The inaugural meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials to establish an independent institution for planning and monitoring national policies was held at the Presidential Secretariat recently under the leadership of the Secretary to the President Saman Ekanayake, Secretary to the Prime Minister Anura Dissanayake and Chairman of the Finance Commission Sumit Abeysinghe.
Anura Dissanayake said a National Council was appointed to plan and monitor national policies according to the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, and two sub-committees were established under it.
One committee has been appointed under the leadership of MP Namal Rajapaksa and a group of Parliamentarians.
The President’s Media Division said under this, a National Assembly sub-committee has been appointed to identify the priorities for the formulation of medium and long-term national policies and at its first meeting in Parliament on the 10th of December, the “Committee of Senior Officials for the Establishment of an Independent Institution for the Planning and Monitoring of National Policies” was appointed.
The committee was entrusted with the responsibility of formulating a national policy for the next 25 years from 2023, under the vision of President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Accordingly, the President’s Secretary instructed the committee to table their ideas and suggestions for the formulation of the new national policy to the President’s office before the 20th of December, and explained the importance of taking into account the national policies that have been implemented in the country previously.
President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake stated that the draft of the new national policy will be prepared by the 27th of December and will be taken up for discussion by the committee and the final report will be forwarded to the Attorney General’s Department by the 15th of January 2023 for drafting of laws.
