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A substantial wage hike on the cards for government employees in 2025 – Chairman of the Expert Committee on Public Service Salary Disparities

Published

2 years ago

2024/08/22

Priyan

Chairman of the Expert Committee on Public Service Salary Disparities, Udaya R. Seneviratne said that the basic salary of public service employees will be increased by a minimum of 24% for primary-level service categories. Salaries will gradually increase from an average of 24% to 50%, for all government officials depending on current fiscal feasibility he added.

Mr. Seneviratne further said in light of prevailing inflation and economic conditions, a cost of living allowance of Rs. 25,000 will remain unchanged for three years and will be provided to all government employees for three consecutive years, starting from January 2025, with 2025 being considered the base year.

He emphasized that regardless of which government is in power, there is a pressing need to increase the salaries of public servants. These proposals were made to address and eliminate salary disparities, taking into account past trade union protests within the public service. Accordingly, the proposals have received approval from both the Cabinet and the Treasury.

Chairman of the Expert Committee on Public Service Salary Disparities, Udaya R. Seneviratne shared these views during a press conference titled “Collective Path to a Stable Country” held today (22) at the Presidential Media Centre.

Mr. Seneviratne stated that the basic salary for the primary-level service category employees will be Rs. 30,000.00, with the total salary, including the cost of living allowance, amounting to Rs. 55,000.00.

Public service plays a vital role in the development of Sri Lanka and is also the driving force of development. The restructuring efforts are prioritized to address the current challenges in the public sector. The Presidential Expert Committee on Public Service Salary Disparities has presented a comprehensive program aimed at creating a satisfying work environment for public servants, delivering excellent service to the people, and positioning the public service as a key driver of economic development.

He also said that action will be taken to provide the cost of living allowance of Rs. 12,500 each for the pensioners from January 2025 and measures will also be taken to award the claimed salary increment for the government officials who retired prior to the year 2020 and revise their pension accordingly.

Further, action will be taken to provide benefit through the Budget 2025 in step wise based on the current fiscal viability.

To enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the Public Service and provide exceptional service to the public, a scientific work study will be conducted in 2025. This study will inform a comprehensive program to restructure the Public Service as needed. A thorough assessment of the required number of employees will also be carried out based on this evaluation.

Appropriate performance indicators (KPIs) will be introduced for government employees, and a system for granting annual salary increments based on performance progress will be developed. Additionally, methods for providing incentives and other non-financial benefits based on performance will be implemented.

To enhance the quality of public service and ensure a distinctive government service for taxpayers under the current tax policy, a competitive recruitment system will be established. This system will be based on the Sri Lanka Qualification Framework (SLQF) and National Vocational Qualification (NVQ). This approach aims to ensure that qualified individuals are placed in appropriate roles, creating a more effective and efficient public service.

The government’s capital investment program for E-Governance will prioritize the digitization and automation of the Public Service, with a focus on incorporating technology in every possible aspect over the next three years, starting in 2025.

Special attention will be given to implementing E-Governance across government ministries and institutions, beginning with Grama Niladhari offices. This initiative aims to enhance the performance of revenue-generating institutions and those providing public services.

Over the next three years, efforts will be made to restructure identified public institutions from their traditional departmental model—dependent on the General Treasury for many years—into an innovative enterprise model.

These institutions will be transformed into Public Quoted Companies with a democratic governance structure, where ownership is divided as 30% government shares, 30% investor shares, 30% public shares through stock market listing, and 10% employee shares.

Government officials who are eligible for pensions and are assigned to these new institutions will have their pensions deferred until they reach age 60. They will receive other benefits during their service in these institutions.

Measures will be introduced to optimize the delivery of certain government services by outsourcing these services to external providers. This approach aims to reduce government expenditures and encourage private sector involvement. It will help avoid unnecessary recruitment in the Public Service and enable private providers to offer more effective services. As a result, economic services will be expanded.

To ease the financial burden on government employees, the Agrahara Medical Insurance Scheme will be restructured to lower their health expenses. The plan is to maximize benefits through the scheme, with each government employee, including pensioners, contributing Rs. 1,000 per month.

Additionally, the National Insurance Trust Fund, which administers the Agrahara scheme, will enhance medical services for government employees. This will involve modernizing the national hospital system and gradually upgrading selected government hospitals with special amenities for employees.

Due to the high demand for Sri Lankans abroad, many are migrating for employment and higher education, drawn by the country’s reputation for free education and skilled human resources. As a result, Sri Lanka loses valuable talent and significant foreign exchange is spent on overseas education. A large number of eligible students miss out on opportunities to study at state universities due to limitations in free higher education, forcing parents to cover high costs for private institutions and international universities. The trend of university students leaving the country is increasing due to insufficient economic benefits.

