Hon. Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan, M.P.

Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK)· Trincomalee

Profession: Administrator

Roster profile ↗

Speeches 41 #112 of 225·#8 in party

Attendance 8/8 days present (of recorded)

Speech history

41 speeches

9 June 2026 AI summary Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan discussed Orders under the Stamp Duty, Ports and Airports Development Levy, Excise, and VAT laws, noting exemptions for disaster relief payments, new levies on plastic water pipes and consumer durables, and the imposition of 18 per cent VAT on certain textile imports. He raised concerns that VAT on imported textiles would strain apparel exporters’ cash flow, that broader consumption taxes would burden low- and middle-income households, and that a lower VAT registration threshold could pressure SMEs. He recommended expedited VAT refunds for apparel exporters and greater reliance on direct taxation while reducing consumption taxes on essential household items. Debate on Orders and Regulations (Items 1-5) Public FinanceCost of LivingEmployment Read →
20 May 2026 AI summary Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan stated that most of the economic indicators under discussion showed positive trends, with 15 of 18 favourable and three adverse. He argued that, with the uncertainty of 2023 easing, Sri Lanka was on a firmer path toward economic recovery. Adjournment Debate: Central Bank Annual Economic Review 2025 Public Finance Read →
20 May 2026 AI summary Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan reviewed the Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s Annual Economic Review 2025, highlighting improved growth, higher per capita income, lower inflation, stronger revenue collection, a primary surplus, declining external debt, increased FDI, remittances, tourism earnings, reserves, and lower unemployment. He noted that the trade deficit had widened and that poverty remained high at 24.5 percent, with Sri Lanka ranked 89th on the Human Development Index. He argued that the economy had recovered from contraction in 2023 and sustained growth through 2024 and 2025, with per capita income exceeding USD 5,000 as a key indicator. Adjournment Debate: Central Bank Annual Economic Review 2025 Public FinanceEmploymentCost of Living Read →
7 May 2026 AI summary Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan addressed the 2026 regulations under the National Transport Commission Act and Motor Traffic Act, noting that they create a formal mechanism for private inter-provincial bus permit transfers and extend access to special forward vehicle registration numbers for a Rs. 1 million fee. He welcomed the objectives of transparency and revenue generation but raised concerns that the Rs. 2 million financial capacity requirement could exclude smaller investors and that high-fee special numbers may reinforce wealth-based prestige. He also requested urgent support for Trincomalee SLTB services, including repairs to unserviceable buses, at least 10 additional buses, and action to address a 50 per cent staff shortage. Debate: National Transport Commission Act Regulations, Motor Traffic Act Regulations, Immigrants and Emigrants Act Regulations Public FinanceEmploymentInfrastructure Read →
17 March 2026 AI summary Hon. Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan supported the resolution on salaries and service conditions for the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, arguing that it is necessary to implement the autonomous staffing model established by the Anti-Corruption Act, No. 9 of 2023. He outlined the Commission’s expanded mandate, new operational structure, enlarged multidisciplinary cadre, and proposed pay and allowance scheme intended to retain specialized staff and reduce vulnerability to corruption. He also raised concerns about vacancies, limited case filings, and alleged constraints on financial autonomy under the Public Finance Management Act, and proposed legal clarification, direct use of a Commission Fund, a hybrid staffing model, and safeguards against politically motivated transfers. Continuation of Debate: CIABOC Remuneration and Service Conditions Corruption & Governance ReformPublic Finance Read →
3 March 2026 AI summary Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan said raising outward investment limits indicates a shift from crisis management toward a growth-oriented strategy. He argued that Sri Lanka should adopt an automatic route for bona fide capital transactions, drawing on India and Singapore, and stressed that becoming a business and financial centre requires institutional reforms in addition to legal changes. Debate: Regulation under Foreign Exchange Act, No. 12 of 2017 Public FinanceForeign Affairs Read →
3 March 2026 AI summary Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan supported the Regulation under the Foreign Exchange Act as a timely prudential measure to protect reserves while relaxing outward investment limits for companies and overseas business operations. He noted the shift from the older Exchange Control framework to the more facilitative 2017 Act, but raised concerns over frequent Section 22 directions, export proceeds rules, and the adequacy of investment ceilings compared with regional competitors. He proposed a digital National Single Window, phasing out paper clearances, and accelerating digital ID and financial system digitisation to improve foreign exchange monitoring and support Sri Lanka’s positioning as a regional business and finance hub. Debate: Regulation under Foreign Exchange Act, No. 12 of 2017 Public FinanceForeign Affairs Read →
