Hon. Manjula Suraweera Arachchi

## Summary Hon. Manjula Suraweera Arachchi defended the government against Opposition allegations of a "coal scam," asserting that coal imports for the Norochcholai Lakvijaya power plant are being conducted through a transparent tender process approved by the National Procurement Commission and consistent with established procurement procedures. The speaker referenced prior COPE and FCID reports and a Supreme Court decision from approximately 2016 as evidence of wrongdoing by previous administrations, contrasting this with the current government's anti-corruption mandate. The speaker further outlined the government's energy policy trajectory, citing current generation of approximately 35% from hydro and 15–20% from solar and wind, with a target of 70% renewables by 2030, while characterising coal as a transitional necessity. The speech also claimed broader governance achievements including the conversion of loss-making state-owned enterprises to profitability and easing inflation, and challenged Opposition members to repeat their allegations outside the protection of parliamentary privilege.

Hon. Manjula Suraweera Arachchi formally presented a petition to the Speaker on behalf of Mr. A.K. Mahendran, a resident of No. 64, Ariyagama, Hatton. No further details regarding the subject matter or nature of the petition were stated in the speech.