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President’s guidance helped maintain stable public service without any employee layoffs or salary cuts – State Minister for Home Affairs

Published

1 year ago

2024/07/18

Priyan

Essential Vacancies Filled Methodically in Public Service – Additional Secretary (Public Administration) and Director General of Combinedd Services.
Government Resorts and Tourist Bungalows Allocated to Boost Tourism – Additional Secretary (Internal Admin).
Gampaha Nila Piyasa Project Successfully Allocates All Housing Units to Beneficiarie – Additional Secretary (Home Affairs).
Timely Payment of Pension Gratuity Ensured Since May – Director General of Pension Department.

State Minister for Home Affairs, Ashoka Priyantha, emphasized that despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and severe economic crisis, maintaining stable public services without any employee layoffs or salary cuts is a significant achievement. He credited President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s guidance for being instrumental in achieving this stability.

Addressing the press briefing titled “Two Years of Progress and Advancement” held at the Presidential Media Centre on Wednesday (17), the state minister further stated,

The past two years have presented significant challenges, especially navigating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and severe economic crises. Amid concerns of potential job cuts and fears of public service disruptions, President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s counsel and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena’s adept management as Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government ensured the stability and continuity of the public service. This achievement has been pivotal in safeguarding the public sector, which received widespread support from both its workforce and the citizens of our country.

With elections being a current topic of discussion, our ministry has played a crucial role in facilitating the conditions necessary for holding them.

Additional Secretary (Public Administration) and Director General of Combined Services, S. Aloka Bandara;

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis, public service recruitment was limited from 2020 to 2022, with a complete halt in 2022. This period allowed for a comprehensive review of the public service staff.

Subsequently, the Ministry of Public Administration decided to initiate recruitment for six island-wide services, integrated services, village officer service, and other roles. These recruitments were conducted strictly based on approved vacancies, following formal approvals from institutions such as the Public Service Commission and the Ministry of Finance. The ministry diligently worked to systematically fill essential vacancies identified during the staff review.

Additionally, measures were taken to expedite efficiency cut off exams administered by the Sri Lanka Development Administration Institute to prevent delays. Furthermore, the special grade promotion process, typically occurring twice a year, has been accelerated since July 01st.

Additional Secretary (Internal Admin), Mahesh Gammanpila;

The 2024 budget proposes a program to maximize the effective use of home stay units and bungalows, owned by government institutions. It aims to utilize underutilized government resorts and tourist bungalows, ensuring minimal maintenance, by offering them at concessional rates to government and semi-government employees. Additionally, these properties will be open for allocation to interested parties to generate income for the government. Currently, over 720 government-owned resorts and tourist bungalows can provide approximately 3,750 rooms to promote tourism. The budget allocates 600 million rupees for this initiative.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils, and Local Government have introduced online booking and payment facilities for tourist bungalows and holiday resorts.

Additional Secretary (Home Affairs), W.M.A.P.B. Wanninayake;

In 2023, the Nila Piyasa project in Gampaha concluded successfully, achieving its goal of providing residential facilities for government officials, with all housing units allocated to beneficiaries. This initiative aimed to enhance accommodation options for officials within the government service.

Significant progress was also noted in the construction of several key administrative buildings across different regions:

The new district secretariat building in Batticaloa has reached 92% completion, marking substantial advancement towards improving administrative infrastructure in the region. Meanwhile, the divisional secretariat buildings in Mahianganaya, Halialela, Homagama, Lunugamwehera, and Ja-Ela have all achieved 100% completion, highlighting the government’s commitment to enhancing local administrative capabilities.

Furthermore, the Mundalama and Mahavilachchi divisional secretariat buildings were successfully completed at a total cost of 369 million rupees, and both facilities were inaugurated in March and June respectively, further bolstering administrative efficiency and service delivery in their respective areas.

Throughout 2023, several other divisional secretariat buildings reached completion milestones, underscoring on-going efforts to strengthen administrative infrastructure nationwide. These include the Madurawala and Vallavita Divisional Secretariat Buildings in Kalutara District, the Gampaha District Secretariat Building, the Wattala Divisional Secretariat Building in Gampaha District, and the Central Nuwaragampala Divisional Secretariat Building in Anuradhapura District. These projects are pivotal in improving local governance and ensuring efficient public service delivery across Sri Lanka.