18 February 2026 AI summary Hon. Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan supported the Motor Traffic (Expressway) and Motor Traffic (Drug) Regulations as necessary reforms to address road safety, including mandatory seat belts on expressways and formal procedures for detecting drug-impaired driving through saliva testing and lab confirmation. He noted changes from prior law, including wider seat-belt obligations, owner and driver responsibility, and higher drunk-driving fines. He raised concerns about the cost and feasibility of retrofitting older buses, possible inaccuracies or misuse of saliva tests, and potential police harassment. He proposed subsidies or a welfare fund for operators, support for replacing old buses, legal clarity on prescribed medicines, and mandatory police body cameras during testing. Debate: Special Commodity Levy Act, Customs Ordinance Resolution, and Motor Traffic Act Orders (Continuation) InfrastructurePublic FinanceLaw & Order Read →
3 February 2026 AI summary Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan raised concerns that expanded powers under the Telecommunications Amendment, alongside the Online Safety law, could restrict online freedom of expression. He proposed appointing an independent professional as Chair of the Commission through the Constitutional Council rather than a Ministry Secretary, and emphasized the need to strengthen technical capacity, protect consumer rights, and ensure neutral handling of market competition in implementing the law. Debate: Regulations under the Sri Lanka Telecommunications Act (continued) Law & OrderJustice & Human Rights Read →
3 February 2026 AI summary Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan supported the Sri Lanka Telecommunications (Amendment) Act, No. 39 of 2024 as a major modernization of the 1991 telecommunications law, expanding TRCSL from a licensing body into a regulator with powers over market competition, tariffs, spectrum, numbering, infrastructure providers, and submarine cable protection. He highlighted provisions on significant market power, cost-oriented tariff regulation, number portability, infrastructure sharing, stronger penalties, and wider consumer protection. He also noted criticisms that the Ministry Secretary serving as Commission Chair may affect regulatory independence and that mandatory infrastructure sharing could raise concerns for private investors. Debate: Regulations under the Sri Lanka Telecommunications Act (continued) InfrastructurePublic Finance Read →
7 January 2026 AI summary Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan supported the 2025 Amendments to the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Act as a shift from an insulated special zone toward stronger integration with national financial, tax, and foreign exchange laws. He highlighted Central Bank oversight of offshore banking, reduced tax holidays, mandatory tax filing, and Ministry of Finance technical review of incentives as safeguards against shadow banking and revenue loss. He cautioned that reduced incentives could affect investor confidence, but argued that non-tax facilitation, policy stability, local economic linkages, and transparent regulation are more important for positioning Port City as a credible global financial and business centre. Debate: Colombo Port City Economic Commission (Amendment) Bill InfrastructurePublic FinanceForeign Affairs Read →
3 December 2025 AI summary Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan highlighted severe flood and cyclone damage in Trincomalee, citing affected families, damaged homes, destroyed paddy lands and livestock losses, and called for urgent filling of Grama Niladhari vacancies, temporary deployment of other officers to support relief work, and emergency health measures to prevent disease outbreaks. Turning to the Finance, Planning and Economic Development Ministry’s Budget 2026 allocations, he noted fiscal consolidation measures, support for Aswesuma, SMEs, tax administration and digital economy initiatives, while raising concerns about inadequate targeted provision for post-war recovery in the North and East and insufficient support for female-headed households. He also cautioned that increased taxes could worsen living costs and that large allocations to Finance and Defence may constrain social programmes. Debate: Committee Stage of Appropriation Bill 2026 (Ministry Heads) InfrastructurePublic FinanceEmployment Read →
3 December 2025 AI summary Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan, on behalf of Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam, asked the Prime Minister and Minister of Education whether the Government accepts that private education institutions contribute significantly to education but face problems due to the absence of a regulatory legal framework. He sought an acknowledgement that quality standards, teacher qualifications, infrastructure and basic health facilities in such institutions receive insufficient attention, and requested details of proposed remedial actions and their timeframe. Oral Questions: Multiple Questions Nos. 3, 4, 5 and Private Notice Question (Q.27/2) Education Read →
