The Committee on Public Accounts has instructed the Ministry of Environment to conduct public awareness campaigns as the public is still unaware that the national flower of Sri Lanka is not a ‘Nil Mahanel flower’ (Blue Water Lily flower) but a ‘Mahanel flower’ (Water Lily flower).
The Committee has observed that although schools, governmental and non-governmental organizations have been made aware of the National Flower during awareness programs conducted by the Ministry of Environment, it has not been done adequately.
Therefore, the public should be made aware of this through the National Institute of Education, the University Grants Commission, and other relevant institutions as well as through newspaper advertisements.
According to a Cabinet decision in June 2015, the national flower became the Mahanel flower (Water Lily flower).
The Committee has observed that the National Flower of Sri Lanka is still used as the ‘Nil Mahanel flower’ (Water Lily flower) in many instances as the Ministry of Environment has failed to provide adequate publicity to the institutions and other government agencies under its purview.
These facts were contained in the first report of the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament of the COPA Committee, which was tabled in Parliament today (20) by the Chairman of the Committee on Public Accounts, Prof. Tissa Vitarana.
This report contains information on the investigations of 7 Government Institutions convened by the Committee on State Accounts and one Special Audit Report during the period from 04.08.2021 to 19.11.2021.
