementation of the Personal Data Protection Act by establishing a Data Protection Authority, requiring consent-based and purpose-limited data use, mandating breach notification within 72 hours, and providing remedies including rectification, penalties and compensation. He linked the reforms to wider state digitalization plans such as the National Data Exchange, digital ID, e-driving licences, e-lands, digital payments and AI-enabled services, stating that the Authority is expected to be staffed and the Act brought into force within six months by Gazette. Debate: Personal Data Protection (Amendment) Bill - Second Reading Justice & Human RightsSecurity & Defence Read →
20 March 2025 AI summary The Deputy Minister stated that the Government is pursuing digital economy initiatives to improve public service delivery, reduce administrative inefficiency, and increase transparency through streamlined processes, automated verification, and real-time data use. He cited immediate projects including the Sri Lanka Unified Digital Identity, online issuance of civil certificates for overseas Sri Lankans, and an online President’s Fund application portal. He also outlined cashless payment measures, including the GovPay rollout, promotion of LankaQR for SMEs, efforts to reduce merchant discount rates, and plans for a national digital payments card for domestic transport and related transactions. Oral Questions 2-5: Second Round (Multiple Questions) InfrastructurePublic Finance Read →
11 March 2025 AI summary The Deputy Minister defended the Digital ID programme during the debate on the Ministry of Digital Economy Votes, rejecting allegations that biometric data would be misused, sold, or transferred to India. He said biometric information would be stored as non-reversible hashed templates, with security support from Sri Lanka CERT, and announced that a Cyber Security Bill would introduce mandatory standards across government agencies. He stated that the programme would move from physical cards to a durable and eventually fully digital ID accessible through a DigiLocker app, while existing NICs remain valid during the transition. He argued that digitalization, led under the President’s portfolio, is central to improving public administration, reducing corruption and costs, and supporting economic growth. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Committee Stage Debate (Heads 186, 196, 227) Justice & Human RightsPublic FinanceEnvironment Read →
11 March 2025 AI summary Eranga Weeraratne rejected the claim that digitalization of government services would eliminate public sector jobs. He argued that digitalization is intended to reduce queues and improve the speed of public service delivery, and cautioned against misleading the public on the issue. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Committee Stage Debate (Heads 186, 196, 227) EmploymentPublic Finance Read →
11 March 2025 AI summary The Deputy Minister clarified that the Department of Registration of Persons, MOSIP development, and the e-NIC Project all fall under the same Ministry, so there would be no duplication of work. He said the Ministry is evaluating low-cost PVC identity cards, noting that a previous attempt failed due to poor quality and a two-year lifespan, and that any new card should last at least five to ten years to avoid renewal bottlenecks. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Committee Stage Debate (Heads 186, 196, 227) Public FinanceParliamentary Procedure Read →