This Ministry, which has been named as the Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government, from 22 June 2022, delivers an excellent service for the enhancement of both all public servants as well as public institutions demonstrating maximum commitment and responsibility. The history of the Ministry goes back to a period of more than 8 decades. This Ministry, which has been established as a Department under the Ministry of Finance before 1931, has faced various changes under the Governments elected after Donoughmore constitutional reforms and at present performs an excellent service in the Public Administration.
Since 22 June 2022, two State Ministries i.e. State Ministry of Home Affairs and State Ministry of Local Government are maintained under the Ministry, which is functioning as Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government.
The Ministry, which is the ‘Mahagedara’ (Main Center) of Public Service, looks forward with the provision of necessary guidance for all public servants and formulation of policies and plans for the public service based on the public policy in order to ensure an excellent service to the nation.
Main responsibility of the Ministry is the formulation of administrative provisions and regulations paying special attention to fairness, uniformity, and efficiency to ensure service to the utmost satisfaction of General Public. Accordingly, Ministry shoulders the responsibilities such as preparation of relevant Public Administration Circulars, introduction of revisions whilst making relevant observations wherever necessary. Formulation of policies at national level, giving interpretations and related guidance on public administration are also the significant tasks performed by the Ministry. Ministry thereby enhances the operations and administration of the whole public service making the way to ensure more productive and effective service delivery.
Institutions, which are under the Ministry
- Department of Pensions
- The Public Service Mutual Provident Association
- Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration
- Distance Learning Center Limited
- Department of Official Languages
- Official Languages Commission
- National Human Resources Development Council of Sri Lanka
- National Institute of Language Education and Training
Vision
“An excellent public service to the nation”
Mission
“Ensuring an excellent public service through proper administration, management and reformation of human resource”
Objectives
- Formulation of productive public policies on recruitments, remuneration and other service conditions in the human resource management of public service.
- Changing attitudes and expectations of the employees in public service in order to make positive responses to the requirements of general public.
- Formulation and implementation of new management structure in order to enhance productivity and quality of public service.
- Establishment and sharing of code of ethics. (Result oriented attitudes, accountability, proper use of resources, impartiality, transparency, etc)
- Provision of facilities for training programmes and identification of training requirement for conducting training programmes.
- Formulation and implementation of pension programmes with a view to provide remedial measures for issues relating to pension.
- Preparation of a framework for institutional development of public sector with the capacity for the achievement of targets and development targets and priorities.
- Promoting the implementation of information and communication technology to enhance the productivity and quality of the service delivery.
- Enhancement of the skills of the staff in public service.
- Enhancement, development and implementation of guidelines in order to simplify the systems and reformulation of processes to work with the changing environment.
Scope
Ensuring an excellent service delivery to the General Public minimizing the differences observed at provincial and divisional levels with a view to provide an optimum service to recipients avoiding duplication of tasks with the help of new strategies in information and communication technology and making a full scale capacity development in all public services.
Tasks and Functions
- Provision of the policy guidance in order to establish ‘a Culture working for the country’ in consistent with the ‘Vistas of prosperity and splendour’ and based on the other national policies to be implemented by the Government and formulation of policies in relation to the subject of public services, provincial councils and local government, implementation of the projects fallen under national budget, investments of the Government and national development programme, performance of the subjects and tasks of the Departments, State Corporations and Statutory Institutions under the Ministry and formulation of policies for these institutions and implementation, evaluation of relevant policies and taking follow up action.
- Performing establishment, administrative activities and personal management of Sri Lanka Administrative Service, Sri Lanka Accountants’ Service, Sri Lanka Planning Service, Sri Lanka Engineering Service, Sri Lanka Scientific Service, Sri Lanka Architect Service, Sri Lanka Technological Service and Combined Services
- Affairs to be performed by the Government in relation to the Parliament and Members of Parliament
Special Priorities
- Reviewing and simplification of all provisions of Circulars, Laws and Regulations, which are effective in public service, in order to ensure an expedite public service delivery.
- Formulation of the legal, policy and institutional framework to transform the public service to the concept of ‘service for the people’ from bureaucracy in order to establish a citizen centered public service delivery.
- Introduction of new code of ethics in order to establish an independent public service.
- Introduction of new legal provisions for ensuring immunity for officers in public sector , semi government sector, state corporations and banks for the duties performed by them with good intention.
- Ensuring pension to the receivers of widows’ and orphans’ pension without delay.
- Introduction of new service minutes depending of the requirements after making reviews on services and making required updating.
- Introduction of an arbitration process with a view to settle the labour disputes in public sector.
- Preparation and implementation of long term human resources plan including vocational development in order to enhance the productivity and efficiency of public sector.
Basic laws which are to be implemented by the Ministry
- Compulsory Public Service Act (No. 70 of 1961)
- Widowers and Orphans Pension Act (No. 24 of 1983)
- Widows and Orphans Pension Ordinance (No.1 of 1898)
- Widowers and Orphans Pension Scheme Act (Armed Forces) (No. 60 of 1998)
- Widows and Orphans Pension Scheme Act (Armed Forces) (No. 18 of 1970)
- Public Service Pensioners’ Trust Fund (No. 40 of 1999)
- Public Servants’ Provident Fund Ordinance (No. 18 of 1942)
- Local Government Service Pension Fund (No 16 of 1974)
- Local Government Widows’ and Orphans’ Pensions Fund (No 16 of 1974)
- Local Government Widowers’ and Orphans’ Pensions Fund (No 16 of 1974)
- Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration Act (No 09 of 1892)
- Government Quarters (Recovery of possession) Act (No 07 of 1969)
- Prize Competition Act (No 37 of 1957)
- Pensions Minute
- School Teachers’ Pension Act (No 44 of 1953)
- Provincial Councils Pensions Act (No 17 of 1993)
- Government and Judicial Services Officers Retirement Ordinance (No 11 of 1910)
- Official Languages Act (No 33 of 1956)
- Official Languages Commission Act (No 18 of 1991)
- National Human Resources Development Council of Sri Lanka Act (No 18 of 1997)
- Army Pension and Gratuity Code
- Air Force Pension and Gratuity Code
- National Institute of Languages Education and Training Act (No 26 of 2007)
The strategies built up in consistent with the existing legal framework for the achievement of objectives
- A far sighted policy and regulatory framework for effective human resource management in the public service.
- Reformulation of processes for the enhancement of productivity in public service delivery and administrative reforms for system development.
- Competitive procedures for recruitment and selection of employees for public service.
- Capacity development and skill adjustment with a focus to the demand.
- Decentralized institutional network to make the service delivery closer to citizens.
- Application of information and communication technology in order to enhance the quality of public service and transparency in service delivery.
- Citizen charter for standardizing a citizen centered public service delivery.