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State employees who fail to perform under “Gama Samaga Pilisandara” to be reported to President’s Office
View(s):State employees who delay or fail to perform the duties assigned by the newly appointed Presidential Task Force for “Gama Samaga Pilisandara” (Dialogue with the Village) are to be reported directly to the Secretary to the President, according to a Presidential directive gazette issued by the Secretariat.
The directive came as part of the mandate of the Extraordinary gazette signed by Secretary to President P.B. Jayasundara after criticism emerged in recent top-level meetings that certain senior government officials are deliberately delaying the implementation of programmes initiated by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in keeping with his manifesto “Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour”
“I do hereby require and direct the said Task Force to report to me all instances where any Government employee or an officer in any Ministry, Government Department, State Corporation or any such Institution who delay the performance of duties and fulfillment of responsibilities or fail to perform such duties and responsibilities to be entrusted by the said Task Force,” the gazette issued by Secretary Jayasundara on behalf of the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said.
The 16-member Presidential Task Force led by Minister of Youth and Sports Namal Rajapaksa is mandated to identify and address the “fundamental problems of the grass-roots community to meet the aspirations of the people for access to people-centered economic development empowered by the rural economy as mentioned in the government’s policy statement, “Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour”
As part of the mandate, the Task Force can direct all the officers at the divisional level as per the service requirements, including the District Secretary, Divisional Secretary and all other Heads of Institutions, to expedite the implementation of Presidential directives on the issues and problems raised by the people in the programme.
Besides, the Task Force can make arrangements to deploy Grama Niladharis, Development Officers (State Ministry of Home Affairs), Agricultural Research Assistants (Agrarian Services Department), Samurdhi Development Monitors and Officers(Department of Samurdhi Development), Family Health Officers (Health Department) who have appointed covering every village to provide Residential Level Projects, technical and consulting services.
Top priority is to be given to accelerate projects such as roads, drinking water supply, electricity, telecommunications, playgrounds, schools, hospitals, vocational training institutes, urban universities, land transfers, banks and financial facilities, markets, stores and infrastructure implemented by national-level government agencies for implementation in the Pradeshiya Sabha and Divisional Secretariat areas under the 2021-2023 budget allocations.
To secure adequate funding for the projects, the Task Force is armed with powers to direct and provide necessary instructions for the budgetary management along with the Secretary to the Treasury or a Deputy Secretary to the Treasury authorized by him to coordinate with the Budget Department and the Treasury Operations Department to make the necessary allocations, according to the gazette.