Sitting of Saturday, 8 March 2025
Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 1743142289059261 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
Order of business
Speeches load per item. Summaries shown here are AI-generated and labelled; verbatim text is on each speech page.
- 1 Opening Opening 1 speeches
- 2 Papers Papers Presented 3 speeches
- 3 Oral question Oral Question: Various questions (Q.259/2024, Q.381/2025) 6 speeches
- 4 Oral question Oral Question: Mutur and Kinniya Hospitals: Physical Resources and Staff (Q.428/2025) 7 speeches
- 5 Oral question Oral Question: Casual Labourers Recruited to Ceylon Mineral Sands Limited (Q.444/2025) 4 speeches
- 6 Oral question Oral Question: Road from Ambatale to Grandpass: Development (Q.274/2024) 3 speeches
- 7 Debate Statement on International Women's Day 4 speeches
- 8 Oral question Question by Private Notice: Proposed Abolition of Simplified Value Added Tax 19 speeches
- 9 Procedural Privilege Motion: Incident on 20th January 2025 2 speeches
- 10 Debate Appropriation Bill, 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Women and Child Affairs 82 speeches
- The Hon. Deputy Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Chairman procedural
- The Hon. (Mrs.) Rohini Kumari Wijerathna SJB
AI summary Moving a token cut under Heads 171 and 217, Rohini Kumari Wijerathna used International Women’s Day to call for faster action on women’s rights, equality and empowerment, noting the national theme of a sustainable future through women’s empowerment and the international theme “Accelerate Action.” She argued that persistent problems such as domestic violence, period poverty and barriers to girls’ education are rooted in social and policy failures rather than in women themselves. She highlighted that although women comprise 64.8 per cent of graduates, female labour force participation remains only 32.1 per cent, and called for lawmakers to address these gaps substantively rather than ceremonially.
- The Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees procedural
- The Hon. (Mrs.) Rohini Kumari Wijerathna SJB
AI summary Hon. Rohini Kumari Wijerathna argued that gender inequality in Sri Lanka is driven by discriminatory attitudes and inadequate legal and policy implementation, citing harassment in public transport, intimate partner violence, rape statistics, and under-16 pregnancies. She called for gender-responsive budgeting from the next Budget, with coordinated planning across ministries such as Education, Health, Justice, Finance, Foreign Employment and Women and Child Affairs, including practical measures like girl-friendly school sanitation, nutrition programmes for estate-sector women, and inclusion of transgender persons. She criticised the low capital allocation for the Women and Child Affairs Ministry and questioned policies affecting women, including cost-reflective electricity tariffs and reports of a 15 per cent tax on migrant worker remittances, urging greater investment in women’s economic empowerment.
- The Hon. Deputy Chairperson
AI summary The Deputy Chairperson instructed the Hon. Member to conclude their speech, indicating that the allotted speaking time or procedural allowance had ended.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. (Mrs.) Rohini Kumari Wijerathna SJB
AI summary Hon. (Mrs.) Rohini Kumari Wijerathna urged the Minister to involve experienced practitioners and subject experts in advancing the Ministry’s work. She asked for an update on the sexuality education programme developed by five ministries, following a decision of the Parliamentary Caucus for Children, to help reduce sexual violence against children.
- The Hon. Deputy Chairperson
AI summary The Deputy Chairperson called the next speaker, the Minister of Women and Child Affairs, Hon. (Mrs.) Saroja Savithri Paulraj, and allocated her 20 minutes to address the House.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. (Mrs.) Saroja Savithri Paulraj - Minister of Women and Child Affairs JJB
AI summary The Minister marked International Women’s Day by highlighting women’s economic and social contributions and said the Government’s first Budget includes gender-sensitive measures, with Women and Child Affairs now elevated to a Cabinet ministry. She said the Ministry is pursuing policy and structural reforms through a National Action Plan, nationwide Women’s Week programmes on empowerment, legal awareness, protection and health, and a focus on women’s equality, dignity and remuneration. She also noted allocations for child and maternal welfare, including Rs. 7,500 million for nutrition support for expectant mothers and an increase in the preschool morning meal allowance from Rs. 60 to Rs. 100 per child.
