The Hon. (Dr.) (Ms.) Kaushalya Ariyarathne - Deputy Minister of Mass Media

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, today Regulations under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act, No. 1 of 1969 are presented for Parliament’s approval. I wish to briefly explain.

¶ 02 Following the “Dissa” cyclone and the ensuing disaster, many donors sent goods; containers arrived in large numbers. To avoid delays in releasing such aid and thereby delays in providing relief, these Regulations were brought pursuant to a decision of the Presidential Secretariat. Two main measures are included.

¶ 03 First, in line with guidelines issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, goods donated to the Disaster Management Centre or any Government institution may be released directly by Sri Lanka Customs, or upon inquiry by the Controller General of Imports and Exports, notwithstanding other control licences, except for items for which import control licences are suspended.

¶ 04 Secondly, items banned since 2023—rice, chainsaws and single-use plastics—when received as relief by the Disaster Management Centre or any Government institution, may be released under these Regulations.

¶ 05 Third, for certain food items previously requiring approval of the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI) and the Food Policy and Safety Committee, release may be permitted with approval of the Food Policy and Safety Committee even without SLSI certification.

¶ 06 Additionally, regarding the “Suwasariya” ambulance service—there was public debate about its future. We clearly stated we have no intention to shut it down; rather, to expand Suwasariya with better facilities and operate it at international standards.