Pursuant to the decision taken by the Board of Management of the NSF action was taken to set up a Steering Committee (SC) which will serve as a guiding force for national development and nation building with the immediate objective of constructing a roadmap to tide over the present crisis and rebuild the economy and assist in its implementation. This will involve bringing together the professionals, scientists, technologists, scholars, entrepreneurs and community leaders from diverse disciplines from the public and private institutions and community-based organizations under one roof and welding them into a cohesive, close-knit and formidable force to advance the said cause.
The Steering Committee comprises of the following:
- Mr. M.D.D. Peiris, former Secretary to several ministries (Public Sector)
- Mr. Chadrasena Maliyadde, former Secretary to several ministries and Vice President of Sri Lanka Economic Association (Planning and Implementation)
- Mr. H.M.G.S Palihakkara, former Secretary of foreign affairs (International Relations)
- Dr. Chandra Embuldeniya, former President of the National Chamber of Commerce and founder Vice-Chancellor of the Uva-Wellassa University (Education)
- Dr. P.A. Kiriwandeniya, the founder and ideological leader of the SANASA Movement (Rural Development)
- Prof. Ananda Jayawardena, Chairman of the Commercial Bank and former Vice-Chancellor, Univ. of Moratuwa (Engineering)
- Prof. Saroj Jayasinghe, Emeritus Professor, Univ. of Colombo (Health)
- Prof. Ajith de Alwis, Dean, Faculty of Postgraduate Studies, Univ. of Moratuwa (S&T)
- Mr. Kulatunga Rajapaksa, Emeritus Managing Director, DSI Samson Group (Private Sector and Trade)
- Mr. Rizvi Zaheed, Chairman, Agri-preneurs Forum (Agriculture)
This will be expanded to include a veteran in the field of Law and Social Justice.
The SC will appoint Think-Tanks and Action-Tanks to deal with the major sectors and fields including Education, Vocational & Higher Education, Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Environment, Health, Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation, Energy, Water, Environment, Local Industry & SME, Law & Social Justice and Foreign Relations.
The first meeting of the SC was held in the boardroom of the NSF on the 29th April 2022 under the chairmanship of Prof. Ranjith Senaratne, Chairman, NSF with the participation of its Director General Dr. Sepalika Sudasinghe. Regular meetings will be held with a view to transforming this forum into a perennial source of light, inspiration, direction and strength to the nation and a whistle-blowing instrument of the country.
