“The Chairman of the Committee and Deputy Speaker Ananda Kumarasiri said the committee had completed 80% of the work in drafting the Bill and the process of submitting it to the Cabinet and obtaining approval would be expedited. He pointed out that the proposed act would empower the Commission to obtain and evaluate relevant information from any institution. Furthermore, he pointed out that it was essential that the Commission be an independent body as it had to conduct pre and post evaluations.

The Deputy Speaker said the commission will be tasked with providing recommendations regarding the productivity of the policies set forth by the parliament and the projects conducted with the funds allocated by parliament.“A Sectoral Oversight Committee (SOC) has been appointed to study the formation of the Independent Commission and to submit its recommendations for the preparation of the Bill ensuring the national evaluation capacity of Sri Lanka,” the statement said.