2. Amendment to 'Employees' Provident Fund Act, No.I5 of 1958 - Introduction of Provisions on Payment of Dividend to Members and Enhancement of Employers' Contribution – the Central Bank of Sri Lanka manages the Employees' Provident Fund which has an asset base of Rs.I trillion and the bank in recent years has invested about 10% of its assets in income earning commercialassets which has gained capital appreciation of around Rs.10 billion this year. It is intended to distribute dividends to members of the Provident Fund who have active accounts of over ten years, and also to increase the employer contribution to the fund by 2% making it 14% by the employer so that each employee will have 22% saving from their salaries, in keeping with the Budget proposals for the year 2015. The proposal made by Hon. Gamini Lokuge, Minister of Labour and Labour Relations, to instruct the Legal Draftsman to draft amending legislation to the Employees' Provident Fund Act, No.I5 of 1958 accordingly, was approved by the Cabinet.
3. Awarding the Bachelor of Education Degree to prospective Teachers of National Colleges of Education - there are 19 Colleges of Education functioning at present and the annual intake for training in these colleges is around 3000 students. The proposal made by Hon, Bandula Gunawardena, Minister of Education, to extend the period of study of the students in a College of Education by one more year, making the total period as four years commencing from the 2014 student intake and grant them the Bachelor of Education Degree after successful completion of the course of study was approved by the Cabinet.
4. Meeriyabedda Landslide - Financial assistance for funeral expenses to the Next-of-Kin of deceased persons and, to meet medical expenses of those who were injured - the proposal made by Hon. Mahinda Arnaraweera, Minister of Disaster Management, to provide relief to the victims of the above disaster as follows, was approved by the Cabinet:
• payment of Rs.100.000/- each on behalf of the 12 persons who had died and 20 persons who had disappeared due to the above disaster, after proper identification of the eligible recipients;
• payment upto a maximum of Rs.50,000/- each to the five persons who were injured, taking into consideration the nature of their injuries and Rs.I0,000/- to be paid as an initial installment; and
• payment of Rs.25,000/- each to the widow / widower or the next-of-kin of the deceased persons as funeral expenses.
5. Reduction of Landslide Risk of Vulnerable Communities - the Government has already allocated necessary financial provision in the 2015 Budget for the construction of 50,000 houses for the community living in estate related areas including the families facing landslide risks. Under this programme, action is being taken jointly by the Urban Development Authority and the Ministry of Livestock and Rural Community Development, on priority basis, through the Plantation Human Development Trust, for the construction of houses for the estates identified as high risk zones by the National Building Research Organization (NBRO), including the estate which was subjected to the recent landslide disaster. The proposal made by Hon. Mahinda Amaraweera, Minister of Disaster Management, to proceed with the activities relating to the identification of areas which are vulnerable to landslide disasters through suitable technical methodologies and taking measures to minimize landslide risks, was approved by the Cabinet.
6. 'Construction of a Five Storied Office Building at the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWS&DB) Head Office Premises, Ratmalana - the proposal made by Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena, Minister of Water Supply and Drainage, to construct a Five Storied Office Building at Ratmalana for the National Water Supply and Drainage Board and to proceed with the related activities was approved by the Cabinet.
7. Supply and Installation of 10 Nos. Solar Universal Pumps and Drinking Water Treatment Plants - the proposal made by Hon, Dinesh Gunawardena, Minister of Water Supply and Drainage, for the Supply and Installation of 10 Nos. Solar Universal Pumps and Drinking Water Treatment Plants, with the view to providing safe drinking water to the people living in areas where the chronic kidney disease prevails, was approved by the Cabinet.
8. Construction of a two storied building for Dining Hall and a Multi Purpose Student Centre under the Relocation of the Buddhasravaka Bhikhu University of Sri Lanka - the proposal made by Hon. S.B. Dissanayake, Minister of Higher Education, to construct a two storied building to be used as a Dining Hall at a cost of Rs.171.6 million and a Multi Purpose Student Centre at a cost of Rs.76.4 million and to proceed with the related activities, was approved by the Cabinet.
