The Hon. (Dr.) Hiniduma Sunil Senevi - Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, I gladly take that question. We have a complete report. In summary, there are 220 Cultural Centres operating across the nine Provinces: Western 29, Southern 37, Central 30, Eastern 22, North Western 32, North Central 20, Sabaragamuwa 17, Uva 21, Northern 11. Of these, 219 are functioning satisfactorily. The Northern Province, with 11, needs development. Since taking office, I have considered how to effectively manage cultural and artistic activities relevant to Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim communities. Work is being done, but there are significant shortcomings, mainly due to inadequate attention by previous governments to the cultural sector. Some centres host proper programmes—appreciation events, theatre workshops, etc.—but many activities deviate from core objectives: cake classes, extra tuition, etc. Approved cadre are not fully appointed; sometimes only a watcher or office aide is present. We have gathered this information and will soon set standards to ensure these 220 centres deliver maximum service to the arts and culture sector.