INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Jobs for graduates offered in transparent manner - PM
The government followed a fair and transparent procedure in offering jobs to the
unemployed graduates specially considering the year they completed their degree, said Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in Parliament
yesterday.
Premier Wickremesinghe stated that in two phases the government offered 3,200 and 16,800 jobs to unemployed graduates who number
54,825 in total.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe further said the government took measures to grant jobs to graduates who had completed their
degrees internally from a government university by December 31, 2016 and those graduates who completed their degrees externally from a
government university as at December 31, 2011.
The Prime Minister was speaking in response to a query made by UNP Parliamentarian Harshana
Rajakaruna during the round of questions to be raised from the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe further said that measures
would be taken to fill the positions that have fallen vacant by non acceptance of employment by those selected during the second phase in
the programme.
According to a Cabinet decision taken on May 25, 2018, the first batch was recruited on August 20, last year and the second
batch on July 30 and 31 this year.
Shantha Bandara tenders resignation
UPFA National List Parliamentarian Shantha Bandara tendered his
resignation from the post, Parliament was informed yesterday
Deputy Speaker Ananda Kumarasiri making the Speaker Announcements in Parliament said that MP Bandara had submitted the letter of resignation
dated Aug 5.
For signing agreement as Hira Foundation chair and govt MP: Hizbullah in violation of MP status since June 2013 -
Ashu
One-time UPFA government minister and former Eastern Province Governor M.L.A.M
Hizbullah has been disqualified from being a Member of Parliament from as far back as 11 June 2013, the head of the Sectoral Oversight
Committee on Education - Human Resource Development UNP MP Professor Ashu Marasinghe told Parliament yesterday.
Quoting the Attorney
General Department, Marasinghe said that in terms of Article 91 (1) (e) of the Constitution, M.L.A.M
Hizbullah has been disqualified from being a Member of Parliament with effect from 11 June 2013, considering the conflict of interest
pertaining to the Memorandum of Understanding between Sri Lanka Hira Foundation and the government which was signed by Hizbullah as Hira
Foundation Chairman while holding a government portfolio.
Marasinghe said that the AG Department has observed that there would have been a
conflict of interest when Hisbullah signed the said MOU while holding a government portfolio as &no person shall be qualified to be elected
as a Member of Parliament or sit and vote in parliament if he has any such interest in and such contract made by or on behalf of the State
or a public corporation as Parliament shall by law.&
Marasinghe pointed out that the AG Department has also said that in the aforesaid
circumstances, action could be initiated against Hizbullah under Article 100 of the Constitution to impose a penalty on him
Accordingly, Professor Marasinghe requested Speaker Karu Jayasuriya to communicate with the Attorney General Department about taking further
action against Hizbullah.
Marasinghe made these observations joining the adjournment motion moved by JVP MP Nalinda Jayatissa proposing
that the government takes over the Batticaloa Sharia Campus and make it a part of the Eastern University.
According to Marasinghe, the AG
Department made these observations when the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Education - Human Resource Development sought legal advice on
several issues relating to the establishment of the non-state higher educational institute generally known as Batticaloa Sharia
Campus.
Marasinghe also said that the National Secretariat for Non-Government Organizations has informed Hizbullah in 2012 that they are
¬ in a position to register the Hira Foundation as a NGO since the Intelligance Agencies have not recommended the registration of the
organization&.
Marasinghe also denied the allegations made by Hizbulla suggesting that the investigation on the Sharia Campus is a personal
&If someone suggests that the report of this Sectoral Oversight Committee is an opinion of only just one person that is a completely wrong
I spoke about this Campus submitting a private member bill
A private member bill too deals with national problems in this country
We don&t talk about our personal matters through them.&
Marasinghe also requested that the issue relating to the Batticaloa Sharia Campus
should not be given a racist definition
&Certain people are trying to make the Batticaloa Campus issue look like a problem which followed the Easter Sunday carnage
The Sectoral Oversight Committee commenced investigating into this campus several months before the terrorist attack
We don&t want any kind of racism anywhere near this issue
This is not a matter of racism in this country, this is a matter of some people trying to manipulate their way by not adhering to the legal
system of this country.& he added.
Marasinghe also said that the Sectoral Oversight Committee has forwarded all the 15 recommendations
given on the Batticaloa Sharia Campus to the Attorney General Department for legal advice
In reply to a point of order raised by JVP MP Bimal Rathnayake, Professor Marasinghe said that the Committee will take measures to lodge
complaints with government investigation bodies such as the Criminal Investigation Department and Financial Criminal Investigation
Department on the Batticaloa Sharia Campus after it receives legal advice from the AG Department
Marasinghe also observed that the government should carry out a comprehensive investigation into the process of establishing the Sharia
Campus as well.
