News
Govt. issues circular to send State workers for foreign employment
The Government last Thursday issued the circular to allow State sector workers to take up overseas employment opportunities to boost foreign inflows.On 13 June, the Cabinet of Ministers cleared to enable public officers to take no-pay leave without any hindrance to seniority, pension, or other conditions.
The Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils, and Local Government Ministry said the provisions of this circular will be effective from Thursday. A State sector employee is entitled to a maximum of five years of no-pay leave during his tenure for study or foreign employment. However, the majority of public sector workers showed no interest in obtaining such leave due to the non-inclusion of that period in the calculation of pensions, impact on seniority, and other conditions.Under the new provisions, it has been decided to grant no-pay leave for public sector officers for them to be here or overseas under special provisions, deviating from the provisions existing in the Establishments Code that allow no-pay leave.
The State workers are now able to obtain no-pay leave for a total period of five years, as the maximum period, to be able to make it applicable to their seniority and pension.To engage in employment in a foreign institution, the officer should obtain approval for no-pay leave to remain here or travel overseas using proper channels by submitting particulars of the jobs in which the officer expects to engage in a particular foreign country during the period of the availed no-pay leave and all other relevant details to the authority for getting their request approved.
In addition, public sector officers below the age of 35 can obtain no-pay leave for a maximum of one year to develop their IT skills, knowledge of the English language or any other language, or to complete a vocational training program at a recognised institution.Earlier this month, Cabinet Co-Spokesman and Labour and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara said a program has been introduced to generate foreign exchange with the intervention of the Ministry, and State employees will be granted the opportunity to leave for employment overseas.
In the first five month of this year workers remittances were down 53% to $ 1.33 billion. In May, workers’ remittances were $ 304 million, up from $ 249 million in April, but lower by 34% compared with $ 460.1 million a year ago.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya met with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Dr. Kristalina Georgieva, at Temple Tress on the 17th of February
Dr. Georgieva, commended the Government’s efforts in stabilizing the country’s economy and in managing recent economic and natural shocks. She noted that Cyclone Ditwah had caused severe impacts, especially on economically vulnerable communities, underscoring the importance of targeted support and resilience-building measures.
The Prime Minister expressed appreciation for the IMF’s continued support to Sri Lanka, particularly in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah. The PM further emphasized that real economic recovery and development must directly benefit the economically vulnerable groups and ensure inclusive growth, highlighting the need for Sri Lanka to attract quality and sustainable investments, particularly in the tourism sector.
The importance of reforming the education system to focus not only on knowledge acquisition but also on skills development and employability was also discussed
The meeting was attended by the Chief of Staff of the IMF Managing Director Andreas Bauer, Director, Asia and Pacific Department, Dr. Krishna Srinivasan Division Chief (Strategic Communications), Communications Department, Pierre Mejlak Resident Representative for Sri Lanka Dr. Martha Woldemichael, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, and Deputy Governor Dr. C. Amarasekara, Secretary to the Prime Minister Pradeep Saputhanthri and Additional Secretary to the Prime Minister Ms. Sagarika Bogahawatta.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution forwarded by the Minister of Health and Mass Media to relocate the Deniyaya Base Hospital after constructing a new hospital with a capacity of 300 beds at an estimated cost of Rupees 6,000 million.
The Southern Provincial Department of Health has acquired a plot of land in Handford estate which is approximately 03 kilometres away from the town for this purpose.
News
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