Divi Neguma Bill to be back anew

•  Govt. says it wil be made more in line with the Constitution

By Uditha Jayasinghe
Undeterred by the Supreme Court’s decision, the Government yesterday said it would push ahead with a revamped Divi Neguma Bill in the near future.
Deputy Economic Development Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywa-rdana told reporters that the Government would take the Court’s concerns into account but would push ahead with the Bill, which will also see 26,000 Samurdhi officials becoming fully-fledged public servants.

“The reason that we presented the bill without going through the provincial councils is because when we sought the advice of the Attorney General’s Department, they noted that it could be presented directly to Parliament. However, steps will now be taken to make the bill constitutional before it returns,” he said.
Disregarding critiques that the bill gives extensive powers to the Economic Development Minister, Abewardana defended the document by insisting that it was formulated to provide the best service to the poor.
Divi…
“The bill was to bring all the programs assisting poor people under one department for better management,” he stressed, adding that there was no conflict between the Executive and Judiciary.
He criticised the JVP for attempting to mislead the public by alleging that the Bill would cut the Samurdhi program.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday informed Parliament that the Divi Neguma Bill had to first go through the provincial councils before it could be allowed. Court had noted that the bill needed to be passed by the Provincial Councils because it dealt with powers that fall under the purview of the regional bodies.
Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa announced the determination during the afternoon session of Parliament.
The Supreme Court in late August took up three petitions challenging the constitutionality of the Economic Development Ministry’s Divi Neguma Bill, which was deemed by petitioners to be “vague and uncertain”.
The three-judge bench that heard submissions comprised Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake and Justices Priyasath Dep and S.E. Wanasundera. The petitions were filed by Chamara Madumma Kaluge, General Secretary of the Samurdhi Development Officers’ Union, the Centre for Policy Alternatives, and Wijitha Nanayakkara.
The bill seeks to repeal the Southern Development Authority, the Udarata Development Authority, and the Samurdhi Development Authority, transferring their powers and functions to the Department of Divi Neguma Development. This new department would function countrywide.