President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed government officials to develop a comprehensive plan transforming Sri Lanka's administrative units into development-focused entities, citing persistent public grievances despite the current system being in place for decades.
President Dissanayake outlined his vision for administrative reform during a Friday meeting at the Presidential Secretariat, where officials reviewed budget progress and future proposals for the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government. The President acknowledged that while the existing administrative framework could be maintained with minor adjustments, citizens expect more fundamental change to address longstanding community concerns.
The transformation will require substantial dialogue within the administrative sector and cannot be implemented immediately, according to the President's remarks. Officials were instructed to prepare a detailed roadmap for the transition, with emphasis placed on achieving measurable social and economic improvements at local and district levels.
During the meeting, attention was directed toward modernising government service delivery. The President ordered a study on which services currently provided through District and Divisional Secretariats could be delivered digitally, with findings to be reported within coming months. Additionally, officials were tasked with assessing over 2,000 underutilised government buildings nationwide and prioritising only essential construction projects going forward.
The discussion also covered ongoing infrastructure initiatives, including the Greater Colombo Wastewater Management Project, rural bridge development programmes, and plans to convert former ministerial residences and official bungalows into income-generating assets. Local authorities were identified as requiring improved machinery, equipment and training for staff to strengthen revenue-generating activities and public services.
