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

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I must briefly respond to a point raised this morning by the Leader of the Opposition—he said Chief Secretaries and District Secretaries were being transferred as political reprisals. That is entirely false; I reject it.

¶ 02 For instance, Sabaragamuwa Chief Secretary Mahinda Weerasooriya applied to retire upon completing 60 years, even seeking early retirement; he retired at his request. North Western Chief Secretary Deepika Gunaratne is due for appointment to a special grade post—no political reprisal. Former Ratnapura District Secretary Wasantha Gunaratne is now an Additional Secretary at the Education Ministry—not in a pool. Former Nuwara Eliya District Secretary Nandana Galaboda is now Deputy Chief Secretary of North Central Province. Former Matara District Secretary Ganesh Amarasinghe has been recommended as an Additional Secretary at the Plantation Industries Ministry. They were moved to responsible posts; thus, the Opposition’s claim is baseless.

¶ 03 On our 2025 work program: we have launched the Integrated Pension Management System (IPMS) to simplify internal processes and services to pensioners. We are updating the 05 February 1934 Pension Minute by consolidating all subsequent Gazettes. Coordinating with the Registrar General’s Department, we will scale from the Western Province to nationwide reporting of pensioner deaths to save about Rs. 42 million monthly, by preventing payments after death.

¶ 04 Under CIABOC guidance, we are preparing an anti-bribery and corruption action plan for the Pensions Department. In line with Clean Sri Lanka 2025, we will implement environmental, social, and ethical improvements in the Department. In January 2025 we launched four digital systems: an online system integrated with the Railways Department to issue free railway passes and reserve seats for pensioners; an online system to register widows/widowers and orphans and verify beneficiaries’ details; an integrated IT system to register members, remit contributions, and claim benefits fully online under the Public Service Provident Fund; and an online system integrated with the Registrar General to report pensioner deaths efficiently. The Registrar General’s e-BMD system now provides access to 62 missions abroad, allowing citizens to obtain required documents from overseas.

¶ 05 We will consider the various proposals and requests presented by MPs, particularly from the North and East, and will intervene to resolve them—some via DDC processes quickly.

¶ 06 Our Ministry successfully organized the 2025 Independence celebrations—dignified and cost-effective. I thank our Secretary, Additional Secretaries, Director-Generals, Directors, and all staff for their dedication beyond the call of duty.

¶ 07 As Kautilya’s Arthashastra says: “The king’s happiness lies in the happiness of the subjects; what is dear to the subjects is dear to the king.” Our President, Prime Minister, Cabinet, and MPs have sacrificed their own entitlements to deliver to the people. We will continue to enhance these efforts for the people’s welfare. Thank you for the time.