Decisions Taken by the Cabinet of Ministers on 09.10.2023

• 01. Acceptance of Medical Degrees awarded by internationally recognized universities as recognized medical degrees in Sri Lanka.

The Cabinet has given its approval in the Cabinet meeting held on 02.05.2023 to appoint a committee headed by the Secretary to the Prime Minister to prepare a national policy that includes the standards and criteria to be based on the recognition of medical degree courses offered by internationally recognized universities and to make appropriate recommendations to amend the provisions of the Medical Ordinance to suit the current needs. Based on the report containing the recommendations of the said committee, Hon. President and the Minister of Health presented a combined proposal to take the necessary steps to enact necessary legal provisions   so that the medical degrees awarded by foreign universities within No. 1 to 1000   international rankings, can be accepted in Sri Lanka. The proposal was granted the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers.

• 02. Sale of housing units in Lake Crest Residences housing project in Mandavila, Angoda on freehold basis.

The Lake Crest Residences housing project in Mandavila, Angoda implemented by the Urban Development Authority and consisting of 500 housing units, has been handed over to the beneficiaries in the year 2018. Accordingly the cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Urban Development to give freehold deeds according to the Condomium Law to the residents those who have settled all the payments related to the said house units and in the case of the residents who have not done so, to give freehold deeds after they have completed the relevant payments.

• 03. Development of the land called Hathbodhiyawatta in Narahenpita by providing houses under the Urban Revitalization Project to the residents of the low-facility settlement located there.

There is a low-facility settlement on the government owned land of 1 acre and 03 rood 10 perches called Hathbodhiyawatta in Narahenpita Kirula Grama Niladhari Division. The houses in this settlement are constantly exposed to disasters during the rainy season. It has been proposed to provide alternative housing for the families of the settlement from the housing schemes constructed under the Urban Revitalization Project by the Urban Development Authority. Accordingly the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Urban Development to provide houses from the housing schemes built in Colombo city under the urban development project to the residents of the said land and   then, to transfer the said land to the Urban Development Authority under Section 6(1) of the State Land Ordinance for the implementation of a mixed development project.

• 04. Compensation for crop damage in Yala season

About 58,770 acres of paddy and other crops have been damaged in the 2023 Yala season as a result of the inability to provide sufficient water due to bad weather conditions. Around  53,965 farmers have been affected due to that reason and the Cabinet of Ministers took into consideration a proposal made by the Minister of Agriculture regarding compensation to the affected farmers. Despite the difficult financial situation faced by the government, the Cabinet decided to allocate the necessary provisions to compensate the affected farmers under the current crop insurance scheme.

• 05. Conducting perimeter surveying of plantation lands managed by local plantation companies, State Plantation Corporation of Sri Lanka and Janatha Estate Development Board and preparing demarcation maps

The project of surveying the plantation lands which are administrated by the local plantation companies, State Plantation Corporation of Sri Lanka and Janatha Estate Development Board and preparing boundary maps has been started in 2018.  By now, the survey work has been completed covering a significant number of lands above. Accordingly the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Plantations to extend the project till the year 2027 so as to be able to carry out survey work to cover the remaining lands as well.

• 06. En-Route Navigation Facility Charges Regulations No 01 of 2023

En-Route Navigation Facility Charges regulations have been imposed in the year 1981 for aircraft flying through the Colombo Flight Information Region. These regulations have not been revised in the past period. Therefore, taking into account the policies of the International Civil Aviation Organization and the current global trends, the En-Route Navigation Facility Charges Regulations have been revised and published in the Extraordinary Gazette No. 2019/64, dated 16.02.2023 as En-Route Navigation Facility Charges Regulations No 01 of 2023. As such the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation to submit these regulations in the parliament for approval.

• 07. Preparation of the National Land Commission Act

In the 13^th Constitutional   Amendment, Schedule 9, List 1, Appendix II, provides for the establishment of a Land Commission. Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers Approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Tourism and Lands to advise the Legal Draftsman to prepare a bill based on the preliminary draft prepared for that purpose.

08. Empowering the Micro – Finance and Loan Regulation Authority Act.

Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers has been granted at their meeting held on 23.03.2021 to empower the Micro – Finance and Loan Regulation Authority Act by repealing the Micro – Finance Act No. 6 of 2016.  The clearance of the Attorney General has been granted for the relevant draft bill prepared by the Legal Draftsman as well. Therefore, the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers has been granted for the resolution furnished by the Hon. President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies to publish the aforementioned draft bill in the government gazette notification and thereby table the same in the Parliament for its concurrence.

09.  Draft bill named ‘Surakshithalath Ganudenu’ (‘Secured Transactions’)

Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was granted at their meeting held on 28.05.2019 to introduce a new act imposing provisions to establish the Secured Transactions Registration Authority by repealing the Secured Transactions Act No. 49 of 2009 and to amend the following acts parallel to it.

• Prescription (Amended) Bill
• Trust Receipts (Amended) Bill
• Mortgage (Amended) Bill
• Lease Financing (Amended) Bill
• Inland Trust Receipts (Amended) Bill
• Companies (Amended) Bill
• Document Registration (Amended) Bill

Accordingly, directions have been given to the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers held on 03.05.2021 to further study the draft bill prepared by the Legal Draftsman with the relevant authorities. The relevant draft bills have been updated by the Legal Draftsman and has obtained the clearance of the Attorney General as well. Therefore, the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers has been granted for the resolution furnished by the Hon. President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies to publish the aforementioned draft bills in the government gazette notification and thereby table the same in the Parliament for its concurrence.

10.  Draft Bill of National Hydrology

Directions have been given at the meeting of the cabinet of ministers held on 08.05.2023 to instruct the Legal Draftsman to draft a bill in order to impose regulations required for the development of the oceanic hydrology sector with the objective of upgrading Sri Lanka as the oceanic center in the South Asian region. Accordingly, the clearance of the Attorney General has been granted to the draft bill prepared by the Legal Draftsman. Therefore, the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers has been granted for the joint resolution furnished by the Hon. President in his capacity as the Minister of Defence joined with the Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms to publish the draft bill in the government gazette notification and thereby table the same in the Parliament for its concurrence.

11. Entering into a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Investment Promotion and the National Development and Reformation Commission of the Republic of China.

Concurrence between the parties has been given to enter into a memorandum of understanding to promote production capacity and investment cooperation between the National Development and Reformation Commission of the Republic of China and the Ministry of Investment Promotion of Sri Lanka. Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval for the resolution furnished by the Hon. President in his capacity as the Minister of Investment Promotion to sign the aforementioned memorandum of understanding.

12. Extension of the agreement period of marketing and investment framework between Sri Lanka and Australia.

Australia is one of the important direct overseas investment stakeholders of Sri Lanka while being the 05^th source of tourist destinations. A marketing and investment framework agreement has been signed between Sri Lanka and Australia on 02.11.2017 with the vision of promoting bi – lateral marketing and investment between the two countries. The Cabinet of Ministers has agreed to the proposal submitted by the Minister of Trade, Commerce and Food Security to extend the said agreement for another five (05) years from 10.10.2023 so that the marketing and investment cooperation can be continued uninterrupted as mentioned in the said agreement.