26 November 2025 AI summary Hon. Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan argued that the 2026 allocation to the Digital Economy Ministry is insufficient for Sri Lanka’s stated digital transformation goals and called for a whole-of-government approach rather than piecemeal digitization. Citing examples from South Korea, India, Japan, the United States and China, he urged integrated digital public infrastructure, security-by-design for SLUDI, stronger central coordination, policy stability, and investment in broadband, skills and digital inclusion. He proposed a four-pillar roadmap covering governance and accountability, trust and inclusion, interoperable public services, and economic acceleration through infrastructure, FinTech clarity and global expertise, with the aim of achieving a USD 15 billion digital economy by 2030. Debate: Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Committee Stage, Sixteenth Allotted Day InfrastructureEmploymentPublic Finance Read →
24 November 2025 AI summary Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan raised an Adjournment Motion on land-related restrictions in the Verugal Divisional Secretariat Division of Trincomalee, arguing that overlapping claims by the Wildlife and Forest Departments exceed the division’s total land area and obstruct residents, public institutions and development activities. He stated that long-established villages, schools, religious sites, public offices, pasture lands and irrigation tanks fall within these claimed areas, while approvals for leases, public facilities and cultivation projects are delayed or denied. He specifically requested intervention to release lands or regularize procedures, including approval for rehabilitating a canal at Kallaripu to cultivate about 2,000 acres and relief for cattle herders affected by restrictions on traditional grazing lands. Adjournment Motion: Land Issues in Verugal DS Division, Trincomalee Land & HousingJustice & Human RightsEnvironment Read →
21 November 2025 AI summary Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan distinguished between two Trincomalee sites associated with the Sri Sambuddha Jayanthi Bodhivardhana Samithiya and argued that a proposed dhamma school construction on a coastal leasehold plot would violate post-tsunami coastal conservation rules and pose safety risks, urging the Government and Judiciary to uphold the law. He also cautioned against ethnic or religious tensions in Trincomalee, stating that local Sinhala and Tamil residents had maintained peace. In the Budget debate on the Ministry of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment, he said the Rs. 38.6 billion allocation was inadequate for rural development needs and should be at least doubled. He supported rural development objectives but urged that the “Praja Shakthi” programme use existing village, women’s, farmer, fisheries and cooperative bodies rather than creating new councils that could become politicized. Appropriation Bill, 2026 – Committee Stage Debate: Twelfth Allotted Day AgricultureLand & HousingEnvironment Read →
13 November 2025 AI summary Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan argued that the 2026 Budget contains some welcome allocations for the North and East, including university hostels, irrigation modernization, housing, airports, rural development, and sports, but said many are inadequate or lack targeted implementation. He called for higher capital spending in education, locally aligned TVET programmes, restoration of war-affected village tanks, dedicated housing for displaced families and release of military-held lands. He also urged funding for Northern and Eastern tourism infrastructure, use of existing grassroots bodies for rural development, upgrades to the A-9, Trincomalee Port and Eastern rail links, and larger allocations for regional sports facilities. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2026 - Second Reading (Fifth Allotted Day) EducationAgricultureInfrastructure Read →
24 October 2025 AI summary Hon. Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan paid tribute during a condolence debate to seven former Members of Parliament, with detailed remarks on the late M.K. Eelaventhan, a former TNA National List MP and long-time Tamil political activist. He recounted Eelaventhan’s education, Central Bank service, involvement in ITAK, TULF and later Tamil nationalist politics, exile in Tamil Nadu after 1983, return to Sri Lanka, parliamentary service, writings, speeches and advocacy for Tamil language, homeland and self-rule. He extended condolences to Eelaventhan’s family, the people of Trincomalee and ITAK, and also conveyed sympathy to the families of the other former Members being commemorated. Votes of Condolence: Seven Former Members of Parliament Religion & CultureEthnic Reconciliation & Devolution Read →
21 October 2025 AI summary Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan addressed amendments to data protection legislation, noting changes on risk consultation, cross-border data transfers, DPA guideline-making powers, and the narrowed definition of public authority. He said the amendments may reduce bureaucracy, strengthen privacy protections and improve investor clarity, but asked the Minister to clarify concerns about DPA capacity and independence, parliamentary transparency, cross-border safeguards, sensitive data, enforcement access, implementation timelines, and regulatory coordination. He urged Sri Lanka to draw on international practices for personal identifiers and data protection while supporting digital development. Debate: Regulations under National Medicines Regulatory Authority Act No. 5 of 2015 Law & OrderJustice & Human RightsPublic Finance Read →
21 October 2025 AI summary Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan stated that he spoke because the matter was listed for Second Reading. No further substantive argument, proposal, or question was recorded in the provided excerpt. Debate: Regulations under National Medicines Regulatory Authority Act No. 5 of 2015 Parliamentary Procedure Read →