The Hon. Eranga Gunasekara

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, the Member’s first supplementary question also asked in which year the Council was established. I would like to present a brief background. The establishment began with 600 youth clubs in 1952. Reports on youth affairs in Sri Lanka were prepared. On 31 May 1961 a report on youth needs, issues and indicators was presented. In 1963, a draft law on youth affairs came to Parliament. In 1965, it was brought under the Ministry of Lands, and then under the Ministry of Village Development and Cooperative Public Ownership. The National Voluntary Youth Service Bill No. 11 of 1967 was presented that year, establishing the National Youth Services Council. At that time Ranil Wickremesinghe had not entered Parliament. In 1968 the Voluntary National Youth Services (Amendment) Bill was brought, and in 1968 the Council was established. At that time, Ranil Wickremesinghe had not entered Parliament. Despite that, some now claim patents and take credit for what they did not establish.

¶ 02 As to the other question: yes, the country’s youth—with our Hon. Minister and Deputy Ministers and all of us together—are proceeding step by step, in an orderly manner, based on the 14 core objectives, to serve youth now and going forward.