1. Strengthening the multi – lateral approach to prevention and control of Dengue.

Dengue has become the foremost public health issue by now within Sri Lanka while a reported count of 25,910 patients and 19 deaths have been reported by November 2021.
Therefore, it has been planned to implement a consolidated national programme with the participation of all the relevant parties through the Ministries in order to prevent any
pandemic situations since Dengue spread which has developed up to a red alert level shows father improvement during the monsoons. Accordingly, the cabinet of ministers approved the following resolutions tabled by His Excellency the President.

 Nominate one officer in each establishment for permanent maintenance of prevention and control activities for Dengue

 Review at the district coordination committees and divisional coordination committees and take necessary actions
 Entrusting the responsibility of coordination of provincial, district, divisional and grassroot level Dengue prevention to provincial Governors.
 Updating the prevailing laws applicable to prevention of Dengue.
 Entrusting the sole responsibility of coordinating all the activities pertaining to Dengue prevention to National Dengue Prevention Unit.

2. Utilizing the community - based database of ‘e – Grama Niladhari’ project instead of the previously existed house holders’ register.

Numerous issues have been erupted due to issuance of certificates pertaining to residency based on electoral register by the Grama Niladhari officers and not
implementing the methodology of maintaining the householder head list. By now ‘e – Grama Niladhari’ project has been inaugurated under the State Ministry of Home Affairs and a house and citizens database is being developed while it has been planned to implement throughout the 14,022 Grama Niladhari divisions under several phases.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal submitted by His Excellency the President as the Minister of Defence to conceptually accept the database
of ‘e – Grama Niladhari’ project as the national database for the requirements of previously existed householders list method.

3. Identification and declaration of urban areas situated in Pradeshiya Sabha limits.

“Administrative Unit” is utilized as the main criterion for categorizing the areas as urban areas. Accordingly, only the municipal council areas and urban council areas are categorized by now as urban areas. Due to the weakness in the criterion most of the urbanized areas are recognized as rural areas that occurs the requirement of an accurate definition of urbanization. The Department of National Physical Planning is entrusted with the power to declare the urban development areas in terms of Town and Country Planning Act No. 13 of 1946 amended by the act No. 49 of 2000. Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers have granted approval for the proposal submitted by Hon. Prime Minister as the Minister of Urban Development and Housing to identify the urban areas in the Pradeshiya Sabha territories with the assistance of a consultancy committee and to
declare the urban and country areas identified in those Pradeshiya Sabha areas subject to the Town and Country Planning Ordinance.

4. Entering into a Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Ruhuna and the University of Hokkaido Ban Kiyo of Japan.

It has been proposed to enter into a memorandum of understanding between the University of Ruhuna and the University of Hokkaido Ban Kiyo of Japan for higher education cooperation between the two parties. It is expected to exchange faculties, researchers and other research and administrative staff, implement student exchange programmes, to promote consolidated research activities, to exchange academic information and materials etc., under this memorandum of understanding which will be effective throughout five (05) years. Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal submitted by the Minister of Education to sign the said Memorandum of Understanding.

5. Naming Lunugamvehera National Park as Yala Zone No VI

In 1995, Yala East Reserve and the a western region of the Udawalawe National Park covering 23499 hectares have been declared as “Lunugamwehera National Park”, a habitat for errant elephants. This National Park has the same climatic as the Yala National Park and the inhabitant animal species of the two parks are also similar. Accordingly, the cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by Hon. Minister of Wildlife and Forest Conservation to declare the “Lunugamvehera National Park” as
Yala National Park Zone No. VI instead of maintaining as two national parks with similar climatic features, biodiversity and ecological characteristics.

6. Allocation of lands from local industrial estates for setting up industries

Regional Industrial Estate Program is a major program implemented with the objective of regional level industrial development. Selection of appropriate investors for the
program is done after a thorough evaluation of the Project proposals by the "Regional Industrial Services Committee" established under the Industrial Promotion Act No. 46 of 1990 and the "Ministry Project Evaluation Committee" maintained under the Ministry of Industry. Accordingly, the above committees have studied 27 project  proposals and recommended allotment of lands in 15 industrial estates for the implementation of those projects. Selected investors are expected to invest Rs. 4,523.34 million and to generate 2477 direct employment opportunities. Accordingly the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by Hon. Minister of Industries to allocate the relevant investors land portions on 35 year long term lease basis.

7. Transfer of the land on which the Kundasale Hotel School is established to the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management

The Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management, Sri Lanka operates training centers covering all nine provinces of the country to train young people in various fields of
hospitality and tourism. The Kundasale Hotel School has been established on a 0.545 hectare land owned by the Road Development Authority. The hotel school was built in 2009 at a cost of 450 million rupees, but the Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management has not yet received a legal title to the land. Accordingly cabinet of ministers approved the proposal made by the Minister of Tourism to take over the relevant land to the Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management as a grant in accordance with the provisions of the Government Land Ordinance.

8. Amendment of Land Development Ordinance

It has been observed that due to certain conditions included in the grants issued in accordance with the provisions of the Land Development Ordinance, it is not possible to
utilize the lands belonging to those grants in the most effective manner. Therefore, the Cabinet approval was granted on 04.01.2021 to amend the Land Development
Ordinance to enable those conditions to be amended in a manner that is more beneficial  to the public. Accordingly, the Attorney General's clearance has been received for the Bill prepared by the legal draftsman. The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Lands to publish the said Bill in the Gazette and then
submit it to Parliament for approval.

9. Amendment to the Code of Criminal Procedure - Imposition of the death penalty on minors.

Steps have been taken to amend Article 53 of the Penal Code to enable that the death penalty should not be imposed or recorded against anyone under the age of 18 at the
time of the offense, in the opinion of the court, and that the death penalty could be replaced by detention as long as the President wishes. However, Section 281 of the Criminal Procedure Code Act does not provide for the imposition of the death penalty on a person under the age of 18 at the time of the offense. Therefore, it has been identified that the Code of Criminal Procedure Act also should be amended accordingly to remove the existing uncertainty. The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by Hon Minister of Justice to amend the section 281 of the Code of Criminal Procedure act accordingly.