To address these issues, it is proposed to secure free higher education, grant legal and administrative independence to universities, and offer affordable courses by effectively utilizing physical and human resources. This will develop additional revenue streams and benefit all stakeholders. By improving this system and integrating with foreign universities and training institutions, Sri Lanka could become a Centre for Knowledge, expanding opportunities for international students to complete their education in Sri Lanka and becoming a leading sector for foreign exchange earnings.

Sri Lanka has achieved a notable position in health indicators due to its establishment of free health services, leading to increased international recognition for its healthcare services and professionals. However, the migration of health professionals is rising due to international demand. To address this, there is potential to transform Sri Lanka into a centre for internationally recognized health services by elevating the quality of free healthcare provided.

Strategies will be developed to deliver healthcare to both local and foreign communities efficiently and economically. This includes managing free healthcare facilities securely and introducing healthcare innovations that leverage existing physical and human resources.

Similarly, Ayurvedic medical services can be enhanced to generate economic benefits. It is proposed to capitalize on Sri Lanka’s potential to become a leading centre in healthcare-based tourism.

[PMD]

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England make inroads after New Zealand set 254 to win

Published

4 hours ago

2026/06/6

Priyan

Gus Atkinson claimed a wicket with his third ball [Cricinfo]

After a 16-wicket opening day of the English Test summer, a further 17 fell on the second on an up-and-down Lord’s surface that left batters guessing. Despite a mid-afternoon wobble when they lost four wickets in 11 balls, England ended it firmly on top by striking three early blows to New Zealand’s attempts to chase 254 in the fourth innings.

A wicket has fallen every 25 balls across the first two days – with 11 batters out bowled and nine lbw – and neither captain has seen fit to use a spinner on a pitch defined by its variable bounce. Emilio Gay’s 57 on Test debut is the highest score on either side so far, and he would have been out lbw to Matt Henry for 24 if Tom Latham had reviewed the on-field decision.

Henry was limited to four overs on the opening day by back spasms and New Zealand’s three other quicks shouldered a heavy workload as a result. But his only wicket summed up the challenge for batters: the ball shot low from a good length, sneaking under the toe-end of Jacob Bethell’s bat to knock back his off stump.

Oliie Robinson the protagonist of the opening day in reducing New Zealand to 29 for 6 with a superb new-ball burst on his comeback to Test cricket, led England off after just under an hour on the second morning after completing his first five-wicket haul in four years. Their first-innings lead stood at 29 after Kyle Jamieson’s three sixes put a small dent in the deficit.

Glenn Phillips had counterattacked on the first evening but lost his off stump to Josh Tongue’s first ball of the morning. Tongue struck again in his second over when Nathan Smith left one that jagged back sharply, Atkinson bluffed Will O’Rourke with a full ball that he edged to slip, and Robinson roared in celebration after knocking back Henry’s middle stump.

Gay’s maiden Test innings had lasted only 14 balls as Jamieson worked him over, but he played tightly and patiently in his second in adding 52 with Ben Duckett. He slowly went through the gears after a cautious start, reaching an 84-ball half-century – the first by an England opener on debut since Keaton Jennings in 2016 – when taking 16 runs off a Smith over.

But New Zealand will rue a series of missed opportunities. Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway both dropped catches for the second day in a row – Ravindra shelled Duckett at short midwicket, and Conway gave Bethell a life at gully – while Daryl Mitchell and Tom Latham left a slip catch for one another when Henry found Gay’s outside edge.

Duckett made 33 before slicing O’Rourke to gully while camped on the back foot expecting a short ball before Henry’s daisy-cutter did for Bethell, but it was Gay’s dismissal – fiddling Smith’s outswinger behind – that prompted England’s collapse: Harry Brook and Joe Root were pinned lbw, while Ben Stokes lost his off stump to Smith as 126 for 2 became 127 for 6 in 11 balls.

It took a 57-run stand between Jamie Smith and Atkinson – the highest partnership of the match – to drag England’s lead past 200. Smith, promoted above Stokes to No. 6, was bowled shouldering arms in the first innings but played with far more conviction in the second, driving Henry to both the cover and mid-off boundaries in the over before tea.

Atkinson miscued a flat-batted swat straight up to be caught-and-bowled by Jamieson but Robinson took over from him by swiping at New Zealand’s short balls. Nathan Smith was rewarded when he went fuller, bowling both his namesake Jamie and Tongue before Robinson’s heave to midwicket gave him a second successive six-wicket haul.

