Presidential Secretariat
Encyclopedia
The Presidential Secretariat is the office of the President of Sri Lanka
. It provides the administrative and institutional framework for the exercise of the duties, responsibilities and powers vested in the President by the Constitution.
The head of the Presidential Secretariat is the Secretary to the President (also known as the President's Secretary), who is ex officio the most senior civil servant and head of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service
. The current President's Secretary is Lalith Weeratunga
, SLAS
. The post as its roots from the post of Secretary to the Governor-General of Ceylon
.
President of Sri Lanka
The President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the elected head of state and the head of government. The President is a dominant political figure in Sri Lanka. The office was created in 1978 but has grown so powerful there have been calls to restrict or even eliminate its power...
. It provides the administrative and institutional framework for the exercise of the duties, responsibilities and powers vested in the President by the Constitution.
The head of the Presidential Secretariat is the Secretary to the President (also known as the President's Secretary), who is ex officio the most senior civil servant and head of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service
Sri Lanka Administrative Service
The Sri Lanka Administrative Service is the key administrative service of the Government of Sri Lanka, with civil servants working for both in the Central Government as well as in the provincial councils. It was formed as the Ceylon Administrative Service in 1963 as the successor to the Ceylon...
. The current President's Secretary is Lalith Weeratunga
Lalith Weeratunga
Lalith Weeratunga, SLAS, is the current Permanent Secretary to the President of Sri Lanka . As the President's Secretary he is the top civil servant in the country and de facto head of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service...
, SLAS
Sri Lanka Administrative Service
The Sri Lanka Administrative Service is the key administrative service of the Government of Sri Lanka, with civil servants working for both in the Central Government as well as in the provincial councils. It was formed as the Ceylon Administrative Service in 1963 as the successor to the Ceylon...
. The post as its roots from the post of Secretary to the Governor-General of Ceylon
Governor-General of Ceylon
The Governor-General of Ceylon was the representative of the Ceylonese monarch, and head of state, who held the title of Queen of Ceylon from 1948 when the country became independent as a Dominion until the country became the republic of Sri Lanka in 1972.-Role:The monarch, on the advice of the...
.
Duties
President's Office will be concerned with the following aspects of governance:-- Co-ordinating and reviewing the implementation of Government policy in all sectors;
- Monitoring progress in the implementation of specific projects and programmes;
- Addressing perceived public aspirations and grievances, and
- Maintaining a watching brief over the nation's external relations.
Divisions
The Presidential Secretariat includes the following Divisions:- Secretary Bureau (SB)
- Private Secretary's Division
- Chief of Staff Division (COS)
- Establishment & Operations Division (E&O)
- Financial and Accounts Division (FAD)
- President's Fund (PF)
- Presidents Media Division (PMD)
- Constitutional and Statutory Affairs Division (CSA)
- Policy Co-ordination and Monitoring Division (PCM)
- Citizens Services and Grievance Response Division (CSGR)
- Information and Communication Technology Unit (ICT)
- Media Co-ordination Unit (MCU)
- Photography and Video Unit (PVU)
- Electronic Media Unit (EMU)
- Agency Co-ordination Unit (ACU)
- Establishment and Human Resources Development Unit (EHRDU)
- Internal Administration Unit (IAU)
- Religious Affairs Unit (RAU)
- Legal Affairs Unit (LAU)
- Trade Union Unit (TU)
- Policy Research & Information Unit (PRIU)
- Special Projects Unit (SPU)
- Presidential Investigation Unit (PIU)
- Internal Audit (IA)
- Public Services Evaluation and Social Welfare Unit (PSESW)
Statutory institutions
The following institutions fall within the purview of the Secretary to the President;- Public Service Commission
- Judicial Service Commission
- Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration
- Board of Management for the Superior Courts Complex
- Cabinet Memoranda listed in the Agenda and Cabinet Conclusions
- Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery/Corruption
- Declarations of Assets and Liabilities
Presidential Secretaries
Incomplete- W.M.P.B. Menikdiwela SLASSri Lanka Administrative ServiceThe Sri Lanka Administrative Service is the key administrative service of the Government of Sri Lanka, with civil servants working for both in the Central Government as well as in the provincial councils. It was formed as the Ceylon Administrative Service in 1963 as the successor to the Ceylon...
(1979-1989) - K H J Wijedasa SLASSri Lanka Administrative ServiceThe Sri Lanka Administrative Service is the key administrative service of the Government of Sri Lanka, with civil servants working for both in the Central Government as well as in the provincial councils. It was formed as the Ceylon Administrative Service in 1963 as the successor to the Ceylon...
(1989-1994) - S. M. L. MarikkarS. M. L. MarikkarSeyed Mohamed Lebbe Marikar, CCS was a Sri Lankan civil servant and diplomat. He was a former Permanent Secretary to the President of Sri Lanka.-Early life and education:...
, SLASSri Lanka Administrative ServiceThe Sri Lanka Administrative Service is the key administrative service of the Government of Sri Lanka, with civil servants working for both in the Central Government as well as in the provincial councils. It was formed as the Ceylon Administrative Service in 1963 as the successor to the Ceylon...
(1979-1989) - K. BalapatabendiK. BalapatabendiKusumsiri Balapatabendi , PC is a Sri Lankan lawyer and diplomat, He was the Permanent Secretary to the President of Sri Lanka . Prior to the appointment he was the Secretary to the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka...
(1994-2003) - W. J. S. Karunaratne, SLASSri Lanka Administrative ServiceThe Sri Lanka Administrative Service is the key administrative service of the Government of Sri Lanka, with civil servants working for both in the Central Government as well as in the provincial councils. It was formed as the Ceylon Administrative Service in 1963 as the successor to the Ceylon...
(2003-2005) - Lalith WeeratungaLalith WeeratungaLalith Weeratunga, SLAS, is the current Permanent Secretary to the President of Sri Lanka . As the President's Secretary he is the top civil servant in the country and de facto head of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service...
, SLASSri Lanka Administrative ServiceThe Sri Lanka Administrative Service is the key administrative service of the Government of Sri Lanka, with civil servants working for both in the Central Government as well as in the provincial councils. It was formed as the Ceylon Administrative Service in 1963 as the successor to the Ceylon...
(2005-)
See also
- President of Sri LankaPresident of Sri LankaThe President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the elected head of state and the head of government. The President is a dominant political figure in Sri Lanka. The office was created in 1978 but has grown so powerful there have been calls to restrict or even eliminate its power...
- Prime Minister's OfficePrime Minister's Office (Sri Lanka)The Prime Minister's Office is a ministry of the Government of Sri Lanka. It provides the administrative and institutional framework for the exercise of the duties and responsibilities vested in the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka...
- Sri Lanka Administrative ServiceSri Lanka Administrative ServiceThe Sri Lanka Administrative Service is the key administrative service of the Government of Sri Lanka, with civil servants working for both in the Central Government as well as in the provincial councils. It was formed as the Ceylon Administrative Service in 1963 as the successor to the Ceylon...