Colombo: The Sri Lankan parliament on Monday invited the youth, who are university graduates, to serve in its sectoral oversight committees, amidst growing demand to meet the aspirations of the youth in the crisis-hit island nation.
In newspaper notices published here on Monday, the parliament asked for youth between 18 and 35 years to serve in 17 oversight committees in parliament.
“The chair of a committee may summon five youth representatives each to assist the committees in relation to the inquiries conducted by the committees,” the report said.
The Parliament had amended its standing orders to facilitate youth participation in the country’s affairs, the notice in the newspapers said.
Since the street protests that happened in the country earlier this year amidst the ongoing economic crisis, the government vowed to introduce many reforms to meet the aspirations of the youth.
Youth representation at public protests heightened as they clamoured for “system change” meaning a wide range of reforms.
The popular protest movement forced the resignation of the then president Gotabaya Rajapaksa in July this year.
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His successor Ranil Wickremesinghe has brought in several reforms, including the 21st amendment to the Constitution.
Since early February, the country has been plunged into a severe economic crisis, leading to a shortage of essential commodities and culminating in the first-ever sovereign default by the government in mid-April.
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