- The Hon. Deputy Chairperson
AI summary The Deputy Chairperson recognized the Leader of the Opposition and allocated him 29 minutes to speak.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition SJB
AI summary On International Women’s Day, Sajith Premadasa highlighted the impact of food inflation, poverty and malnutrition on women and children, citing the Ninth Parliament’s Special Committee report on malnutrition and calling for a coordinated, depoliticized national plan. He referred to UNDP and UN Women findings on women’s vulnerability, workplace discrimination, low labour force participation, digital access gaps, underrepresentation in senior positions and STEM, and high levels of underreported violence against women and girls. He urged stronger implementation of international conventions and domestic protections, and proposed amending the Constitution’s Fundamental Rights Chapter to explicitly include women’s and children’s rights.
- The Hon. Deputy Chairperson
AI summary The Deputy Chairperson called on the Prime Minister to speak next and allocated 15 minutes for the address.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya - Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education JJB
AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya linked International Women’s Day to the 2024 Polduwa Junction water cannon incident and the ongoing legal case, saying women’s rights must be understood through intersectionality, including class, religion, ethnicity, language and caste. She argued that Sri Lankan women’s advances were strongly supported by free education and free health, and that free education had been preserved through public and student struggles. As Prime Minister and Education Minister, she said education reforms would address gender relations and identities, boys’ declining educational participation and outcomes, and the need to build respectful, inclusive citizens. She also stated that gender budgeting and mainstreaming must be accompanied by structural and social change, not only laws or written policies.
- The Hon. Deputy Chairperson
AI summary The Deputy Chairperson informed the Prime Minister that two minutes remained for the speech.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya - Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education JJB
AI summary Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education Dr. Harini Amarasuriya briefly indicated that she would conclude her remarks quickly. No substantive policy position, proposal, or question was raised in the excerpt provided.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Deputy Chairperson
AI summary The Deputy Chairperson recognized Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara and allotted him 12 minutes to speak.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara, Attorney-at-Law - Minister of Justice and National Integration JJB
AI summary The Minister marked International Women’s Day by emphasizing that legal protections for women must be accompanied by changes in social attitudes beginning in childhood, including challenging gendered expectations and the notion that “boys will be boys.” He linked the Budget and justice reforms to Sri Lanka’s obligations under the UNCRC, citing allocations for maternal nutrition and preschool meals, and said he would expedite a Bill to outlaw corporal punishment while maintaining non-violent discipline. He also outlined plans for child-friendly courts, rehabilitation-focused juvenile justice, and safer transport for children in institutional care, including a Rs. 250 million Budget allocation for vehicles.
- The Hon. Deputy Chairperson
AI summary The Deputy Chairperson informed the Minister that only two minutes remained for the speech, indicating a procedural time limit during the debate.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara, Attorney-at-Law - Minister of Justice and National Integration JJB
AI summary Minister Harshana Nanayakkara called for stronger gatekeeping in child protection, arguing that admission to orphanages should be properly assessed by probation officers and used only as a last resort, particularly where poverty is the main reason. He urged funding for supervision, transport and victim support, and emphasized zero tolerance for violence against children, family-based alternative care, reunification, adolescent mental health services, drug rehabilitation and vocational training for convicted youth. He welcomed the allocations for child protection and welfare and said amendments to the outdated Children and Young Persons Ordinance, 1939, would be expedited.
- The Hon. Deputy Chairperson
AI summary Proceedings in Committee were suspended for the luncheon interval until 1.00 p.m. The sitting later resumed with the Deputy Speaker in the Chair.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Chairman procedural
- The Hon. Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan ITAK
AI summary Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan argued that women’s representation in politics, higher education and public employment remains inadequate despite women comprising over half the population, and called for legal reforms to guarantee at least 50 per cent representation and access. He highlighted the economic vulnerability of female-headed households, especially in the North and East, and urged expanded training and self-employment support. He criticized reductions in the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs allocations, including cuts to women’s development and child development programmes, and called for substantially increased funding. He also noted that most children in care homes are there due to family poverty rather than orphanhood, proposing income support to families as a way to reduce institutionalization.
- The Hon. Chairman procedural
- The Hon. Faiszer Musthapha, PC NDF
AI summary Hon. Faiszer Musthapha, speaking during the Women and Child Affairs Ministry Votes on International Women’s Day, highlighted Sri Lanka’s progress in women’s representation while calling for greater workforce participation through expanded day-care, including in the private sector and for children of migrant workers. He urged urgent reforms to the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act, including setting the minimum marriage age at 18, allowing women to sign marriage certificates, strengthening Quazi Courts with female and qualified adjudicators, and enabling direct access to Magistrates’ Courts for maintenance. He also raised concerns about judicial promotion procedures, estate workers’ wages, gender-based violence, low awareness of domestic violence remedies, workplace sexual harassment, and the need to shift from unskilled female migration to safer skilled employment opportunities.