Director General at Department of Pensions, Jagath Dharmapala Dias Athaudage;

Since January 2nd of this year, an online system has been introduced for forwarding pension revision applications for members of the Tri – forces. This initiative aims to streamline and expedite the pension revision process, enhancing efficiency and accessibility for armed forces personnel.

Additionally, government pensioners employed in the Maritime Security Service or serving on naval vessels can now submit their life certificates to the Divisional Secretariat before leaving the country. Alternatively, they can obtain certification at the Sri Lanka Missions in the destination country or through the Merchant Shipping Secretariat.

Procedures have been established to facilitate the submission of these life certificates to Divisional Secretaries, ensuring compliance with pension requirements.

Moreover, a new information technology system has been implemented to manage the recovery of pension overpayments and expedite the payment of pension gratuities. This system aims to minimize delays and improve the administration of pension-related financial transactions.

Furthermore, online booking facilities have been introduced to allow pensioners to reserve train seats without the need to visit railway stations. This initiative provides pensioners with greater convenience and accessibility in managing their travel arrangements.

Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government Pradeep Yasaratne, Additional Secretary (Home Affairs) A.G. Nishantha, Senior Assistant Secretary (Home Affairs) A.D.D. Chalanka, Additional Secretary (Human Resources Development) Buddhi Tharanga Karunasena, Director General of Establishments Chandana Kumarasinghe, Director General of Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA) Nalaka Kaluwewe, Registrar General of Registrar General’s Department W. R. A. N. S. Wijayasinghe, Commissioner General of Department of Official Languages Prince Senadeera, Additional Secretary Waruna Sri Dhanapala, Senior Assistant Secretary Champika Ramawickrema, Director (Combined Services) A.M.Manoj Nadeeshana were also present.

[PMD]

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Prez seeks Harsha’s help to address CC’s concerns over appointment of AG

Published

1 hour ago

2026/01/7

Sahan Weerasooriya

Chairman of the Committee on Public Finance (CoPF), MP Dr. Harsha de Silva, told Parliament yesterday that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had personally telephoned him in response to a letter highlighting the prolonged delay in appointing an Auditor General, a vacancy that has remained unfilled since 07 December.

Addressing the House, Dr. de Silva said the President had contacted him following the letter he sent, in his capacity as CoPF Chairman, regarding the urgent need to appoint the constitutionally mandated head of the National Audit Office. During the conversation, the President had sought his intervention to inform the Constitutional Council (CC) about approving the names already forwarded by the President for consideration.

Dr. de Silva said the President had inquired whether he could convey the matter to the Constitutional Council after their discussion. He stressed that both the President and the CC must act in cooperation and in strict accordance with the Constitution, warning that institutional deadlock should not undermine constitutional governance.

He also raised concerns over the Speaker’s decision to prevent the letter he sent to the President from being shared with members of the Constitutional Council, stating that this had been done without any valid basis. Dr. de Silva subsequently tabled the letter in Parliament.

Last week, Dr. de Silva formally urged President Dissanayake to immediately fill the Auditor General’s post, warning that the continued vacancy was disrupting key constitutional functions. In his letter, dated 22 December, he pointed out that the absence of an Auditor General undermines Articles 148 and 154 of the Constitution, which vest Parliament with control over public finance.

He said that the vacancy has severely hampered the work of oversight bodies such as the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) and the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE), particularly at a time when the country is grappling with a major flood disaster.

As Chair of the Committee responsible for overseeing the National Audit Office, Dr. de Silva stressed that a swift appointment was essential to safeguard transparency, accountability and financial oversight.

In a separate public statement, he warned that Sri Lanka was operating without its constitutionally mandated Chief Auditor at a critical juncture. In a six-point appeal to the President, Dr. de Silva emphasised that an Auditor General must be appointed urgently in the context of ongoing disaster response and reconstruction efforts.

