Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the decline in the public service has been occurring over several years, primarily due to the failure to conduct recruitments in a proper and systematic manner. She emphasized that steps are now being taken to address these issues by ensuring that appointments to the public service are made based strictly on qualifications and in accordance with correct procedures.
The Prime Minister made these remarks while responding to a question raised by Opposition MP Ravi Karunanayake regarding the Government Printing Department, in Parliament on 04th of March.
Further elaborating, the Prime Minister stated that, as there is currently no departmental officer within the Government Printing Department who fulfills the required qualifications in accordance with the Sri Lanka Printing Services Minute. Therefore, in order to ensure the uninterrupted continuation of the essential functions, a qualified and experienced officer from the Special Grade of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service has been appointed with Cabinet approval. It was further clarified that no online activities related to confidential and security printing have been curtailed. The Government continues to pay special attention to maintaining the quality, confidentiality, and proper procedural standards of such work. Measures are also underway to appoint a permanent officer to the post. The deterioration of the public service has occurred over many years due to improper recruitment being a primary factor. This issue has affected not only the Government Printing Department but numerous other institutions as well. The Government is addressing these challenges by implementing recruitment processes based on qualifications and established procedures.
Responding to a question raised regarding paddy purchasing during the current Maha season, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated,
For the 2025/2026 Maha season, paddy will be purchased at the following guaranteed prices of Nadu – Rs. 120 per kilogram, Samba – Rs. 130 per kilogram, Keeri Samba – Rs. 140 per kilogram. The warehouses of the Paddy Marketing Board are open for procurement. A guaranteed price has been set, and paddy meeting the required standards will be purchased by the Board. Warehouse renovations are currently underway to expand storage capacity up to 250,000 metric tons, and the necessary financial allocations have been made to facilitate the purchasing process.
Responding to a question regarding the 2026 Artificial Intelligence Summit held in India from February 16 to 20, the Prime Minister stated,
It was the first summit held in the Global South focusing on artificial intelligence governance. The summit aimed to discuss shaping the future of AI governance under themes including people, the global community, and standards. Discussions covered the areas such as human capital development, inclusive social empowerment, safe and trustworthy AI technologies, science and resilience, innovation and efficiency, democratization of AI resources, and the use of AI for economic development. Following the invitation made by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake participated in the summit. His participation further strengthened bilateral partnerships and provided Sri Lanka with an opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to pave the way to responsible and inclusive artificial intelligence.
The Prime Minister stated that Sri Lanka’s participation at the Head of State level also served as an opportunity to demonstrate the country’s position and growing interest in this field in the international platform.
Prime Minister’s Media Division