Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government Dinesh Gunawardena has decided to present a Cabinet paper related to the issuing of a circular providing regulations to enable public servants who wish to go abroad for work or any other purposes, to obtain five-years no pay leave without disrupting their seniority and pensions.
The relevant Cabinet paper is to be presented by Minister Gunawardena at the next Cabinet meeting.
Accordingly, public servants will be given the opportunity to go abroad for a maximum of five years during their tenure and work in a foreign institution, where the seniority and pension of the officer will not be disrupted, Minister Gunawardena said.
He said it will also enable any public servant who has already gone abroad with or without pay and is seeking further unpaid leave, to obtain the necessary formal approval without having to return to the country. The power to grant leave is vested in the Secretary to the Ministry.
Minister Gunawardena said that the Government is confident that by adopting such measures without interfering with the public service, it will be possible to contribute more to the GDP of the nation.