Cabinet Decisions

1. Amendments to Workers Minimum Wages Act No.3 of 2016 to increase the present national minimum wage

Workers Minimum Wages Act No.3 of 2016 has set a national minimum monthly wage of Rs. 10,000 (400 x 25) and a national minimum daily wage of Rs. 400 (50 x 8) with effect from 01.01.2016. Considering the rising cost of living, the Cabinet approval has been granted to amend Section 3 of the above act to increase the present National Minimum Monthly Wage of Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 12,000 (by Rs. 2,000) and to increase National Minimum Daily Wage of Rs. 400 to Rs. 500 (by Rs. 100). Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the President to gazette the bill prepared by the legal draftsman for revising the section 3 of Workers Minimum Wages Act No.3 of 2016 and consequently present the same for parliamentary approval.

2. Strengthening National Security Operations

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the President to advise legal draftsman to make legislations to set up the National Security Council which was established in 1999 under the National Security Ordinance and proposed National Security Advisory Council, National Security Council Secretariat and the Expert Committees on National Security (Economic, International Affairs, Social and Religious, Researches and Analysis, Science and Technological and Strategic Management) by a parliamentary act.

3. Providing salaries and allowances paid to members of Armed Forces and Police who were disabled and killed during the war by direct terrorist activities or activities to combat terrorism while on duty in operational and non-operational areas up to 55 years of their age, as long as the dependents of the deceased member are alive and the disabled member is alive

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Defense to provide further relief with respect to aforesaid members of armed forces and police in addition to the benefits they are already receiving in accordance with the recommendations of the Cabinet-appointed committee of officers headed by an additional secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration.

4. Amendments to National Gems and Jewellery Act No. 50 of 1993

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Mahaweli Development and Environment Minister to advise the legal draftsman to amend few sections of the National Gems and Jewellery Act No. 50 of 1993 in order to find policy measures for current legal and institutional issues and such issues that are expected in the future.

5. Takeover of the National School of Nursing Sri Jayewardenepura to the Faculty of Nursing of the Colombo University

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the City Planning, Water Supply and Higher Education Minister to assign buildings, assets, the staff of Sri Jayewardenepura Nurses Training School which is administrated by the Health, Nutrition Indigenous Medicine Ministry, to the Colombo University including the land where the relevant buildings are located.

6. Expansion of the Coal Power Plant, Norochcholai

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Power, Energy and Business Development Minister to build 300 MW fourth Power Plat Unit in the premises as an extension of Norochcholai coal power plant unit considering its compliance with approved 2018-2037 long-term power generation plan and Sri Lanka’s Future Power Generation Composition Policy.

7. Drafting a bill unique to the Ceylon Fishery Harbour Corporation

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Agriculture, Economic Affairs, Irrigation and Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister to draft a bill through the legal draftsman with the intention of earning an income sufficient for self-survival and making the same for a profit organisation.

8. Construction of a new building for the Agriculture, Economic Affairs, Irrigation and Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Ministry

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Agriculture, Economic Affairs, Irrigation and Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister to build ‘Govijana Mandiraya,’ a multi-storied building in the six-acre land named as ‘Ambalangodella’ situated adjoining the Ministry of Parliamentary Reforms in Baththaramulla with facilities to set up all the offices under the Ministry implemented in Colombo.

9. Establishment of Sub Regional Center of the Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System in South Asia

The Cabinet approval has been granted to set up a Sub Regional Center of South Asia’s Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System in the premises of the Department of Meteorology. The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Agriculture, Economic Affairs, Irrigation and Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development and the Minister of Public Administration, Disaster Management and Livestock Development.

10. Special allowance for public sector executive officers

The Cabinet of Ministers considered the recommendations presented by the Cabinet sub-committee appointed to study the recommendations of the National Salaries and Carder Commission chaired by the Minister of Public Administration, Disaster Management and Livestock Development. Further, the Cabinet of Ministers considered the recommendation presented by the Special Presidential Commission to Review Public Sector Salaries. In line with these recommendations, the Cabinet approval has been granted on September 10, 2019, to pay 50 percent of the recommended salary increase with effect from July 1, 2020, and the remaining 50 percent from January 1, 2021. With the view of providing relief to entire public service, Cabinet approval was granted to pay 50 percent of the recommended salary increase from January 1, 2020.

11. Drafting the New Education Act

The Cabinet approval was granted to appoint a Committee of Experts representing the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Women and Child Affairs and Dry Zone Development to review the new Education Act and present recommendations, and the Ministry of City Planning, Water supply and Higher Education, Ministry of National Policies, Economic Affairs, Resettlement and Rehabilitation, Northern Province Development and Youth Affairs, University Grant Commission, National Planning Ministry, National Education Committee, National Institute of Education and Private Educational Institutions to review the National Education Act and make recommendations.

12. Development of Galle Face ground

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Southern Development to allocate Rs. 300 million for the development of Galle Face ground under the corporate social responsibility budget in the proposed 2019/2021 Budget and accomplish the development tasks within 18 months.

13. Submission of a series of regulations made by the Minister of Sports under Section 41 of the Sports Act No. 25 of 1973 to Parliament

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Telecommunication, Foreign Employment and Sports to present the gazette notifications bearing No. 2137/86 and No.2137/85 published on August 23, 2019 for parliamentary approval.

14. Constructions of ‘Sangili Palama’ rural water supply project in the Nuwara Eliya District

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of City Planning, Water Supply and Higher Education to award construction contract of ‘Sangili Palama’ rural water supply project implemented to provide relief for 3,050 people by 2039, to M/s Q-SJV (Qingdao Savinda JV) in accordance with the recommendation of the Cabinet-appointed standing procurement committee.

15. Procurement of fertilizer for 2019 (October)

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Economic Affairs, Irrigation and Fisheries and Aquatic Resourced Development to procure 2,000MT of Urea from Agri Commodities and Finance at a price of USD 299.50 per MT and 8,500 MT of Muriate of Potash from Agricultural Resources and Investments PVT Ltd at a price of USD 349.43 per MT.

16. Construction of landslide mitigation measures at six locations in the Sabaragamuwa and Uva provinces for the Landslide Disaster Prevention Project – Package 2

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Highways and Road Development and Petroleum Resources Development to revise the amount mentioned in the initial contract for the construction of landslide prevention measures in the Sabaragamuwa and Uva Provinces under Road Disaster Management Package 2 and to award this contract to R.R. – Soltec Joint Venture, the present contractor of the project.

17. Reconstruction of 25 bridges funded by the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) – procurement of Civil Works Contract

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Highways and Road Development and Petroleum Resources Development to award the construction contract of the second phase of this project to M/s ELS Construction (Pvt) Ltd for Rs. 1289.76 million.

18. Supply, installation, and assignment of explosive detection systems in cabin bags of Bandaranaike International Airport

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation to purchase Computed Tomography (C.T.) scanners under emergency procurement regulations as a replacement for old X-ray scanners now in use.

19. Procurement of an additional ship to shore gantry crane for Sri Lanka Ports Authority

The contract of supplying three ships to shore gantry cranes has been given to M/s Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries upon the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers. The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Ports and Shipping and Southern Development to grant the contract of supplying additional crane to the same M/s Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries following re-ordering process and under the regulations, conditions and the payment procedure of former contract.