Sri Lanka, Sept. 16 -- Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila said extraction of petroleum oil or natural gas in Sri Lanka will begin before he contests the next Parliamentary election.

Sri Lanka has oil and gas sources discovered. If the production of oil within the country is successful, it is possible to generate and provide employment for nearly 1.5 million Sri Lankans who are currently working in the Middle East, he said.

The Minister stated this during his visit to the Mahanayake Theras of Malwatte and and Asgiriya Chapters in Kandy yesterday. He also visited the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic.

Commenting on the controversial draft of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, Gammanpila said the government had taken action to rectify a...