The cabinet paper submitted by Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena as the Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government for the payment of the retirement gratuity of the government employees, which was delayed until now, has been approved by the Cabinet.

Accordingly, approval has been granted to provide the funds required for the payment of the retirement gratuity due for the year 2021 and the amount of funds required for the payment of the retirement gratuity due for the year 2022 within 6 months to the Pension Department before the end of October this year by the Treasury.

Further, the cabinet approved the appointment of a seven-member committee to study and submit a proposal regarding the sustainability of the retirement gratuity payment system.

The committee will be chaired by a Deputy Secretary of the Treasury nominated by the Secretary of the Treasury and a senior official of the relevant Ministry nominated by the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policy should act as Secretary. The other officers of this committee are an Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government nominated by the Secretary, Director General of Pensions, Director General of National Budget, Director General of Management Services Department and Director General of Treasury Operations Department.

The Cabinet has also decided that the report with the recommendations of this committee regarding the retirement gratuity should be submitted to the Cabinet by the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policy within a month.

Due to the recent economic instability in the country, the government has not been able to pay the pension gratuity paid to government officials on retirement. However, due to the non-payment of this gratuity, the retired community was under a lot of pressure and the complaints in this regard were regularly submitted to the Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government.

The Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, who paid attention to this matter, sought approval in a cabinet memorandum to pay the relevant gratuity. Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers, has studied the facts and given the approval in this regard considering further the current economic situation.

Priyantha Pradeep Ranasinghe

Media Secretary to the

Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government