- The Hon. (Mrs.) Saroja Savithri Paulraj JJB
AI summary Hon. Saroja Savithri Paulraj supported the proposals of Hon. Faiszer Musthapha regarding the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act, emphasizing the need to protect children’s right to education. She stated that reforms to the personal law would not be introduced unilaterally and proposed appointing a multi-sectoral committee involving Members of Parliament, civil society, and religious bodies to consider decisions collectively.
- The Hon. Chairman procedural
- The Hon. (Mrs.) Samanmali Gunasingha JJB
AI summary Hon. (Mrs.) Samanmali Gunasingha supported the Votes of the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs, describing the Budget as focused on women’s empowerment, family strengthening, poverty reduction and children’s rights. She highlighted the social and economic contribution of women, including migrant workers, and said the Government would improve protections through training, proper contracts, recognized agencies, a contributory pension scheme, loan schemes and education support for migrants’ children. She also raised the need to address basic service conditions for women police officers, including long-unmet requirements such as proper footwear.
- The Hon. Chairman procedural
- The Hon. Chanaka Madugoda SLPP
AI summary Hon. Chanaka Madugoda used the debate on the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs Votes to call for practical support for women and children, including safer micro-credit through Samurdhi banks to counter predatory microfinance debt and stronger local-level development of female leadership. He urged higher allowances, training, early detection responsibilities, and retirement benefits for preschool teachers, and proposed more family-like and open child care models, citing SOS Children’s Villages. He also asked for State support for prenatal anomaly scans for vulnerable mothers, better arrangements for severely disabled children, relaxed welfare rules for widows living in extended households, and more efficient Sathosa pricing to reduce household costs.
- The Hon. Chairman procedural
- The Hon. (Mrs.) Anushka Thilakarathne, Attorney-at-Law JJB
AI summary Marking International Women’s Day, the Member highlighted increased women’s representation in the Tenth Parliament and thanked women who supported that political change. She argued that addressing violence against women and children requires cross-ministerial action, not only allocations to the Women and Child Affairs Ministry, and cited Budget 2025 provisions for education and related sectors as part of this approach. She referred to Sri Lanka’s equality commitments under law and international instruments, noted the historic representation of tea estate women workers, and called for continued awareness and support programmes through relevant state institutions and the Ministry of Justice.
- The Hon. Chairman procedural
- The Hon. (Mrs.) Chamindranee Kiriella, Attorney-at-Law SJB
AI summary Hon. Chamindranee Kiriella marked International Women’s Day by acknowledging women’s historical contributions and then raised concerns about whether women and children receive adequate support under the Ministry’s Votes. She questioned whether the Rs. 100 per-meal allocation for preschool breakfasts is sufficient given malnutrition among under-five children, while welcoming continued programmes for pregnant mothers, preschool teachers, children with neurodevelopmental disorders, and sanitary pads for schoolgirls. She urged that menstrual hygiene support be extended to overcrowded women’s prisons, called for legal reforms to increase women’s representation in elected bodies, and highlighted low female labour force participation and maternity leave policy as issues affecting women’s economic participation.
- Hon. (Dr.) (Ms.) Kaushalya Ariyarathne - Deputy Speaker JJB
AI summary Hon. (Dr.) (Ms.) Kaushalya Ariyarathne assumed the Chair as proceedings continued. She called the House to order and recognized Hon. Bimal Rathnayake, allocating him 15 minutes to speak.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake - Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation and Leader of the House of Parliament JJB
AI summary Hon. Bimal Rathnayake marked International Women’s Day by arguing that women must be enabled to participate fully as citizens, including in social, cultural and political life beyond employment, household work and childcare. He said public policy should create conditions for women to freely engage in civic life after work, and linked this to the historical denial of women’s opportunities in knowledge, science and public life. He noted that women hold 22 seats in Parliament, about 10 percent, and placed on record public commendations of several women Members’ maiden speeches as encouragement for greater women’s representation.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Thurairasa Ravikaran ITAK
AI summary Hon. Thurairasa Ravikaran used the Women and Child Affairs budget debate on International Women’s Day to call for justice and clear answers for families of the forcibly disappeared in the North and East, particularly protesting mothers and wives in Mullaitivu. He urged the Government to provide income support and livelihood assistance to female-headed households, citing over 9,000 such households in Mullaitivu and wider need across the North and East, and highlighted the impact on children who lost parents and persons with disabilities. He requested the Prime Minister and the Minister of Women and Child Affairs to visit Mullaitivu and also called for improved remuneration for pre-school teachers, who he said receive only Rs. 6,000 per month.
