The Hon. (Prof.) A.H.M.H. Abayarathna - Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government

¶ 01 Mr. Chairman, during the discussion on the Expenditure Head of the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government, I wish to draw the attention of the House to several key points.

¶ 02 For a stronger public service, as Minister Nalinda Jayatissa also noted, we have granted a special salary increase to all categories of employees including drivers. Notably, after 2016, the significant increase in the basic salary has come now through the 2025 Budget. The minimum increase is about Rs. 6,000. This award was given without prolonged industrial action which, in the past, cost officers much hardship.

¶ 03 There has been criticism that allowances were cut, but when properly explained, officers acknowledge the basic pay has risen substantially. Alongside notable public service pay hikes, we have also provided a substantial pension increase, particularly benefitting those who retired from the 1990s onwards.

¶ 04 A major outstanding issue was recruitment. We are filling vacancies in the Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS). Due to past delays and the economic crisis, exams were postponed; therefore we extended the upper age limit for relevant competitive examinations from 28 to 30 years. Island-wide recruitments are underway. Interviews for 155 SLAS recruits have been completed, and selections under limited and competitive streams (42 each) are being processed.

¶ 05 There is widespread concern regarding unemployed youth, especially unemployed graduates. The Budget allocates for recruiting 30,000 new young persons to the public service. Our aim is to strengthen and make the public service more efficient by infusing young talent. Going forward, recruitments will be based on merit and qualifications—without letters from politicians or recommendations—so that jobs go to those who meet the criteria, irrespective of background.

¶ 06 We are also strengthening local administration. We are proceeding to fill Grama Niladhari (GN) vacancies, and for those who had qualified through earlier exams, interviews have commenced. The GN recruitment age limit has been raised from 30 to 32 years. The long-stagnant GN training allowance (Rs. 3,000 since 2009) has been increased to Rs. 17,800 effective 1 January 2025. The GN uniform allowance has been raised from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 15,000. The office allowance has been increased from Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 3,000. We are coordinating with the Department of Examinations to hold a competitive exam to fill 1,881 GN vacancies that existed as at 31 December 2024.

¶ 07 Further, we are revising the Sri Lanka Grama Niladhari Service Minute and introducing a distinct pay structure for GNs, with implementation targeted from 1 June 2025. Exams to fill Administrative GN vacancies are also being arranged. The e-GN project has been extended through 2025 to validate data across agencies—Department of Census and Statistics, Election Commission, Welfare Benefits Board—through GNs, enabling efficient service delivery.

¶ 08 We have allocated provisions to complete the “Nilasevana” project. Approved cadre for Technical Officers for District and Divisional Secretariats is 610, but only 345 are in post; recruitment to address this shortfall is in progress. We have begun the divisional secretariat digitization pilot, with the intention to scale to all DS offices. Management Associates for unified services are being hired; we are addressing their salary issues and expect further intakes.

¶ 09 We have commenced a review and simplification of obsolete public administration rules and regulations—some dating back to British times—to enhance efficiency and citizen-centric service. This includes rationalizing regulations so they are more results-oriented.

¶ 10 On local government elections: The 2022 local polls were postponed—first for a year, then further—on grounds such as lack of funds. Our Government is now facilitating the conduct of the election with funding so the Election Commission can function independently. Candidates who submitted nominations faced issues such as loss of leave and delayed pay; we are looking at relief for affected public servants who contested.