Decisions taken by the Cabinet at its Meeting held on 16- 05- 2012
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- Published on Thursday, 17 May 2012 14:40
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1. 06 A new scheme to formalize the grant of Dual Citizenship
The Government has decided to amend the Citizenship Act No.18 of 1948 and the Immigration and Emigration Act No.20 of 1948 with a view to formalizing the grant of Dual Citizenship by the Establishment of the "Overseas Sri Lankans" Scheme -
• The proposal made by President Mahinda Rajapaksa and ap[proved by the Cabinet will make room for pre- examination to satisfy that a person applying for dual citizenship in Sri Lanka has fulfilled the requirements to make him eligible for such dual citizenship.
• The main amendments to be made will touch on the following:
o to establish a new scheme called "Overseas Sri Lankans" with a view to affording facilities to persons who have terminated citizenship in Sri Lanka, and their under aged children to enter Sri Lanka and to stay in Sri Lanka; and
o to afford the opportunity of applying for dual citizenship to those who have registered under the above scheme, only after being subjected to a pre- examination after being placed in a state of probation for a period of 05 years.
o Provisions will also be made to exempt persons from the requirement of registration under the new scheme when the President is of the opinion that granting of dual citizenship in Sri Laanka for persons who have terminated their citizenship in Sri Lanka will be beneficial to national interest.
2. 16 Rs 299 M for a three storied building for the Professorial Unit of the Eastern University
the Faculty of Health Care Sciences of
• The Eastern University of Sri Lanka functions as a National University consists of five (05) Faculties established for Agriculture, Science, Arts and Culture, Commerce and Management and Health Care Sciences, including the Campus at Trincomalee and Swami Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies, Batticaloa.
• The proposal made by Mr. S.B. Dissanayake, Minister of Higher Education, to construct a three storied building for the establishment of professorial unit at the Teaching Hospital, Batticaloa, for the Faculty of Healthcare Sciences of the Eastern University at a total cost of Rs.299 million, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.
• The Faculty for the Health Care Sciences established in 2005 currently has five batches of students reading for MBBS and three batches for B.Sc Nursing and the new facility will fulfill the needs of these students.
3. 22 Rs 1000 M for Special Flood Mitigation Projects in Colombo
• Several places in the Colombo Metropolitan Region are subjected to floods during heavy rains. On the direction of the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development, the SLLR&DC has initiated several urgent short term flood control measures to reduce the level of inundation in the region.
• These include cleaning of existing canal system, dredging of flood retention areas, creating water retention lakes and controlling haphazard filling of low lying lands etc.
• The SLLR&DC has prepared a special flood control project programme for the year 2012 and the proposal made by the President, in his capacity as the Minister of Defence and Urban Development, to implement it utilizing the budgetary allocation of Rs.800 million, was approved by the Cabinet.
• Some of the projects initiated during 2011 were creation of water retention lakes in Water’s Edge, Rampalawatta, Thalawathugoda, drainage improvement works near Devi Balika Vidyalaya, Cleaning of Colombo Canal system etc.
• This special flood control program for the year 2012 will cost Rs 1000 million
4. Restriction on Transportation of Sand further relaxed
• Cabinet paid its attention to the relaxing of restriction which had been placed on transporting of sands without permits.
• It was brought to the notice of the Cabinet that transporting sand cause heavy traffic congestion on main roads, particularly during peak hours as transportation of sand has been restricted for day time only.
• Therefore, it was decided that such sand transportation need not be restricted to day time only, as permits for such transport are not needed at present.