“Given the large number of transactions taking place now with Cyclone Ditwah reconstruction and the yet-to-be-legally-established Rebuilding Sri Lanka Fund, an Auditor General must be appointed urgently,” he said in a post on X.

By Saman Indrajith

News

Govt. exploring possibility of converting EPF benefits into private sector pensions

Published

1 hour ago

2026/01/7

Sahan Weerasooriya

The NPP government was exploring the feasibility of introducing a regular pension, or annuity scheme, for Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) contributors, Deputy Minister of Labour Mahinda Jayasinghe told Parliament yesterday.

Responding to a question raised by NPP Kalutara District MP Oshani Umanga in the House, Jayasinghe said the government was examining whether EPF benefits, which are currently paid as a lump sum at retirement, could instead be converted into a system that provides regular payments throughout a retiree’s lifetime.

“We are looking at whether it is possible to provide a pension,” Jayasinghe said, stressing that there was no immediate plan to abolish the existing lump-sum payment. “But we are paying greater attention to whether a regular payment can be provided throughout their retired life.”

Jayasinghe noted that the EPF was established as a social security mechanism for private sector employees after retirement and warned that receiving the entire fund in a single installment could place retirees at financial risk, particularly as life expectancy increases.

He also cautioned that interim withdrawals from the EPF undermined its long-term sustainability. “Even the interim payments that are given from time to time undermine the ability to give security at the time of retirement,” he said, distinguishing the EPF from the Employees’ Trust Fund, which provides more frequent interim benefits.

Addressing concerns over early withdrawals, the Deputy Minister explained that contributors have been allowed to withdraw up to 30 percent of their EPF balance since 2015, with a further 20 percent permitted after 10 years, subject to specific conditions and documentary proof.

Of 744 applications received for such withdrawals, 702 had been approved, he said.

The proposed shift towards an annuity-based system comes amid broader concerns over Sri Lanka’s ageing population and pressures on retirement financing. While state sector employees receive pensions funded by taxpayers, including EPF contributors, the EPF itself has been facing growing strain as it is also used to finance budget deficits.

Jayasinghe said the government’s focus was to formulate a mechanism that would ensure long-term income security for private sector employees, placing them on a footing closer to a pension scheme rather than a one-time retirement payout.

News

Sajith accuses govt. of exacerbating people’s suffering to please IMF

Published

1 hour ago

2026/01/7

Sahan Weerasooriya

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday strongly criticised proposals to increase electricity tariffs, warning that the move would deepen the hardships faced by the public already reeling from disasters and rising fuel costs.

Premadasa, who is also the leader of the SJB, told Parliament that the government was considering an electricity price hike at a time when people were struggling to recover from recent crises, while coping with higher fuel prices. He accused the administration of acting contrary to its own election pledges and the expectations of suffering people.

Making a special statement, the Opposition Leader recalled that the government had come to power promising to reduce electricity bills by 30 percent, within three years, by shifting from fuel-based power generation to cheaper renewable sources, such as solar, wind and hydropower. Instead, he said, those commitments had been abandoned.

Premadasa pointed out that the CEB has sought approval from the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) for an 11.57 per cent tariff increase for the first quarter of 2026 to cover its losses. He questioned whether the government had assessed the impact of such an increase on low- and middle-income households, as well as state institutions.

He also asked why the government had failed to honour its promise to cut electricity tariffs by one-third through a transparent pricing mechanism.

The Opposition Leader further criticised the limited time allocated for public consultations on the proposed new energy policy, saying it was unfair and should be extended, particularly given the prevailing national crises.

Premadasa warned that the removal of competitive tariff structures for industries would be unjust to large-scale consumers using more than five million units of electricity, and called for comparative reports before any subsidies are withdrawn.

He added that despite earlier assurances to reduce electricity bills by 33 percent, the government has once again increased fuel prices, even as global fuel prices decline, continuing, what he described as, a pattern of broken election promises.

Accusing the government of being constrained by International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditions, Premadasa said the simultaneous increases in fuel and electricity prices were exacerbating the economic burden on the public.

By Saman Indrajith