Mr. K.D.N. Ranjith Asoka
Secretary
Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government

Message of the Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government

The main objective of our Ministry is to ensure a more efficient and productive public service by way of directing and managing the human resource properly and introducing the required reforms. However, in a background where efficiency and productivity are in rapid decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic that prevailed in the country and various other issues, taking prompt measures is highly necessary in order to achieve the goals and plans in the policy manifesto of the government.

In line with the reforms introduced by the Government during this year, new recruitments in the public service are made with restrictions. In the meantime, granting leave with no pay to be spent in or out of the island for a period of 5 years to public officers without causing any adverse effect to their seniority and salary, with a view to earning foreign currency for the country, and thereby making effort to limit staff of the public service as far as possible and obtaining the maximum contribution from the existing staff are progressive steps taken in the recent past. These steps were taken with the intention of giving them the opportunity to enhance their income by entering the services outside of public service, proving their vocational skills, and also to gain new knowledge and attitudes while earning an additional income as a relief for their current issues. Further, action has been taken to grant pension benefits to the receivers of widows’ and orphans’ pensions continuously and without delay, even under the difficult economic situation. In the meantime, prompt actions are being taken to attach the employees of the Department of Multipurpose Development Task Force to the public institutions that are in need of staff, restricting new recruitments to the primary grades of the public service.

Making initiatives to formulate a long-term human resources plan, including vocational development, while enhancing fairness, equality, productivity and efficiency in order to ensure excellent public service delivery to the people and preparing online platforms for the purpose are also among the main goals of the Ministry. Further, the formulation of policies for constantly guiding the public institutions, the issuance of circulars, schemes of recruitment and service minutes, and further revising them wherever necessary, are among the tasks that have positive effects on the public service.

Especially, forming and enhancing the knowledge, skills and attitudes of public servants to suit the new global trends are among the responsibilities of the Ministry. Further, it is critical to introduce an extensive reform process to the public service, and I earnestly expect the collaboration of all for every step taken to establish and maintain a creative public service with the objective of enhancing productivity in line with the theory ‘Whole of Government’.

If we can establish Digitalized Public Administration in place of the outdated methods, following the example of most of the developed countries and taking this as our new goal, it will really be a positive change in every aspect. This is a great challenge, but I firmly believe that we can achieve this goal under the leadership of H. E. the President and Hon. Prime Minister, who is also the Minister in Charge of the Ministry, and with the collaboration of the two State Ministers.