It left New Zealand needing the highest score of the match to secure only their second win at Lord’s and while higher targets than 253 have been hauled in across the previous 149 Tests at this ground, few of those can have been on surfaces offering fast bowlers as much encouragement as this one.

Latham decided to chance his arm, chasing Atkinson’s third ball with a hard-handed drive which he steered straight to Brook at second slip. Unsurprisingly, Robinson’s first over was less eventful in the second innings than his three-wicket effort in the first, but he very nearly had Kane Williamson bowled shouldering arms in his second.

Robinson was chuntering when Stokes brought the keeper up to force Williamson to stay in his crease, and his attempts to send Jamie Smith back were ignored. But the argument came to a natural end between overs as Williamson was pinned lbw by Tongue, reviewing only in desperation as his fifth and likely final Test at Lord’s ended with scores of 0 and 18.

O’Rourke was given the unenviable task of walking out as nightwatcher, and lasted six balls before he was castled by Atkinson. Devon Conway, who reached the close unbeaten on 12, will need substantial support from New Zealand’s middle order to reel in the remaining 218 runs.

Brief scores:
New Zealand 113 in 29.5 overs (Kyle Jamieson 38; Gus Atkinsonn2-09,Ollie Robinson 5-39, Josh Tongue 3-40) and 36 for 3 in 11.5 overs (Devon Conway 12*; Gus Atkinson 2-10) need 218 more runs to beat England 140 in 39.4 overs (Harry Brook 56; Kyle Jamieson 5-62, Nathan Smith 3-38, Will O’Rouke 2-25) and 226 in 5 overs (Emillo Gay 57, Jamie Smith 39; Nathan Smith 6-70, Will O’Rourke 2-46)

[Cricinfo]

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Rusty West Indies face upbeat Sri Lanka with series on the line

Published

4 hours ago

2026/06/6

Priyan

Kusal Mendis scored a vital half-century in the first ODI [Cricinfo]

A first ODI win in the West Indies since 2013 and more importantly, a winning start to Gary Kirsten’s tenure as head coach. The action now returns to the same venue for the second of three games, as the hosts seek to keep the series alive and both sides look to implement any learning from the first game.

For Kirsten and Sri Lanka, there were elements of the veteran coach seeking to come to terms with the talents at his disposal and identifying their best fit. The promotion of Kamindu Mendis to the top of the order – while not coming off on Wednesday – is one such example, while Kusal Mendis’ aggression through the middle overs showed that captaincy has not dulled his attacking instincts.

But there were concerns too. Pavan Rathnayake had a breakout 2026 T20 World Cup, but having been positioned in a pivotal No. 4 role, his 24 off 38 only served to snuff the momentum Kusal had created. Kirsten will no doubt have taken note, as he would have of Janith Liyanage’s pivotal contributions at the death. Perhaps trialing Liyanage at four instead?

For West Indies, the problems certainly outweighed the positives. Despite the quick start provided by their openers – something that in most scenarios ought to have helped break the spine of a 300-plus chase – the middle order struggled to contend with Sri Lanka’s spinners.

There also seemed to be a distinct lack of clarity in their batting approach; unlike in T20s where they are a side renowned for their ability to clear the boundary with regularity, in the 50-over format – perhaps owing to the fact this was their first such assignment in six months – there seemed to be some rustiness and even unease around the need to build at pace through the middle.

Nevertheless, there will be strands to cling to heading into Saturday’s second ODI, particularly the execution of their plans in shackling Pathum Nissanka. At the same time, it will have been impressed on the top-order the importance of capitalising on their starts.

In the opening game, Roston Chase showcased his utility, delivering a tidy ten-over spell of 2 for 47 before chipping in with a steady 33 off 46 balls during the chase. Those numbers kept the home side competitive, but in a must-win second game, West Indies will be hoping he ramps things up, particularly with the bat. Chase’s technical expertise against spin will likely prove pivotal in combating the pair of Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana, and that anchor role will ideally allow the team’s designated boundary-hitters to play with freedom around him.

Dushmantha Chameera proved that absolute pace remains lethal, regardless of the type of surface on offer. The quick turned up once more with his now customary consistent displays of hit-the-deck bowling, as he ran through the West Indies middle-and-lower order to finish with match-winning figures of 4 for 67. His capacity to extract sharp bounce from a good length will also once more prove a challenge for the West Indian openers.

West Indies will most probably go in with an unchanged XI.

West Indies (probable): John Campbell, Justin Greaves, Keacy Carty, Shai Hope (capt & wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales

Sri Lanka will likely field an unchanged lineup. Though considering Sri Lanka’s stacked seam-bowling department, and the reverse swing on offer in the first game, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Eshan Malinga brought into the XI.

