Bhathiya Barukanda
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 today (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 recruitments 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.
