[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"site-shell":3,"taxonomy":4,"category-parliament":5,"breaking":12,"category-articles-parliament-1":25},[4,4],true,{"data":6},{"id":7,"name":8,"slug":9,"description":10,"parentId":10,"iconKey":10,"colorHex":10,"coverMediaId":10,"articleCount":11},"6a8de2d61984b727d3b0b547","Parliament","parliament",null,0,{"data":13},{"articles":14,"ticker":15},[],[16,19,22],{"id":17,"text":18,"link":10},"6a88f1671984b727d3b0b4a0","Parliament passes amended budget bill after marathon debate",{"id":20,"text":21,"link":10},"6a88f1671984b727d3b0b4a1","Central Bank holds policy rate steady amid inflation concerns",{"id":23,"text":24,"link":10},"6a88f1671984b727d3b0b4a2","Sri Lanka clinches series win over Bangladesh in thrilling finish",{"data":26,"meta":65},[27,48],{"id":28,"lang":29,"title":30,"subtitle":10,"slug":31,"excerpt":32,"html":33,"readingTimeSec":34,"seo":10,"type":35,"status":36,"primaryCategoryId":7,"categoryIds":37,"tagIds":38,"authorIds":39,"coverMediaId":40,"galleryMediaIds":41,"videoUrl":10,"publishedAt":42,"isBreaking":43,"isFeatured":43,"isPinned":43,"allowComments":4,"visibility":44,"location":10,"stats":45,"relatedArticleIds":47},"6a985ebf55750bd6c4a63727","en","Committee requests quality reports on imported coal consignments","committee-requests-quality-reports-on-imported-coal-consignments","Committee requests quality reports on coal consignments in three imported vessels  Matters relating to coal imported to Sri Lanka for electricity generation were examined at the Sectoral Oversight Committee on ...","\u003Cp>The Sectoral Oversight Committee on Infrastructure and Strategic Development requested quality reports on coal consignments in three imported vessels after examining matters relating to coal imported to Sri Lanka for electricity generation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The review took place when the committee met in Parliament recently under the chairmanship of S. M. Marikkar, Member of Parliament. Officials from the Ministry of Power and Energy and the Lanka Coal Company (Private) Limited were summoned to attend the meeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The committee sought clarifications from officials on procedures followed in the coal importation process. Particular attention was given to the procedures used in the most recent coal imports, and officials were questioned in detail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chairman inquired whether any issues had arisen concerning the quality of the coal most recently imported into the country. Officials informed the committee that samples from three coal vessels that arrived in Sri Lanka had been sent to India for quality testing, and that accurate information could be provided once the relevant reports were received.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The matter was discussed at length. The chairman stated that the former chairman of Lanka Coal (Private) Limited, who was involved in the processes related to the importation of these coal consignments, would be summoned before the committee at its next meeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chairman instructed officials to submit to the committee, on the same day of the next meeting, the quality reports of the coal in the three vessels that arrived in Sri Lanka, as well as the laboratory reports conducted in Sri Lanka on the quality of coal contained in the most recently arrived vessel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Members of the committee, Members of Parliament Ajith P. Perera and Chathura Galappaththi, were present at the meeting.\u003C\u002Fp>",76,"standard","published",[7],[],[],"6a985ebf55750bd6c4a63723",[],"2026-01-27T09:54:54.000Z",false,"public",{"views":34,"uniqueViews":11,"shares":11,"comments":11,"likes":11,"trendScore":46},40,[],{"id":49,"lang":29,"title":50,"subtitle":10,"slug":51,"excerpt":52,"html":53,"readingTimeSec":54,"seo":10,"type":35,"status":36,"primaryCategoryId":7,"categoryIds":55,"tagIds":56,"authorIds":57,"coverMediaId":58,"galleryMediaIds":59,"videoUrl":10,"publishedAt":60,"isBreaking":43,"isFeatured":43,"isPinned":43,"allowComments":4,"visibility":44,"location":10,"stats":61,"relatedArticleIds":64},"6a985ebf55750bd6c4a63731","Speaker endorses certificate on three Bills","speaker-endorses-certificate-on-three-bills","The Speaker, Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne announced to the House today that he endorsed the certificate on three Bills on 17.12.2025. Accordingly, the Speaker endorsed the certificate on the Bills titled Social Sec...","\u003Cp>The Speaker, Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, announced to the House today that he endorsed the certificate on three Bills on 17.12.2025.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bills were the Social Security Contribution Levy (Amendment), the Betting and Gaming Levy (Amendment), and the Strategic Development Projects (Amendment). They will come into force as the Social Security Contribution Levy (Amendment) Act, No. 24 of 2025, the Betting and Gaming Levy (Amendment) Act, No. 25 of 2025, and the Strategic Development Projects (Amendment) Act, No. 26 of 2025.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Social Security Contribution Levy (Amendment) Bill had the primary purpose of amending the Social Security Contribution Levy Act, No. 25 of 2022. It was presented to Parliament on 09.10.2025 and passed in Parliament on 05.12.2025.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Betting and Gaming Levy (Amendment) Bill, duly passed on 05.12.2025, aimed to amend Section 2 of the principal enactment. Amendments to the Bill aimed to limit the gross collection of ten per centum to have been applicable only for the time period from April 1, 2023, to October 1, 2025, increase the gross collection levy from persons carrying on a business of bookmaker or business of gambling to eighteen per centum from October 1, 2025, and increase the casino entrance levy from persons who are citizens of Sri Lanka to United States Dollars one hundred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Strategic Development Projects (Amendment) Bill was presented to Parliament on 14.11.2025 and passed in Parliament on 05.12.2025 to amend the Strategic Development Projects Act, No. 14 of 2008. The amendments included reducing the maximum tax holiday period from twenty-five years to ten years; mandating a new process for project identification, the Board of Investment (BOI) identifying a project and referring it to the Ministry of Finance for a mandatory ex-ante cost-benefit analysis before any tax holiday or concession was granted; establishing new requirements for ex-post monitoring by the BOI, including the authority to impose administrative penalties or restrict or revoke exemptions for non-compliance with key performance indicators; requiring tax returns to be filed; and mandating the Ministry of Finance to publish an annual report on tax expenditures related to these projects.\u003C\u002Fp>",94,[7],[],[],"6a985ebf55750bd6c4a6372d",[],"2025-12-18T07:16:12.000Z",{"views":62,"uniqueViews":11,"shares":11,"comments":11,"likes":11,"trendScore":63},46,34,[],{"total":66,"page":67,"limit":68,"hasMore":43},2,1,12]