Sri Lanka (probable): Pathum Nissanka, Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Mendis (capt & wk), Pavan Rathnayake, Charith Asalanka, Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Milan Rathnayake, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Asitha Fernando/Eshan Malinga

[Cricinfo]

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Anthropic urges AI labs to pause, warns humans risk losing control

Published

10 hours ago

2026/06/6

Priyan

[File pic] Anthropic is calling on major artificial intelligence labs to consider a coordinated and verifiable pause in development [Aljazeera]

Anthropic is proposing that the world’s top artificial intelligence companies come up with a coordinated way to pause development of advanced AI systems, warning that the technology is improving so quickly that there’s a risk humans would lose control.

The company behind the Claude chatbot said in a blog post on Thursday that, as cutting-edge AI gets increasingly faster at carrying out tasks, “it would be good for the world to have the option to slow or temporarily pause” its development.

Anthropic said its internal research institute plans to explore the issue in collaboration with others and “take actions” to help build the systems for a credible slowdown or pause, without being more specific.

Anthropic rival OpenAI argued for a different approach in a report published on Wednesday, saying that “democratic governments — not private companies acting alone — must ultimately determine the rules, safeguards, and accountability mechanisms”.

“Our view is that decisions about the pace of AI innovation should not be left to any one lab, company, or special interest group,” it said.

AI models are getting faster, with rapid increases in how quickly they can carry out software tasks like coding on their own, Anthropic said in its post. Based on current trends and given enough computing power, an AI system could be able to design and develop its own successor, in what is known as “recursive self-improvement”.

Self-building AI would be a major technological milestone that would bring benefits in science, healthcare and other areas, Anthropic said, but it “also might increase the risks of humans losing control over AI systems”.

Some tech industry figures have long warned of such a scenario.

Anthropic’s post comes after a different warning this week from a team of researchers at the University of Toronto who showed how AI tools could be used to create a new kind of AI “worm” that adapts its hacking strategy as it spreads from device to device and takes over a vast computing network.

“I think it’s really important that people understand that it’s not just the biggest, most powerful language models that pose the security concerns,” lead researcher Nicolas Papernot said in an interview.

The authors of the Anthropic post, company cofounder Jack Clark and Marina Favaro, head of its research institute, said the pause would be used to enable “societal structures and alignment research” to keep up with AI advances. Alignment is industry shorthand for making sure the technology matches human values and intentions.

The proposed coordination would let advanced AI labs verify that global rivals have actually stopped or slowed their work, “and that a bad actor could not use the auspices of a coordinated slowdown to jump ahead in secret”.

The company said a coordinated global mechanism is needed because, without it, a slowdown in AI development could let the “least cautious” players catch up and add to pressure on companies and governments as they make tough choices about AI safety.

Fears that advanced AI systems may get out of human control and cause societal harm have risen as the technology becomes increasingly capable. Anthropic’s own Mythos model sent shockwaves through industries, including banking and software, earlier this year with its ability to find vulnerabilities in existing code.

But regulation has been slow, especially in the US, where most leading AI labs are based. A Trump administration executive order earlier this week put the onus on the labs themselves, asking them to voluntarily submit their most capable models for government cybersecurity testing before public release.

Safety focus

AI researchers have also urged a pause before, but have had little success. Elon Musk, who owns AI lab xAI, was among the backers of a 2023 push by the non-profit Future of Life Institute to halt AI development for six months to allow time for safety guardrails.

Anthropic has long positioned itself as a safety-focused AI lab. Earlier this year, it refused to let the US military use its models for domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons, prompting backlash from the government, which put it on a national security blacklist, set to take effect later in 2026.

Anthropic’s post comes as the company and ChatGPT-maker OpenAI race to sell shares on the stock market, in an IPO that could value Anthropic at nearly a trillion dollars.

Papernot notified Canadian cybersecurity authorities prior to releasing his report, which shows how researchers developed the worm in a laboratory by using an “open-source” AI tool that is easy for software developers to cheaply access and modify.

“In the past, cyber attackers would focus on targets that are very high value,” he said. “Banking systems, hospitals, electricity grids, water treatment systems, schools.”

Papernot agreed that there should be more collaboration between companies, government agencies and academic researchers to develop countermeasures as AI-powered hacking tools supercharge the search for computer vulnerabilities.

“That old laptop you have in your basement that you don’t check on regularly doesn’t seem like a very high-value target, but it can be used as a launch pad to attack these higher-value targets,” he said. “Anything connected to the internet is now at risk because of how low the cost has become to mount these cyberattacks.”

[Aljazeera]