- The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB
AI summary Bimal Rathnayake’s intervention consisted only of addressing the Presiding Member and did not include any substantive argument, proposal, question, or reference to legislation, policy, or events.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB
AI summary Hon. Bimal Rathnayake apologized for omitting remarks about Hon. Krishnan Kalaichelvi, MP for Nuwara Eliya, and read supportive comments recognizing her as the first in her family to enter politics. He acknowledged her sacrifices, strength, and longstanding political dedication, noting his personal knowledge of her since childhood.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney-at-Law SJB
AI summary Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara commended recognition of women MPs and urged the Government to extend the 25 percent women’s quota from local authorities to Provincial Councils and Parliament before future elections. He raised concerns about low allocations to women and child affairs, workplace and online harassment, low female labour force participation, and the need to support women workers, particularly in the plantation sector. He asked whether the National Fund for Women under the Women’s Empowerment Act No. 37 of 2024 has been operationalized and funded, and sought clarity on implementation indicators for UNSC Resolution 1325 commitments. He also called for reforms to personal laws, including Thesavalamai and the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Law, and emphasized the need for reliable gender-disaggregated data.
- The Hon. (Mrs.) Samanmali Gunasingha JJB
AI summary Hon. (Mrs.) Samanmali Gunasingha moved that Hon. Sagarika Athauda take the Chair.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. (Dr.) Nihal Abeysinghe JJB
AI summary Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe formally seconded the motion before the House. The question was then put and agreed to, after which the Chair changed from Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathne to Mrs. Sagarika Athauda.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney-at-Law SJB
AI summary Dayasiri Jayasekara urged gender-responsive budgeting across ministries, stronger coverage for widows and vulnerable women under Aswesuma, and improved wages and protections for women workers in the plantation sector and Free Trade Zones. He called for Sri Lanka to engage with the ILO “Decent Work” framework, for effective measures against sexual harassment in public transport, and for special courts or fast-track procedures to conclude rape cases without long delays. He also raised the unresolved disappearance of Ishara Sewwandi and requested that the Imams, Alwis, and Batalanda Reports be tabled in Parliament, while expressing support for advancing women’s political and social equality.
- The Hon. (Ms.) Krishnan Kalaichelvi JJB
AI summary Hon. Krishnan Kalaichelvi highlighted the hardships faced by women in plantation communities, including long working hours, lack of basic field facilities such as toilets and rest areas, safety risks, and the absence of regular monthly wages. She called for monthly salary regularization, basic amenities, and an insurance scheme for estate workers, framing the long-standing wage issue as a human rights concern. She also expressed support for implementing the 2025 Budget allocations aimed at women, children, the sick and the elderly, including those in estate areas.
- The Hon. (Dr.) Namal Sudarshana - Deputy Minister of Women and Child Affairs JJB
AI summary The Deputy Minister outlined Women’s Week activities and emphasized early childhood development, detailing Budget allocations for preschool breakfasts, teacher allowances, maternal nutrition, Thriposha, institutional child care, and safe transport for children in custody. He said breakfast support will rise to Rs. 100 per child and target undernourished children through MOH identification, while preschool teacher allowances are proposed to increase to Rs. 6,000 from June. He also announced measures for institutionalized children, including monthly support, school admissions, vocational training, and a planned autism treatment model centre at Lady Ridgeway Hospital with district expansion over five years. He further highlighted women’s and children’s protection mechanisms, village-level mobilization, and greater awareness of the 1929 and 1938 toll-free counselling lines.
