PARLIAMENT

Expert committee to take decisions on Agriculture Sector – Amaraweera

Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera told Parliament yesterday that all decisions with regard to the agriculture sector in the country will hereafter be taken by an expert committee and making the country self-sufficient will definitely be on its recommendations.

The Minister was responding to MP Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera under Standing Orders 27/2.

The Minister also said that the overall result of the banning of herbicides and chemical fertilizers containing Glyphosate was the beginning of the crisis in the agriculture sector today.

Farmers were forced to protest in the streets because of these wrong decisions, he said.

“But those who gave wrong advices in this regard never utter a word so far. Fertilizers banned in our country are being used in other countries today. Our people are fed with rice produced using low quality fertilizers in other countries. We are working to change this situation systematically.'' he added.

 

Attempt to replace CB  Governor – Bakeer Markar

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Imitiaz Bakeer Markar questioned if the Government is trying to target the Central Bank Governor to replace him.

MP Markar said when he listened to MP Vajira Abeywardena's speech during the debate, he felt as if there is an attempt to target the CB governor and replacing him.

MP Markar was participating in the interim budget debate 2022 in Parliament yesterday (1).

MP Markar said that when the CB governor visited Parliament for a meeting, one Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP had alleged that the Governor has dual citizenship. Acts like these predicts what is going to happen in the future, MP Markar said.

MP Markar said that the House should operate in good faith if it wants to rescue the country from the dire situation it is in. He also said that while the country is going forward with economic policy changes, it should also adopt a better political culture.

Programme to provide  schoolchildren with free meals should be strenthened  – Education Minister

Leader of the House and Education Minister Susil Premajayantha told Parliament yesterday that the programme to provide free meals to schoolchildren should be further strengthened. “I have already commenced discussions with various international partners and organisations to strenthen this programme to raise nutritional level of the schoolchildren,” the Minister said.

The American government has donated a stock of dry food to this country to increase the nutritional level of schoolchildren. The Minister said was responding to several reports on media regarding the food stock by the USA to the country. He said that these reports are false and baseless.

“It’s a problem if children are not having proper food when they come to schools. If I can provide a meal to the children even by begging, I will do so. The programme of providing free meals to the children is already in operation in some schools. But this programme needs to be further strengthened to produce a healthy young generation,” the Minister said.