A meeting was held with the Joint Committee of the Government Executive Officers Association (JCGEOA) at the GCF on May 30, 2024. Its purpose was to collect primary information on public sector governance to conduct a follow-up study of the SLIF issues paper authored by Dr. Lloyd Fernando, Chairman of the GCF, titled “Good Governance: The Research Questions”. The paper, which was discussed at a roundtable discussion last year, raises major policy issues concerning governance in Sri Lanka, covering seven principles of good governance: participation, vision, equity, transparency, accountability, predictability, and productivity.

This significant gathering aimed to delve into the core issues faced by executive officers in the public sector. The meeting was marked by a comprehensive presentation by the representatives of JCGEOA, highlighting several pressing concerns that public sector decision-makers face. The insights gained from this discussion was critical for future policies and reforms aimed at improving governance in Sri Lanka. Sohan Fernando, SLIF Consultant, plans to incorporate these key points into a follow-up paper on effective governance, building on the original paper.

As Sri Lanka strives for good governance, acknowledging and addressing the challenges faced by the public sector employees is of paramount importance.

In his issues paper presented at a roundtable discussion of the Sri Lanka Innovators’ Forum (SLIF), organized by the GCF, Dr. R.M.K. Ratnayake highlighted the policy strategies dealing with poverty reduction in Sri Lanka. The country’s headcount poverty index doubled to 28.7 percent of the population in 2022, mainly as a result of the economic crisis. 

The self-initiated action to alleviate poverty depends much on production and productivity improvements and markets, particularly the labour market, that improves their income. Hence, there is a necessity for Government interventions in poverty reduction.

While enhancing the welfare benefits, the Government has taken action to restructure the Samurdhi and other welfare grants by introducing a screening system to rationalize social expenditure. Accordingly, an improved welfare scheme, “Aswesuma", was introduced to assist 2.2 million poor families with an annual cost of Rs 195 billion, effective from July 2023. Dr. Ratnayake stressed the paramount importance of incorporating a time-bound “graduation out of poverty” mechanism in the social welfare schemes to ease the fiscal burden. 

Concept Paper on Poverty Reduction by Dr. Ratnayake. Click Here

This month’s spotlight falls on the success story of Sanali and her husband, Nalinda from the Central Province whose unusual choice of a business has led to family empowerment. The problems created by the collapse of the family’s  income sources are multi-faceted. It can adversely affect the family institution in the social, economic, and cultural spheres. It is therefore evident that the sustenance of the family depends on its level of income. Women who are well aware of this situation explore various means of reviving and developing their family’s economic situation by experimenting with options that are available. Sanali, who hails from Wahakotte in the Matale district is one such woman. who with the support of her husband Nalinda, directed her latent talents towards exploring a non-traditional business  option and succeeded.

අත්හදා බැලීම්වලින් ඔපවත් වූ සනාලිගේ නිර්මාණ <Read More>

சுயதொழில் மூலம் சாதித்துக் காட்டிய தொழில் முயற்சியாளர் சனாலி <Read More>

The Gamani Corea Foundation (GCF) launched its first Competitive Research Grant Scheme in April 2024. This scheme is intended to promote policy-oriented research focusing mainly on the current economic challenges faced by Sri Lanka. The researchers were invited to send their Expression of Interest (EOIs) by May 17, 2024. It is significant to note that the GCF has received a wide range of EOIs on pertinent economic issues for team and individual grants. EOIs were received from state universities, other higher education institutions, and research institutes. An expert panel from the GCF pre-screened the EOIs received and the selected competitors were requested to upload their detailed proposals to the e-RPMS (gcfresearch.lk). The deadline to submit the proposals is June 30, 2024. The applicants whose EOIs were not selected are encouraged to apply in the future rounds of grants.