9. Construction of a New Building for Mullaithivu Police Station - the proposal made by H.E. the President, in his capacity as the Minister of Law and Order, to construct a new building for the Mullaithivu Police Station at a cost of Rs.209 million, was approved by the Cabinet.
10. Submission of the Gazette Notification issued under the Import and Export Control Act, No.1 of 1969 to Parliament to meet the Legal Requirement - the proposal made by H.E. the President, in his capacity as the Minister of Finance and Planning, to submit the Gazette Extraordinary Notification No.1889/15 dated 2014-11-18 relating to rescinding of the Gazette Extraordinary Notification No.1883/16 dated 2014-10-10 on suspension of the importation of potatoes, to Parliament for approval, was approved by the Cabinet.
11. Construction of the Head Office Building for the Excise Department of Sri Lanka - the proposal made by H.E. the President, in his capacity. as the Minister of Finance and Planning, to award the contract for the construction of the Head Office Building for the Excise Department of Sri Lanka at Rajagiriya, as recommended by the Standing Cabinet Appointed Procurement Committee (SCAPC), was approved by the Cabinet.
12. Implementation of 22 Water Supply Projects with funding secured from Local Banks for the Enhancement of Pipe Borne Water Supply Service coverage by the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) on Priority Basis - the Ministry of Water Supply and Drainage has drawn up an accelerated programme for the implementation of 22 water supply projects with local bank financing, covering all Provinces of the country and it is expected to provide safe drinking water to a population of 150,000 by March 2015. The proposal made by H.E. the President. in his capacity as the Minister of Finance and Planning, to proceed with the activities relating to the funding arrangements for the purpose, was approved by the Cabinet.
13. Implementation of Medirigiriya Water Supply Project with Funding Secured from Local Banks with a Treasury Guarantee - the proposal made by H.E. the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance and Planning, to proceed, with the activities relating to the funding arrangements for the purpose, was approved by the Cabinet. This project is scheduled to be completed in 2016.
14. Construction of Outer Circular Highway Project Phase III - the Outer Circular Highway with a total length of 29.22 km starts from Kottawa and traverses through Kaduwela, Kadawatha and ends up at Kerawalapitiya. It will radiate from the city of Colombo and link Southern Expressway, Colombo - Katunayake Expressway. Northern Expressway and other major National Highways. The proposal made by H.E. the President, in his capacity as the Minister of Finance and Planning to proceed with the activities relating to the funding arrangements for the purpose, was approved by the Cabinet.
15. Hatton – Nuwara Eliya Road Improvement Project - the objectives of this project are the rehabilitation of the road section between Hatton and Nuwara Eliya to improve the accessibility to the people living in the area, eliminate traffic congestion and enhance road safety. The project includes widening and improvement of 35.6 km long Hatton-Nuwara Eliya Road with 2 lane facility. The proposal made by H.E. the President, in his capacity as the Minister of Finance and Planning, to proceed with the activities relating to the funding arrangements for the purpose, was approved by the Cabinet.
16. Implementation of Priority Water Supply Projects with funding secured from Local Banks - Award of contract for Uragasmanhandiya, Gonapinuwala, Dikkumbura and Weligama Water Supply Projects - Cabinet approval has already been granted to the proposal made by Hon, Dinesh Gunawardena, Minister of Water Supply and Drainage to award the above contract as recommended by the Standing Cabinet Appointed Procurement Committee (SCAPC). The proposal made by H.E the President, in his capacity as the Minister of Finance and Planning to proceed with the activities relating to the funding arrangements for the purpose, was approved by the Cabinet.
17. Major Bridges Construction Project of the National Road Network funded by Japan International Cooperatlon Agency (JICA) - the Government of Sri Lanka has received a loan of JY 12,381 million from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) towards the cost of the Major Bridges Construction Project of the National Road Network. Thirty seven (37) bridges which are narrow or in weak condition on the National Highway Network in the Western, Southern, North Western, Northern and Sabaragamuwa Provinces have been identified for this project. The Contract Package 01 includes 10 bridges. The proposal made by H.E. the President in his capacity as the Minister of Highways, Ports and Shipping, to award the contract for the Contract Package 01 as recommended by the Standing Cabinet Appointed Procurement Committee (SCAPC) was approved by the Cabinet.
