The Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, thank you for the opportunity.

¶ 02 For the second time today we present regulations made under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act, No. 1 of 1969, for Parliamentary approval. The special feature is this: in import control—especially for goods—there is a licensing mechanism even as space is opened for imports. In the unexpected disaster situation we faced, assistance, funds and donations arrived from individuals, organisations and states, often with special requests and consignments for donation. We needed to intervene swiftly, to act on necessity and with speed. Therefore, these regulations under the Act are presented to facilitate such imports.

¶ 03 In summary: goods may arrive from various parties. To streamline this, Regulation 668 designates a single accountable Government-recognised point—the Disaster Management Centre—as the primary consignee. If not to the DMC, then to a Government institution. Previously, under these provisions, some goods sent were misused—sold for private or other purposes—per Customs reports. These regulations prevent that.

¶ 04 Next, for imports requiring licences, some HS code items—such as rice under certain codes, chainsaws, plastic bottles—had import licences but were temporarily suspended. For those temporarily suspended items, permission may be granted under the supervision and approval of the Director General of Customs. Additionally, where ministries or departments normally issue recommendations—e.g., for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, consumer goods under Health and Trade—if such consignments come to the DMC, the licence may be issued on the recommendation of the relevant ministry; if there is no specific ministry or institution, then with the approval of the Director General of Customs.

¶ 05 Regulations also empower the Director General of Customs regarding standards and testing of regulated goods. In health, we permit procurement of oxygen balloons for the 1990 Suwaseriya Foundation and 150 new ambulances. These take effect until further notice.

¶ 06 By 06 January 2026, we received 5,058 consignments, with a CIF value equivalent to Rs. 2,473 million. Categories include clothing, blankets, electrical items, mats, life jackets, sanitary items, tents, lamps, vehicles, ambulances, dry rations, milk powder, medicines, rice, baby items, school supplies, bags, etc., showing the efficiency of State facilitation through these regulations.

¶ 07 I also wish to address public debate on education reforms. Fears have been spread that reforms will cause disaster. Education is broad—ranging from indoctrination to enlightenment, from training to think critically and decide continuously. Reform must focus on what we learn: moving beyond rote and narrow cognitive testing to develop skills, competencies, attitudes, and analytical and judgement abilities. Teaching must shift from teacher-centred to student-centred learning, with trained teachers and adapted classrooms and facilities. Blocking reforms by mischaracterising isolated elements harms social progress.

¶ 08 As human capacity develops, productivity grows. Overcoming the economic crisis requires developing human capital to raise productivity, access higher-tier global jobs, and accelerate recovery. Based on 2025 progress, in 2026, even while facing disaster, Rs. 500 billion in supplementary allocations were provided. Some create distrust with misinformation. Our actions have stabilised Government revenue and advanced economic progress. Concerns about the external sector, reserves, and exports are unfounded; targets are being met. The current account surplus by November is about USD 1.8 billion; external reserves are around USD 6.8 billion. We aim in 2026 to continue growth and move toward our medium-term target of over 7 percent.

¶ 09 Thank you.

¶ 10 Question put, and agreed to.