Minister orders to fill public service vacancies

Shirley Wijesinghe

COLOMBO: Local Government and Provincial Councils Minister Janaka Bandara Thennakoon ordered his Ministry Secretaries and the officials not to consider the Management Circular No. 28, a barrier in making new appointments to the Public Service and other statuary organisations.

This was stated by the Minister in response to the issues raised by the Secretaries that they have found Management Circular No. 28 an obstacle in filling over 1,000 vacancies at the Provincial Council level.

"If the Provincial Council is in a financials sound position and the vacancies are within the limit of its staff cadre, they can seek the approval from the Management Services Department to recruit the required service personnel", the Minister added.

Meeting the secretaries and the other officials at the Centre for Banking Studies at Rajagiriya Minister Thennakoon pointed out that the

Functioning of all Provincial Councils should follow one system and not different ways.

At this meeting a senior official called upon the Provincial Secretaries to justify their request for allocation of funds from the Financial Committee as that was very fundamental. " If you fail to justify your request there is definitely going to be delay in allocation of funds", he observed.

While the recommendations of restructuring of staff of the Provincial Councils was submitted to the Minister at the meeting, the lack of Technical Officers at the Provincial Service was also brought to the notice of the Minister.

Responding to this,Ministry Secretary, Kashian Herath said that a Cabinet memorandum will be submitted shortly seeking the Cabinet approval to fill the existing vacancies.

Additional Secretaries M.L.S. Fernando, Eric Eliyaparachchi, Senior Additional Secretaries A.G.P. Kithsiri of the Ministry of Local Government and Provincial Councils, M. Udakandage, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs and Additional Secretary, M.S.de Silva also participated at the meeting.