President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appointed a 18-member De-Regulation Commission for the simplification of the existing laws and regulations in the interest of the people, the President's Media Division said. It said the Commission is co-chaired by Principal Advisor to the President, Lalith Weeratunga and John Keells Group Chairman Krishan Balendra. The other members of the Commission are: 1.  S.D.A.B. Boralessa – Secretary, State Ministry of Land Management, State Enterprises Land and Property Development 2. M.M.C. Ferdinando – Retired Ministry Secretary, Power sector 3. Suresh de Mel – Chairman, Export Development Board 4. C. Weligamage – Director General, Department of Public Finance 5. Chandana Kumarasinghe – Director General of Establishments, Ministry of Public Services, Provincial Councils and Local Government 6. Harsha Cabral – Company Law expert 7. Nihal Jayawardana – President’s Counsel 8. Thishan Subashinghe – Chartered Accountant of Sri Lanka 9. Ranjith Gunathilake – Chief Executive Officer, Sanken Constructions (Private) Limited 10. Renuka Weerakoon – Executive Director, Board of Investments of Sri Lanka 11. Gerard Ondaatjie – Board of Director, Mercantile Investments and Finance PLC 12. Arjun Fernando – Non-Executive Director, Nations Trust Bank 13. S.P. Liyanarachchi- SME Construction Sector 14. Anslem Perera – Managing Director, Mlesna Tea 15. Nissanka Wijeratna – Secretary General/ Chief Executive Officer, Chamber of Construction Industry 16. Chandra Wickremasinghe – Chairman/ Director General, Theme Resorts and Spas The tasks of the Commission include reviewing all laws, regulations and circular instructions pertaining to Government finance, revenue laws and circular instructions, licensing and permit arrangements, investments, approvals and building permits etc., and how those regulations and circular instructions have evolved and circumstances influencing such regulations. It also assesses the cost of enforcement to the state, compliance cost to the people and potentials for corruption and irregular practices associated with complex and over regulatory systems. “Identifying areas where simplifications and rationalization could be made to existing regulations and circular instructions and issue directions to do away, modify if required and simplify all such regulations and studying if there is a repetition occurs due to issuing various approvals, permits and licenses through the national level, Provincial Councils and local authorities and take necessary measures to amend such processes appropriately are some other tasks of the commission,” the PMD said. The Commission is given 90 days period to fulfill this task and issue instructions to relevant agencies as required for the purpose of executing the task entrusted. G. S. Vithanage, retired Ministry Secretary has been appointed as Secretary to the Commission.