COPA says more awareness needed on proper identification of SL national flower

• Committee says national flower ‘Water Lily’ often misidentified as Blue Water Lily
• Calls on Environment Ministry to initiate public awareness programs 

 

The Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) has instructed the Ministry of Environment to raise awareness of the national flower of Sri Lanka as the ‘Water Lily Flower’ through the National Institute of Education, the University Grants Commission, and other relevant agencies as well as newspaper advertisements.

The Committee has observed that although schools, Government and non-Government organisations have been made aware of this during awareness programs conducted by the Ministry of Environment, the message has not been communicated properly.

The Committee observed that as per the Cabinet decision taken in June 2015, the Ministry has failed to provide adequate publicity to inform the institutions under the Ministry and other Government agencies that the National Flower is the ‘Water Lily Flower’ while the national flower is still identified as the ‘Blue Water Lily’ on many occasions.

These matters were contained in the first report of the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament of the COPA Committee, which was tabled in Parliament yesterday by the COPA Chairman and MP Prof. Tissa Vitharana.

This report contains information on the investigations of seven Government Institutions summoned by the COPA and one Special Audit Report, during the period from 4 August to 19 November 2021.