- The Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam ITAK
AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam, speaking during the Committee Stage debate on the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs on International Women’s Day, argued that women’s empowerment is essential for social and economic development. He called for expanded employment opportunities, childcare services, new labour laws, support for women-led SMEs and self-employment, low-interest credit, training, and action against predatory microfinance and unsafe foreign employment practices. He also urged focused government attention on the North and East, citing the needs of female-headed households, children with special needs, and orphans following the war, including over 90,000 female-headed households.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam ITAK
AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam noted that the Educational Development Consortium foundation is supporting preschool teacher training by providing scholarships of Rs. 60,000 per teacher, including in the hill country and Puttalam. He observed that the Budget allocation for the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs is lower than allocations for health and education, despite its broad responsibilities, and expressed hope that the Government will increase funding in future.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Muneer Mulaffer - Deputy Minister of National Integration JJB
AI summary Deputy Minister Muneer Mulaffer supported the Head of Expenditure of the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs on International Women’s Day, arguing that the Government has prioritized women’s and children’s rights within its development programme. He highlighted increased women’s representation under the National People’s Power, while noting remaining issues in safety, poverty, equality, education, political participation, and access to state services, and called for further representation, including at local government level. He said the Budget provides measures to support mothers, strengthen children’s health, safety and education, and promote play and sports, and stated that the Government would work with all parties on necessary legal reforms.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Manjula Suraweera Arachchi JJB
AI summary Hon. Manjula Suraweera Arachchi spoke in support of the 2025 Budget allocation for the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs, arguing that longstanding policy failures had contributed to serious social risks affecting women and children. Citing Central Province police data, he highlighted high levels of child abuse, sexual violence, domestic violence, suicides, vulnerable children, and drug or alcohol risk, with particular concern over Nuwara Eliya District and the lack of adequate shelters or safe homes. He said the Budget proposes targeted measures including nutrition packs for pregnant mothers, preschool breakfasts, allowances for preschool teachers, support for pregnant women, and facilities for children with autism as part of a more scientific intervention plan.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna Independent Group 17 - Jaffna
AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna marked International Women’s Day by highlighting women’s participation in Tamil society and politics, and said he intended to resign after several months to allow a woman from his party to enter Parliament. He raised concerns about nurses’ pay, staffing and lack of quarters at Jaffna Teaching Hospital, and argued that health-sector debate should address nurses as well as doctors. He also called for stronger action on online exploitation of women and children, support for female-headed households in the North, East and estates, higher allocations for women’s affairs, and reforms to the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act, including safeguards on consent, child marriage and equal access to divorce.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna Independent Group 17 - Jaffna
AI summary Ramanathan Archchuna requested additional time and concluded by urging attention to teenage pregnancy, medical negligence cases, and equitable public investment for Muslims as well as for the North and East.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. (Mrs.) Hasara Liyanage, Attorney-at-Law JJB
AI summary Hon. Hasara Liyanage, speaking during the debate on the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs expenditure on International Women’s Day, emphasized women’s economic empowerment as essential to sustainability and dignity. She cited rising female contributions to household income and said the Budget allocates Rs. 63 million for women’s economic empowerment, particularly for low-income urban women, through projects, market access, and training. She also referred to support for young women entrepreneurs, alternative livelihood programmes for women working abroad, and measures such as preschool breakfast programmes to reduce the burden on women managing households and income activities.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. (Mrs.) Geetha Herath, Attorney-at-Law JJB
AI summary Hon. Geetha Herath supported the 2025 Budget allocation for the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs, stating that it contains more deliverable measures for women’s safety, recognition, and economic empowerment. She cited allocations including Rs. 63 million for women’s entrepreneurship and highlighted concerns such as low female economic participation, poverty among plantation and rural communities, women-headed households, and the rising number of women prisoners with limited education. She outlined planned programmes for low-income urban women, widows, cottage industries, plantation women, families of migrant women, girls leaving care institutions, and protection from exploitative microfinance, linking these measures to the Government’s “Prosperous Country - Beautiful Life” policy framework.
- The Hon. Mohamed Sali Naleem
AI summary Hon. Mohamed Sali Naleem spoke during the Committee Stage debate on the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs, commending women’s leadership in government and marking International Women’s Day with references to women’s rights in Islam. He urged consultative reform of the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act, increased support for child-care institutions and school supplies, and livelihood assistance, equipment and market access for widows, separated women, war-affected families and women’s micro-enterprises in the Eastern Province and other areas. He also requested action on unresolved murders in 2016, improved maternal health services and non-discriminatory treatment in Puttalam, the immediate appointment of a Qazi for Puttalam, and measures against false online allegations linking Eravur mosques to extremism.