Meanwhile, referring to the Article 100 of the Contitution Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) MP Dr
Nalinda Jayatissa said that a fine of Rs
500 could be imposed on Hizbulla lest he would be considered disqualified to remain an MP in Parliament from the date he signed the said
MOU.
&Any person who & (a) having been elected a Member of Parliament but not having been at the time of such election qualified to be so
elected, shall sit or vote in Parliament; or (b) shall sit or vote in Parliament after his seat therein has become vacant or he has become
disqualified from sitting or voting therein; knowing or having reasonable grounds for knowing that he was so disqualified or that his seat
has become vacant, as the case may be, shall be liable to a penalty of Five Hundred Rupees for every day upon which he so sits or votes to
be recovered as a debt due to the Republic by an action instituted by the Attorney General in the District Court of Colombo.&
&Therefore,
all the property belong to this institute should be taken over to the state and operate as a part of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka,&
he added.
Government, Opposition MPs debate on Parliamentarians monthly remuneration
Government and Opposition Parliamentarians found
fault in President Maithripala Sirisena's statement on the Parliamentarians monthly remuneration, in Parliament yesterday.
President
Sirisena on the previous day had stated in public that each MP was drawing Rs
400,000 month.
Badulla District MP Chaminda Wijesiri said that the President's statement was wrong
He added that the basic salary of an MP is Rs 54,000
"There are other allowances altogether less than Rs.100,000," MP Wijesiri said
"Numerous appointments made by the President to various institutions including the Provincial Councils which are white elephants draining
the public funds."
Digamadulla UPFA MP Wimalaweera Dissanayake said no one is getting that amount
He added that all allowances together are less than Rs.300,000
"That is including the attendance allowance, fuel allowance and telephone allowance etc," MP Wimalaweera Dissanayake said
"The total comes around Rs
260,000 for me because my fuel allowance is calculated according to the distance from Digamadulla."
Matale District UNP MP Rohini Kumari
Wijeratna said that the statement was not only wrong but it is malicious too
"His intention seems to put us in difficulty in the eyes of the people
We do not get that much," MP Wijeratne said
"But we do not know whether the MPs representing him have been given such payment."
Kurunegala District UNP MP Thushara Indunil Amarasena
said that the President humiliated MPs
He added that they have to spend out of their pockets
"The take home salary does not help us to pass at least two weeks of the month," MP Amarasena said.
Leader of the House Public Enterprise,
Kandyan Heritage and Kandy Development Minister Lakshman Kiriella promised the House that he would bring the matter to the notice of the
President.
JVP leader speaks on salary annomalies of government employees&
The salaries and allowances of semi government employees' are
totally different from that of the government employees and hence the Rs.2,500 interim allowance paid to government employees could not be
paid to the semi government employees, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said in Parliament yesterday.
He also said that the interim
allowance was paid to government employees in line with the recommendations of the Special Wages Committee appointed by the President to
make recommendations on the salary anomalies of government employees.
He added that the same Committee recommended that government servants
be paid an interim allowance of Rs.2,500 with effect from July 1 this year until the recommendations of the said committee are fully
implemented.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe was speaking in response to a query made by Opposition MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake during the
round of questions to be raised from the Prime Minister
He queried as to why the interim allowance paid to government employees from July 1 is not being paid to the Semi Government
employees.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe further said that Semi Government employees are being paid comparatively higher salaries
One the other hand they are being granted salary increments and allowances on different occasions even when the government employees are not
He added that there is a considerable disparity of the medical facilities, gratuity and other allowances between the government and semi
government facilities.
The Prime Minister said hence the interim allowance could not be paid to the semi government employees, he would
inform the Finance Minister about MP Dissanayake's suggestion and would later inform (Dissanayake).
Degree courses to be made private
sector job oriented - PM
The attention of the government has been drawn to change the content of the degree courses in government
universities to make them private sector job oriented, Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe said in Parliament yesterday.
He also said that
following the next election, the government expects to speed up the governments development programmes and to work creating more jobs in the
private sector for the graduates than in the government sector
Hence, the government expects to produce able graduates to fill those employment opportunities.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe was speaking
in response to a query by Opposition Parliamentarian C.B.Rathnayake during the round of questions to be raised from the Prime Minister.