18. Awarding Contract for Remedial works of Victoria Dam - the Government has received a loan from the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank towards the cost of Dam Safety and Water Resources Planning Project. The proposal made by Hon. Nimal Siripala De Silva, Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Management, to apply a part of the funds for remedial works of the Victoria Dam and to award the above contract as recommended by the Standing Cabinet Appointed Procurement Committee (SCAPC), was approved by the Cabinet.
19. Extension of the term of office of the National Delimitation Committee on Demarcation of Wards far Local Authorities - the proposal made by Hon. A.L.M. Athaullah, Minister of Local Government and Provincial Councils to extend the term of office of the National Delimitation Committee on Demarcation of Wards of Local Authorities from 2014-12-31 to 2015-03-10, was approved by the Cabinet.
20. Clean Energy & Network Efficiency Improvement Project - Package 3 - 220 kv Transmission Infrastructure Project - Lot-A Construction of New Grid Substations at Polpitiya and Padukka and Augmentation of Existing , 220/132/33 kv Grid Substation at Pannipitiya - the proposal made by Hon. (Mrs.) Pavlthra Wanniarachchi, Minister of Power and Energy, to award the above contract as recommended by the Standing Cabinet Appointed Procurement Committee (SCAPC), was approved by the Cabinet .
21. Memorandum of Understanding between the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKIIRSS), Colombo and the China Institute for Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), Beijing - the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Relations and Strategic Studies is a multi - disciplinary research forum dedicated to analyzing Sri Lanka's strategic interests in the realm of international relations within the contemporary domestic and global contexts. This institute functions as a forum for the generation of research and analysis, with a view to providing inputs to national policy formulation. The proposal made by Hon, (Prof') G.L. Peiris, Minister of External Affairs to enter into the above Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries, was approved by the Cabinet.
22. Fertilizer Procurement - Maha Season 2014/15 - supply of fertilizer under the subsidy scheme is handled by the Ceylon Fertilizer Company Limited (CFC) and Colombo Commercial Fertilizer Limited (CCF) which fall under the purview of the Ministry of Agriculture. The proposals made by Hon, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Minister of Agriculture to award the contracts for the procurement of fertilizer for the Maha Season 2014/15 as recommended by the Standing Cabinet Appointed Procurement Committee (SCAPC) at its meeting held on 2014-09-24, was approved by the Cabinet.
23. Proposed Training Centre to be constructed at Kotawilawatta, Matara in parallel to the 'Deyata .Kirula' National Exhibition - the proposal made by Hon. Chandrasiri Gajadeera, Minister of Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms, to construct the above training centre to be utilized as the training school for the officers of the Department of Prisons, was approved by the Cabinet.
24. Construction of a Permanent Building and an Access Roadway for the Office of the Public Service Commission - the proposal made by H.E. the President, to award the contract for the construction of a permanent building for the office of the Public Service Commission, as recommended by the Cabinet. Appointed Procurement Committee (CAPC) was approved by the Cabinet.
25. Construction of houses to resettle the affected families due to the Landslide Disaster which occurred at Meeriyabedda, Koslanda on 29.10.2014 - an extent of approximately 02 acres of land in Malvern Division of Ampitikanda Koslanda Estate owned by the Maskeliya Plantation Company has been allocated to construct houses for the 75 families affected due to the Landslide which occurred at Meeriyabedda, Koslanda on 29.10.2014 and the National Building Research Organization (NBRO) has recommended that the said land is suitable for the construction of houses. The construction work will be carried out by the Urban Development Authority and the foundation laying ceremony initiating construction work is scheduled to be held on 2014-12-18. The above information was provided to the Cabinet jointly by Hon. Arumugan Thodaman, Minister of Livestock and Rural Community Development and Hon. Mahinda Samarasinghe, Minister of Plantation Industries.