- The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB
AI summary Bimal Rathnayake said the President of Jamiyyathul Ulama had informed him that the organization had alerted authorities in 2020 about the group referred to in the debate. He expressed appreciation for responsible actions by Muslim citizens and organizations, and stated that, although the government had only been in office for a few months, the security authorities and Public Security Ministry would take appropriate action.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Mohamed Sali Naleem
AI summary Hon. Mohamed Sali Naleem urged that legal action be taken against individual offenders without blaming entire communities such as Kalmunai or Eravur, and appealed for peace during Ramadan, noting Muslim support for a non-ethnic, non-sectarian President. He also thanked the Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation for expediting World Bank-funded rehabilitation of the Eravur–Meerakeny Road and the Housing Scheme–Savukkadi Road, explaining that earlier estimate reductions under the previous government had delayed the projects.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Mohamed Sali Naleem
AI summary Mohamed Sali Naleem requested an additional two minutes of speaking time, noting that he had been allocated 35 minutes.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Mohamed Sali Naleem
AI summary Hon. Mohamed Sali Naleem requested funding to repair the flood-prone Eravur Main Road and Railway Station Road, and to install traffic signal lights in Eravur town. He also asked Minister Kumar Jayakody to consider constructing a permanent “Daytee” building on suitable railway-owned land near the Eravur railway station to avoid flooding and improve service delivery. He further raised staffing shortages and other deficiencies at Puttalam Base Hospital, requesting action from the relevant Minister.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. (Mrs.) Saroja Savithri Paulraj - Minister of Women and Child Affairs JJB
AI summary The Minister clarified that women and children can report violence through the 1938 and 1929 hotlines, while acknowledging limited public awareness, Tamil-language capacity, staffing, and follow-up legal support, and said a broader awareness campaign and service improvements are planned. She outlined measures to improve and expand childcare facilities, including at Sethsiripaya and for parliamentary staff, and noted that regulation of day care centres under the National Child Protection Authority has resumed. She said appointments to the National Commission on Women are pending through the Constitutional Council process, after which a Women’s Empowerment Fund could be established, and added that concerns of women-headed households and vulnerable groups in the North, East, and plantation communities would be considered. She also explained that the apparent reduction in the Ministry’s budget reflects the separation of social development from women and child affairs, and cited the Rs. 6,000 schoolchildren’s allowance as part of efforts to reduce family burdens and prevent school dropouts.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. (Mrs.) Saroja Savithri Paulraj JJB
AI summary Hon. Saroja Savithri Paulraj said children aged 14 to 18 can face workplace exploitation and called for stakeholder consultations to develop evidence-based solutions, noting that persons under 18 are internationally recognized as children. She stated that Kandyan Law, Tesawalamai, and Muslim Marriage and Divorce Law should be considered separately, with an expert committee to advise on reforms, and urged that ongoing processes not be complicated. She also objected to derogatory language used in Parliament and, marking International Women’s Day, said over 85 percent of her Ministry’s allocation is directed to child wellbeing as part of a gender-sensitive Budget.
- The Hon. (Mrs.) Saroja Savithri Paulraj - Minister of Women and Child Affairs JJB
AI summary On behalf of the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Women and Child Affairs moved a Committee Stage amendment to the Appropriation Bill 2025 for her Ministry. The amendment replaces the relevant allocation figures with Rs. 15.234 billion for recurrent expenditure and Rs. 842 million for capital expenditure.
Public Finance Full speech → - The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- Hon. Members
AI summary Members agreed to insert increased allocations in the Schedule, including Rs. 15.234 billion for Recurrent Expenditure and Rs. 842 million for Capital Expenditure. They also approved Head 171, Programme 01 allocations of Rs. 475 million for recurrent expenditure and Rs. 29 million for capital expenditure, which were ordered to stand part of the Schedule. The next item noted was Programme 02, Development Activities, with Rs. 13.2 billion recurrent and Rs. 284 million capital expenditure.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. (Mrs.) Saroja Savithri Paulraj JJB
AI summary Moved an amendment at the Committee Stage of the Appropriation Bill 2025 relating to Head 171, Programme 02.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- Hon. Members
AI summary Parliament agreed to amend Head 171, Programme 02 on Development Activities by increasing recurrent expenditure to Rs. 14.3 billion and capital expenditure to Rs. 734 million. The increases, amounting to Rs. 1.1 billion recurrent and Rs. 450 million capital, were linked to Budget proposals Nos. 21, 39, 45 and 49, and the amended allocations were ordered to stand part of the Schedule.
Public Finance Full speech → - The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
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