The National Council for Disaster Management yesterday convened for the first time in seven years, during which the Disaster Management Plan and the National Emergency Operations Plan were presented and approved.

According to the President’s Office, the 14th session of the Council was held at the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

The Council was established under the Disaster Management Act No. 13 of 2005, following the national need that emerged after the 2004 tsunami. The last meeting was held on April 5, 2018.

The Council is responsible for overseeing the duties assigned to all institutions involved in disaster management, minimizing disaster risks across the country and making necessary policy decisions to guide those efforts. It also coordinates and facilitates disaster risk mitigation activities at national and provincial levels through the Disaster Management Centre. 

The discussion yesterday focused on new trends, future plans and current measures for disaster risk reduction in Sri Lanka. The Council emphasized the importance of establishing a unified and centrally coordinated mechanism to enhance the efficiency of disaster management.

In light of prevailing climate-related challenges, the committee underscored the need to enhance disaster management mechanisms and concluded that the existing legislation must be amended to reflect contemporary needs and emerging risks.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake instructed the relevant officials to revise current financial limitations associated with disaster management and relief, as well as to allocate the required financial resources to restart halted projects.

The President further instructed officials to update the Disaster Management Act in alignment with current conditions and challenges.

A proposal to establish a dedicated Disaster Management Fund was also presented and received the approval of the committee.

The President instructed officials to expedite the identification of vulnerable homes, evacuate people from those homes and assess their safety.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake proposed an increase in the compensation provided by the government for housing.

He also directed attention to the people who are still living in displacement camps. It was revealed during the meeting that 58 families from Badulla and Punagala are still residing in such camps.

Uva Province Governor, Attorney-at-Law J.M. Kapila Jayasekera stated that steps are currently being taken to resettle these 58 families before the end of August.

As per the Act, the President serves as the Chair of the Council, the Prime Minister as the Vice Chair, and members include the Leader of the Opposition, relevant subject Ministers, Chief Ministers of provinces (or Governors in their absence) and five Members of Parliament or experts appointed by the Parliament. A Minister may also be temporarily appointed to the Council based on necessity.

Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, was appointed as the Secretary to the Council, and accordingly, he will serve as a member of the Disaster Management Committee.

The Council is assigned 15 key responsibilities, including the formulation of a National Policy on Disaster Management, which has already been developed and distributed among members. This policy covers critical areas such as protecting lives and the environment, rehabilitation, public awareness, training and relief provision. (Newswire)

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Members have been appointed to the National Procurement Commission, the President’s Media Division (PMD) announced.

The members were appointed by President Ranil Wickremesinghe on the recommendation of the Constitutional Council. 

The PMD stated that Mrs. W. Sudharma Karunaratne has been appointed as the Chairman of the National Procurement Commission.

Warnakulasuriya Ivan Thisera, D. Piyasiri Daranagama, Sumandiran Sinnakandu, and A.G. Pubudu Asanga Gunawamsa are the other members of the Commission. (NewsWire)

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The discussion held on Monday (13) between the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) regarding the electricity bill ended without agreement, the National Council was informed by the respective officials today (14).

According to a statement by the Parliament of Sri Lanka, the National Council informed the aforesaid parties to arrive at a decision on the matter yesterday (13) when the National Council met in the morning. 

Accordingly, officials representing the PUCSL and the CEB informed that they had met and had taken the matter up for discussion last afternoon. The officers present informed the National Council that they could not reach a final decision regarding the matter.

The officials of the Public Utilities Commission said that the commission will meet today to discuss the matter and take a final decision.

The said matter was taken up for discussion at the National Council meeting held today (14) under the patronage of Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.   

The Speaker mentioned that when the National Council met earlier, the Public Utilities Commission informed the Council that it would inform the Council of the final decision regarding the increase of the electricity bill before the 15th of February 2023.

Therefore, the Speaker stated that he expects a response tomorrow (15) regarding the matter.

Ministers Kanchana Wijesekera and Tiran Alles, State Ministers D. V. Chanaka and Indika Anuruddha, and MPs Patali Champika Ranawaka, and Sagara Kariyawasam were present at the Council meeting. Kushani Rohanadeera, Chief of Staff and Deputy Secretary General of the Parliament was also present at the Council meeting. (NewsWire)

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