Decisions taken at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers held on 24.01.2022
01. Construction of Akuressa bus stand
Akuressa urban development project has been inaugurated back in the year 2012 while preliminary
activities for the construction and commercial development have been performed by developing an
extent of 4.5 acres as phase one. Approval for the construction of the main bus stand / depot with
20 terminals and other facilities has been granted as phase two of the project within an extent of
1.75 acres of land. The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal submitted by the Hon. Prime
Minister as the Minister of Urban Development and Housing for implementing the said project
subject to an estimated cost of rupees 474 million according to the final architectural and
engineering plans of the project within the period of year 2022 and 2023.
02. Increasing the grant of ;Obata Geyak - Ratata Hetak' (A home for you - A future for the
country) housing programme.
An amount subject to a maximum of Rs. 600,000/- per selected beneficiary family is granted
under this project based on the construction progress of the house under this project implemented
for low income families resided in temporary houses. Followed by the inauguration of the project
in the year 2020, cost of construction materials have been escalated by multiple amounts and due
to this it has been difficult to construct an appropriate complete house with the grant of Rs.
600,000/=. Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers has decided to grant their approval to the proposal
submitted by the Hon. Prime Minister as the Minister of Urban Development and Housing for
increasing the amount of grant paid under the programme to the selected beneficiary families up to
Rs. 650,000/- with effect from the year 2022.
03. Implementation of a High - rise development project within the land situated in Kotta Road,
Rajagiriya belong to the Urban Development Authority.
Investment proposals on competitive basis have been invited for the plot of land in extent 01 acre
01 rood and 9.29 perches situated at Kotta Road Rajagiriya which is entrusted to the Urban
Development Authority under the methodology of design, construction, financing monitoring and
transferring. The Cabinet of Ministers has decided to grant their approval to the proposal submitted
by the Hon. Prime Minister as the Minister of Urban Development and Housing for engaging the
said land for the said purpose subject to the recommendations furnished by the Cabinet Standing
Review Committee under the State Ministry of Urban Development, Waste Disposal and
Community Cleanliness and the management board of the Urban Development Authority to LOLC
Investment Holdings Two (Pvt.) Ltd. which is a subsidiary company of Lanka Orex Leasing
Private Limited on long term lease basis.
04. Entrusting the health institutions within the estate sector to provincial health authorities.
It has been recognized that entrusting the health institutions existing within the estate sector to
provincial authorities is appropriate with the objective of supplying a more productive health
service to the estate community. Accordingly, a committee comprised of officers chaired by the
Director General of Health Services and representations from other relevant institutions has been
appointed to submit recommendations on the methodologies to be followed in the regard.
According to the recommendations submitted by the said committee comprised of officers the
Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Health to transfer 59
health institutions to provincial health authorities under stage one from 450 health institutions
extisting within the estate sector.
05. Sri Lanka's national policy on transplantation of organs, cells and tissues.
Transplantation of organs, cells and tissues is considered as a successful methodology to secure
lives of patients at the final stage of disfunction of internal organs such as kidneys, liver, heart,
lungs and pancreas. These organ trnasplanting surgeries is taken place in 09 government hospitals
including two major national centres in Colombo and Kandy in Sri Lanka. The requirement of a
national policy on organ transplant has been recognized for upgrading the living standard and
securing rights of donors and their families as well as the donees of organs. Accordingly, the
national policy on transplantation of organs, cells and tissues in Sri Lanka has been prepared
followed by the convention 57 of World Health Summit and the guideline theories of the World
Health Organization (WHO) on human organ transplant. the Cabinet of Ministers approved the
resolution submitted by the Minister of Health for implementing the said prolicy.
6. National Policy on Quality and Safety of the Health Service
The "National Policy on Quality Healthcare and Patient Safety" approved by the Cabinet on 27
May 2015 is currently in effect. Action has been taken to revise this policy based on the resolution
adopted at the 72nd World Health Assembly in 2019 on the “Global Action on Patient Safety”.
