Cabinet decisions

Welfare Division for Services and Police Personnel

The Cabinet has approved to a memorandum submitted by President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Defence, Public Security, Law and Order Minister for the establishment of a welfare division for services and police personnel under the direct supervision of the Ministry Secretary.

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The division will be established under the following objectives:

1. To take immediate action on the grievances of the family members of war heroes.

2. To improve the living condition of the family members of war heroes through commencement of self employment projects.

3. To initiate programmes for providing scholarships for higher education of children of war heroes.

4. To commence Health Care Projects.

5. To organize educational tours and sports activities for children of war heroes.

6.To commence projects to provide goods and services to the family members of war heroes on concessionary basis.

7. To provide donations to families of war heroes who die while in action, and to provide assistance in their funeral arrangements.

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Mathata Thitha Integrated Programme

The Cabinet has approved to a memorandum submitted by President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Religious Affaires and Moral Upliftment Minister to formulate a national Integrated Programme for the ‘Mathata Thitha’ programme.

The programme was taken up as the discouragement of the use of alcohol and drugs is an essential basic factor for the meaningful implementation of ‘Gamanaguma’ programme.

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The programme focuses on following requirements:

1. To discourage the use of alcohol and drugs. 2. To initiate measures to minimize the abundance Alcohol and Drugs. 3. To strengthen pressure groups against the use of Alcohol and Drugs, through social mobilization and empowerment. 4. Counselling and rehabilitation of addicts.

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Lands to resettle displaced from Deduru Oya Reservoir Project

The Cabinet has approved to a memorandum submitted by the Irrigation and Water Management Minister Chamal Rajapaksa for the acquisition of State lands to resettle people displaced from Deduru Oya Reservoir Project in Kurunegala district.

Ministry will provide 100 acres lands in Madurakanchiya estate in Katupotha Divisional Secretariat for the resettlement of 90 families displaced due to the

construction of the proposed Deduru Oya Project. The project envisages construction of 75 MCM capacity reservoirs across Deduru Oya. Construction of 1.5 MW hydropower and about 100 km long canal system feed 27000 acres of paddy lands in both Mee Oya and Deduru Oya basins in NWP.

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Multiple Book Option Policy cancelled

The Cabinet has approved to a memorandum submitted by Education Minister Susil Premajayantha, for the cancellation of the Multiple Book Option Policy for provision of Single Free textbook from 2008 onwards.

Ministry will discontinue the Multiple Book option Programme, and provide one textbook free out of multiple books, selected on the basis of the highest request made by the schools for each textbook and award the printing of the selected textbooks for grades 8 and 9 required for 2008 to the printing establishments which had originally printed the books.

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Relief for public officers contested Local Government Elections

The Cabinet has approved to a Memorandum submitted by Public Administration and Home Affaires Minister Karu Jayasuriya, to provide relief for public officers contested to the Local Government Elections which were subsequently postponed.

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Accordingly these officials will be given following relief:

1. Allow the officers who are presently on no-pay leave, to report for duty at the station where they served last.

2. Pay them; up to the day they report for duty, the arrears of Salary for the period they were deem to be on no-pay.

3. Take steps, as applicable, to amend the relevant provisions on the Establishment Code, as provided in Section 04 of Public Administration Circular 08/2002.

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Stores Complex for the Educational Publication Department

The Cabinet has approved to a memorandum submitted by Education Minister Susil Premajayantha for the construction of a stores complex for the Educational Publication Department and obtaining assistance of the University of Moratuwa for planning and relevant activities connected with construction.

This will avoid the delay and inconveniences caused by having to load books from stores maintained in different places and will accelerate the process of providing textbooks to the students by the beginning of each school year.

The World Bank has pledge to provide financial assistance for the construction of the buildings and installation of a computer system.

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The approval of the cabinet Ministers has been granted to:

Construct a stores complex at Kalapaluwawa, Rajagiriya on the premises acquired by the Educational Publications Department for storage of books. Obtain the services of the Architecture Department of Moratuwa for planning the stores complex with two stores and a book stall.

Obtain the recommendations of a relevant Technical Evaluation Committee in accordance with the Government Procurement Guidelines prior to making payments to the University of Moratuwa.

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Tender procedure and award tenders to print school text books

The Cabinet has approved to a memorandum submitted Education Minister Susil Premajayantha to deviate from the tender procedure and award tenders to print text books provided free to schools annually.

This step has taken by the Ministry as the private printers who were contracted to print school text books for the year 2007 failed to deliver the books in time. Further the Department of Cultural Affairs has offered their services to print school text books for the first time, and may be considered for award of tenders outside the tender procedure as it is a Government institute.

Accordingly tenders will be awarded to the Department of Government Printing and the State Printing Corporation to print the same titles printed by them for 2007 at the same prices, in accordance with the contract being signed by the respective parties, and to the Department of Cultural Affairs to print two titles on the same terms and conditions and obtain all text books on the date specified by the Commissioner General of Educational Publications and award tenders following the open tender procedure, to the private printing establishments for printing the balance textbooks required for year 2008.

Incentive allowance to public Officers engaged in civil administration in areas affected by terrorist activities.

The cabinet has approved to a memorandum submitted by Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister Karu Jayasuriya for the payment of incentive allowance to public officers engaged in Civil Administration in areas affected by terrorist activities.

A committee will be appointed consisting of senior Officers in the following Ministers to study the proposal, and submit a report with their observation in order to arrive at a decision on the payment of these allowances.

The Ministries are-Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs, Ministry of Finance (Treasury), Ministry of Defence Public Security, Law and Order.