DECISION TAKEN BY THE CABINET OF MINISTERS AT ITS MEETING HELD ON 16.01.2018
Smallholder Agribusiness Partnership Programme (Document No. 05)
Proponent H. E. the President Maithripala Sirisena
Description It was decided to give loans to parties engaged in agribusiness sector at an interest rate of 6.5%. The programme implemented with assistance from International Fund for Agriculture Development will benefit 57,500 low income rural families.
2. Implementation of socio-economic surveys and land surveys for all lands owned by Department of Railway Sri Lanka (Document No 08)
Proponent Transport & Civil Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva
Description Above survey will be done for determining and mapping all lands owned by SLR including 7,000 land lots which have been leased, with the view of proper management of such lands and resettling illegal dwellers in alternative lands.
3. Agreement between Sri Lanka and Turkmenistan for exempting persons who have diplomatic and official passports from the requirement of obtaining visa (Document No. 14)
Proponent Internal Affairs, Wayamba Development and Cultural Affairs Minister S. B. Navinna
4. Import of bristle fibre for re-exporting after value addition (Document No 21)
Proponent Plantation Industries Minister Navin Dissanayake
Description Sri Lanka earns a considerable foreign exchange through exporting 8,000 15,000 Mt of bristle fibre annually to about 20 countries. It was decided to import bristle fibre from India under strict rules and conditions on the above purpose until the coconut yield reaches normalcy.
5. Memorandum of understanding on agricultural Cooperation between Sri Lanka & Turkey (Document No 22)
Proponent Agriculture Minister Duminda Dissanayake
Description It was decided to sign above MOU and the Cabinet has noted that an agreement is to be signed by Sri Lanka Tea Board for increasing the tea export to Turkey.
6. Obtaining technical Cooperation for increasing production, improve value chains, and commercialization of main fruits in Sri Lanka (Document No 23)
Proponent Agriculture Minister Duminda Dissanayake
Description It was decided to sign a trilateral agreement with China and UN Food and Agriculture Organization to implement above Programme for improving Mango, Plantain and Pineapple cultivation under assistance of South-South Cooperation of China.
7. Amendment of Criminal Procedure Code Act No. 15 of 1979 for removing the requirement of presenting a suspect/accused before the court in identified determined situations (Document No 26)
Proponent Justice Minister Thalatha Athukorala
Description Any suspect should who is arrested be presented before a Magistrate within 24 hours and in case of remanding they should be present once in two weeks to extend the remand order. Hence for the security of detainees it was decided to amend the above act for making provisions to obtain remand order without presenting detainees before a magistrate.
8. Improvement of free postal facilities provided for MPs and Members of Provincial Councils (Document No 31)
Proponent Post, Postal Services and Muslim Religious Affairs Minister M. H. A. Haleem
Description Above facility has not been increased since 2007 while postal charges have been increased in several occasions. Hence it was decided to amend the annual amount provided for above facility as follows.
For MPs from LKR 175,000/- to LKR 350,000/-
For Members of Provincial Councils from LKR 24,000/- to LKR 48,000/-
9. MOU between Public Police Training Institute of Vietnam and National Police Training Institute of Sri Lanka for cooperation on Police Training and Scientific Research (Document No 35)
Proponent Low and Order and Southern Development Minister Sagala Ratnayake
10. Improvement of Grand Oriental Hotel Colombo through Public-Private Partnership (Document No 36)
Proponents Finance & Mass Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera
Public Enterprise Development Minister Kabir Hashim
Development strategies & International Trade Minister Malik Samarawickrama
Description It was decided to appoint a project committee for evaluating the proposal made by HPL Hotels and Resorts on the above purpose and to proceed subject to relevant guidelines of the government.
11. Award of Contract for Installation of water main for Defence Headquarters Complex (Document No 39)
Proponent H. E. the President Maithripala Sirisena as the Minister of Defence
Awarded to M/S. Frigi Engineering Services (Pvt) Ltd.
Cost LKR 494.48 million
12. Award of Contract for Installation of a Flight Information Management System (Document No 40)
Proponent Transport & Civil Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva
Awarded to M/s. Thales Air Systems S.A.S.
Cost Total of 3.3 million euros plus LKR 65 million
13. Purchase of 50 electric buses to SLTB for improvement of urban public transport service (Document No 41)
Proponent Transport & Civil Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva
Description SLTB has 6300 running condition buses with 2,467 buses which are older than 10 years. SLTB needs 7257 total buses to be deployed according to time table and presently 100% of buses run by diesel. Hence it was decided to do the above purchase for establishment of a Bus Rapid Transit System.
14. Improvement of Infrastructure of Uva Wellassa University Phase 2 (Document No 43)
Proponent Higher Education & Highways Minister Lakshman Kiriella
Description It is required to begin infrastructure development work related to constriction of library building, auditorium, staff teaching unit, Alternative Water Supply System and student welfare centre and main access road in 2018 to cater increased student intake and it was decided to call for bids for selection of contractors.
15. Award of Contract for implementation of stage III of Medirigiriya Water Supply Scheme (Document No 44)
Proponent City Planning & Water Supply Minister Rauff Hakeem
Awarded to M/S Squire Mech Engineering (Pvt) Ltd.
Cost LKR 1,230 million.
16. Award of Contract for Implementing sage 1 of Anuradhapura North Water Supply Project (Document No 45)
Proponent City Planning & Water Supply Minister Rauff Hakeem
Awarded to M/S Access Engineering PLC
Cost USD 6.17 million from JICA and LKR 2,349 million of domestic funds
17. Construction of new court buildings (Document No 47)
Proponent Justice Minister Thalatha Athukorala
Description It was decided to construct new buildings in Welimada, Ratnapura, Theldeniya, Pugoda, Kantale & Kilinochchi using allocations of 2018.
18. Host country agreement related to 18th summit of convention of International Trade in Endangered species of wild fauna & flora (Document No 53)
Proponent Sustainable Development & Wildlife Minister Gamini Jayawickrama Perera
Description It was decided to sign the above agreement for hosting the above event in Sri Lanka from 22nd May 2019 to 03rd Jun 2019.
19. Active Debt Management Bill. (Document No 56)
Proponent Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Minister of National Policies & Economic Affairs
Description It was already decided to draft legislation for using responsibility management in this regard and it was decided to publish above bill in gazette and present in parliament for approval.
20. Signing of Free Trade Agreement between Sri Lanka and Singapore (Document No 57)
Proponent Development Strategies and International Trade Minister Malik Samarawickrama
Description This agreement consists of provisions regarding trade in goods and services, service liberalization, investments, public procurement, etc. It was decided to sign the agreement subject to clearance of the Attorney General.
21. MoU between Sri Lanka and Vietnam on information and communication (Document No 59)
Proponent Finance and Mass Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera
Description Above agreement is to be signed for strengthening of bilateral cooperation on above fields.
22. Establishment of a Special High Court for accelerating the proceedings of legal action related to bribery and corruption allegations and allegations on complex financial crimes (Document No 60)
Cabinet has already approved to establish the above three bench high court and a bill has been prepared by the Legal Draftsman for amending the Judicature Act No. 2 of 1978 on the above purpose.
Accordingly criminal cases which are distinctively stipulated in the act could be directly forwarded to the proposed high court by the Attorney General or by the Director General of Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption. The bill has been currently sent for clearance of the Attorney General. Above information was presented to the Cabinet of Ministers by the Justice Minister Thalatha Athukorala.