The
Prime Minister further said the government initiated the one million employment creation programme to empower the unemployed youth
In addition to it, various loan schemes such as Enterprise Sri Lanka have produced a number of new entrepreneurs in the country
He added that a large number of direct and indirect job opportunities were created with the creation of the Special Economic Zone in
Hambantota.
The Prime Minister also said in addition unemployed graduates were provided employment.He said that in two phases, the
government offered 3,200 and 16,800 jobs for unemployed graduates of the 54,825 in total.
‘No Sinhala people resettled in Vavunia after
tank renovation&
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said in Parliament yesterday that the Sinhala people have not been resettled in
Vavunia after renovating a tank named Kachchalsamalakkulama in lands within the Forest Conservation Department.
The Prime Minister also
said that no steps have been taken to change the demography in each of the districts and if there was any officer who had done so, he
requested that he be informed so that stern action can be taken against such people.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe was responding to a
query made by TNA MP Charles Nirmalanathan during the round of questions to be raised from the Prime Minister
He said that Forest Conservations Department has not granted permission to renovate the Nanchundan Tank in Vavunia although the Prime
Minister had granted Rs.40 million for this purpose and promised to grant the rest when the renovation initiated.
Premier Wickremesinghe
said the Forest Conservation Department had granted them permission to renovate the same tank on April 10 this year
He added that even the Presidential Task Force had discussed the renovation of this tank and had instructed the Forest Conservation
Department to grant permission which was later granted.
Some Muslim female students inconvenienced at examination centers -
Mujibur
Colombo District UNP MP Mujibur Rahuman participating in the adjournment debate on a motion against Sharia University in Batticaloa
pointed out to the House that some Muslim female students had been inconvenienced at examination centers by officials.
"The Muslim female
students had gone to the examination centers to sit for the exam wearing the hijab in accordance with the specifications outlined in a
circular issued by the Ministry of Education," Rahuman said.
"They did nothing wrong
They had been questioned and obstructed by the invigilators and exam center officials who acted on their own whims
The students had been exercising their right.
We call upon the Ministry of Education to take action and let these students sit for their
exams without worrying about their religion," MP Rahuman further said.
When MP Ven
Aturaliya Ratana Thera questioned if the students were wearing their hijab covering their ears or not, MP Rahuman said, "Their ears were
That is the way outlined in the circular
They cover anything more than what is covered in their pictures in the identity card
We have no problem of following the circular
We do not let them cover their ears
There are some officials who do not respect other religions
They should be prevented implementing their own guidelines."
Cabinet Sub Committee should take decision on Batticaloa Sharia Campus -
Hakeem
Sr Lanka Muslim Congress Leader Minister Rauff Hakeem yesterday told Parliament that a decision on the controversial Batticaloa
Sharia Campus should be taken by the Cabinet Sub Committee appointed to look into the matter.
Joining the adjournment debate on Batticaloa
Sharia Campus, Hakeem said that several proposals have been submitted to the sub committee to decide on the future of the said higher
education institute.
"I cannot deliver emotional speeches about this topic as some of the MPs did
The sub committee appointed on this matter is presently considering several options
Harsha de Silva has proposed to let a Cabinet sub committee to continue to oversee this institute
There is another proposal to establish a separate foundation under a public private partnership and carry out Campus's future activities
So, whatever the decision on this Campus, it will come from the Cabinet sub committee." Hakeem said.
Speaking further, Minister Hakeem also
said that whatever the decision arrived at in relation to the Campus, it would be a reference in the process of establishing educational
institutes or promoting private higher education in the country.
Education Director transfer withdrawn
The transfer of Education
Ministry Supplies Division Director I.B.C.K.Illangasinghe has been withdrawn by the Education Ministry.
Illangasinghe was suddenly
transferred after he went before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry probing allegations of large scale corruption between 2015 and 2018
to give evidence pertaining to a complaint on printing the Education Minister picture on school text books.
The Commission, which inquired
about this sudden transfer from the Education Ministry Secretary, had asked to cancel it as there was no fair reason for the
transfer.
Investigating team to tour Mattala paddy storage facility today
An investigating team of the Presidential Commission of
Inquiry probing allegations of large scale corruption between 2015 and 2018 will make an inspection tour today to inquire the alleged loss
of storing paddy at Mattala International Airport.
A spokesman of the Commission said several Police officers attached to the Commission
and a team of the Government Valuation Department would visit the airport in the morning
The commission the launched the investigation following a complaint received to it.
