Public administrative service developed in Jaffna

Ridma Dissanayake

Sri Lanka has been scarred by brutal terrorism for nearly three decades. In May 2009, the government of Sri Lanka announced a military victory over the LTTE, ensuring peace in the country. The government has now accelerated its work to ensure development in the North and East provinces.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa seeks to provide the same rights and facilities to people there. Accordingly, Mahinda Chinthana future vision has been formulated to ensure rights to all persons.

All ministries, departments and other institutes have a pivotal role to play in this development programme and the Public Administration and Home Affairs Ministry has taken measures to develop administrative services in the North and East provinces while providing infrastructure facilities apart from other facilities to the people in those areas.

The Jaffna district consist of 11 Divisional Secretariat divisions and four Assistant Government Agent divisions.

The district consists of 435 Grama Niladhari divisions and 1,320 villages. Agriculture, fisheries, livestock, construction industry and trading activities are their primary livelihood sources.

Administrative system

Jaffna is located in the northern end of Sri Lanka, about 410km away from Colombo. It consists of the peninsula and seven inhabited islands. Jaffna has a population of 617,789 persons with 189,981 families.

Ensuring an efficient and effective public service and a sound administrative system in the country which is responsive to the aspirations of the people and national priorities, is the mission of the Public Administration and Home Affairs Ministry.

Under the guidance of the Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister W D J Senewiratne, the ministry had built many facilities for the district and divisional secretariats and other offices such as Grama Niladhari and Family Health Officers.

According to their programme, the Ministry had established new offices in the Jaffna district and most of them have been opened under the patronage of Minister W D J Senewiratne.

The Ministry opened a circuit bungalow in Old Park area, divisional secretariat office in Uduvil, two Sewa Piyasa offices in Kudathanai and Katkovalam.

They were opened recently and several development projects have also started in the Jaffna district under the guidance of Minister Senewiratne.

Circuit bungalow

The Public Administration and Home Affairs Ministry had built this circuit bungalow under the financial assistance of Kuwait according to the Strengthening Civil Administration Programme (SCAP). Rs. 13 million has been allocated for this project.

Kuwait had provided financial support for reconstruction activities in the Northern and Eastern provinces which the government had carried out.

As government officials have to face an accommodation problem when they travel to Jaffna for official work, this circuit bungalow has been built for their convenience. Both local and foreign tourists too have the same problem and the newly built holiday resort is a much-needed building.

Sewa Piyasa Offices

Kudathanai and Katkovalam are tsunami affected areas and services such as Grama Niladhari, Samurdhi Niladhari, family health and agriculture services have become essential. However, due to the lack of facilities, people have to travel long distances to fulfill their needs and Sewa Piyasa offices provide support in their day-to-day lives.

The ministry and SCAP had spent Rs one million for each Sewa Piyasa office and through these offices, residents in those rural areas are able to obtain the services of the Grama Niladhari, Samurdhi Niladhari, Family Health Officers and agriculture service officers under one roof.

The ministry has planned many other development projects to be carried out islandwide and all will be completed within few years under the guidance and patronage of Minister W D J Senewiratne.