Accordingly Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Health to
implement implement the revised policy which guarantees the quality and safety of the health care
system in Sri Lanka.
7. National Project to Provide Investment Opportunities to New Entrepreneurs for Business
Development and the Establishment of small and medium scale industrial zones at regional
and district level.
The Budget 2022 proposes to accelerate the local industrialization process by localizing the existing
industrialization program and establishing industrial zones at the regional and district levels.
Accordingly, the Ministry of Industry has designed a program. Under this, it is expected to establish
two types of industrial estates based on the land areas identified at the district / divisional secretariat
level. It is proposed to construct a small scale industrial zones with about 15-35 factories on a 5-15
acre plot and a medium scale industrial zones with about 35-50 factories on 15-25 acre lands. A
National Committee and a District Steering Committee will be appointed in collaboration with the
Ministry of Industries to implement and supervise these projects. Accordingly cabinet of Ministers
approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Industries to implement the proposed project.
8. Paddy Purchase Program for 2021/2022 Maha Season
It is planned to implement the Government Paddy Purchase Program during the 2021/2022 Maha
Season with the objective of providing a fair price for the paddy harvest of the farmers and
maintaining a secure paddy reserve by the Government. The purchase of the paddy harvest is done
directly by the Paddy Marketing Board and by the District Secretaries / Government Agents
through the small and medium scale paddy mill owners. The required allocation of Rs.29,805
million will be secured through state banks. Accordingly, taking into consideration the proposals
made by the Minister of Agriculture, the Cabinet took the following decisions.
i. Purchase of Paddy by the Paddy Marketing Board at competitive prices with the Private
Sector under the Government Paddy Purchase Program for the Maha Season 2021/2022
ii. In case, there is a reduction in the paddy harvest in the 2021/2022 Maha season, to
provide a compensation of Rs. 25 per 1 kg of paddy to secure the income level of the paddy
farmers affected due to this.
9. Purchase of locally produced Sterile Liquid Small Volume Parenteral – SLSVP Injectable for
Public Sector
The government spends approximately Rs. 3,000 million (approximately USD 15 million) annually
to purchase Sterile Liquid Small Volume Parenteral – SLSVP Injectables. The government
approval has been granted to Cologne Life Sciences (Pvt) Ltd to set up a factory in Pallekele with
an annual production capacity of about 50 million of these injections. The only company that has an
ability to manufacture Sterile Liquid Small Volume Parenterals in Sri Lanka with the relevant
standards is ready to supply its products from February 2022. Accordingly the cabinet of Ministers
approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Health to enter into an agreement between the
company and the State Pharmaceutical Corporation to procure the said products for the needs of the
public sector.
10. Amendment of Drug dependent persons (Treatment and Rehabilitation) Act No 54 of 2007
Amendment of Drug dependent persons (Treatment and Rehabilitation) Act No 54 of 2007 contains
provisions for the treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts. It has been identified that the
provisions of that Act should be amended to suit the present requirements. Accordingly, the cabinet
of Ministers approved the joint proposal presented by H.E. the President in his capacity as the
Minister of Defense and the Minister of Justice to advise the legal draftsman to prepare the
respective Bill.
11. Prevention of double taxation on income tax and avoid tax evasion.
The Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka has reached the following
agreements.
i. Signing the Alliance for the Agreement with the Government of the Republic of
India to Avoid Double Taxation and Tax evasion on Income Tax
ii. Signing of an Agreement with the Government of the Republic of Turkey on the
Prevention of Double Taxation and Tax evasion on Income Tax
iii. Signing an agreement with the Government of the Czech Republic to prevent double
taxation and Tax evasion on Income Tax
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Hon. Minister of
Finance to sign the said Agreements and to submit the aforesaid agreements to Parliament for
approval as per the provisions of the Inland Revenue Act No. 24 of 2017.
