Employment

Hon. Kins Nelson seconded a motion by Hon. Ranjith Madduma Bandara concerning the Civil Security Department (CSD), whose members historically performed village defence roles during wartime. He raised concerns about the President's Budget Speech proposal to second 5,000 CSD members to the Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Police, arguing that such transfers require proper training and that Wildlife protected zones have specific entry restrictions. He further urged that secondments be made within members' home districts — citing Ampara, Polonnaruwa, and Trincomalee — as many CSD members are farmers dependent on cultivation to supplement low wages, and distant postings would cause hardship to their families. He also called on the Minister to address longstanding shortfalls in basic equipment such as uniforms, boots, and raincoats, referencing a protest by CSD members' spouses in Kantale as evidence of the welfare concerns.

## Summary Hon. R.M. Ranjith Madduma Bandara moved an Adjournment Motion highlighting the difficulties faced by Civil Defence Force (CDF) personnel, who were originally recruited to protect border villages during the war and whose employment was regularised under the previous good governance government. He noted that approximately 28,000 CDF personnel — among the lowest-paid state employees — are now being deployed outside their home districts to serve at police stations in distant areas, where they must personally bear costs for food and lodging without receiving any allowance, unlike other state servants deployed away from home. As a result, many personnel have reportedly resigned due to inability to maintain their farms or service loan repayments. The speaker made two specific proposals: that suitable CDF personnel be absorbed into the Police Service, and that those deployed outside their home districts receive the same allowances provided to Police officers under similar circumstances.

Hon. Ravi Karunanayake argued that Sri Lanka must prioritise long-term national economic development over short-term economic management, advocating for high-growth strategies modelled on Southeast Asian economies. He proposed deeper economic integration with India — drawing an analogy to Hong Kong's relationship with China — suggesting that capturing even 3% of the Indian market could drive Sri Lankan growth of 10–12%. He criticised the Central Bank's monetary policy stance, arguing that raising interest rates to control inflation suppresses economic activity, and called instead for policies that empower SMEs, youth entrepreneurship, and women's economic participation domestically. He also urged a focus on strengthening the capital account to attract investment inflows, which he argued would strengthen the rupee and reduce the cost of living.

## Summary Deputy Minister Abeysinghe defended the Government's economic management record, contrasting what he described as the National People's Power's structured, resilience-focused economic approach against the previous administrations' failures to secure food, energy, or financial stability, which he argued culminated in the country's bankruptcy. He rejected the Opposition Leader's claim that Sri Lanka cannot meet a USD 3.5 billion debt obligation in 2028 as unfounded, citing improved economic indicators including a better trade balance, USD 751 million growth in remittances, and import cover of approximately 3.8 months. The Deputy Minister announced the approval of a regulation under Section 22 of the 2017 Act raising the Business Foreign Currency Account ceiling for capital transactions from USD 200,000 to USD 500,000 and increasing the Personal Foreign Currency Account limit from USD 20,000 to USD 25,000, framing these measures as tools to facilitate outward investment and business expansion by local entrepreneurs. He concluded by calling for Opposition cooperation in the country's economic development.

## Summary Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa provided a comprehensive update on nurse recruitment and training, acknowledging that the current workforce of approximately 43,553 nurses is insufficient for service demands. He outlined that approximately 3,441 new nursing appointments had been granted between May and November 2024, with a further cohort of 517 graduate nurses expected to receive permanent appointments the following month, and an additional 2,900 completing training for induction by October. He detailed planned recruitment covering the 2020–2024 training cohorts, totalling around 2,915 trainees registering in March with training commencing in April, alongside further Gazette notifications in May to address backlogs across multiple cohorts. He also reported progress on specialist nursing roles, including 517 Nursing Sisters in training, 217 Public Health Nursing Officers in training, and 69 Matron vacancies notified to the Public Service Commission, projecting a net addition of approximately 6,800 nurses within a 15-month period.

Hon. Sujeewa Dissanayake submitted Written Question No. 1328/2025 to the Minister of Health and Mass Media seeking comprehensive information about Sri Lanka's nursing service. The question requests details on the historical establishment of the nursing service, current workforce composition broken down by gender, core functions of the service, entry qualification requirements, and whether nurses have been supported in completing professional qualifications and pursuing higher education. The question follows a standard two-part parliamentary format, requiring the Minister to either provide the requested information or explain why it cannot be furnished.

The Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs informed Parliament that 10,000 Civil Security Department (CSD) personnel are being attached to the Police to address manpower shortages, with deployment already underway across several districts including Ampara, Anuradhapura, Kurunegala, and Monaragala. The Minister acknowledged logistical challenges in postings, particularly in the Western Province and within officers' home districts, and stated that the government will endeavour to post officers within their home districts where possible. He further noted that a Cabinet decision has been made to provide an additional monthly allowance of Rs. 25,200 to CSD officers attached to the Police to cover lodging and meals for those posted outside their home provinces.

Hon. Chandrasekar responded to a fellow member's remarks on the beach seine fishing industry, disputing claims that the industry had collapsed and clarifying that only mechanised equipment (winches and tractors) had been halted. He criticised the previous administration for approving beach seine operations without adequate environmental assessments or NARA (National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency) reports, noting that net lengths had far exceeded the permitted 1.5-kilometre limit, reaching up to 10 kilometres, causing significant harm to over 5,000 small-scale fishermen and the marine environment. He stated that the government had consulted with affected parties six months prior and is currently in discussions, with Presidential involvement, to identify alternative methods such as the SND system or to establish regulated procedures for continuing traditional fishing practices.

Hon. Dilip Wedaarachchi raised a question directed at the Minister of Fisheries regarding a ban on beach seine (maadal) fishing imposed since December. He noted that a Presidential committee comprising five members from each side had reached a decision in February, and highlighted that the fishing season in the Puttalam District and Negombo area concludes in April, effectively leaving affected fishermen without income for the December–April period. He argued that requiring these communities to wait a further two months was unjust, particularly given that the inquiry had already been completed.

## Summary Deputy Minister Namal Karunaratne provided a written response outlining the administrative framework governing **Agricultural Research and Production Assistants (ARPAs)**, appointed under the recruitment procedure approved on **25 July 2013**. He confirmed that ARPAs have been assigned duties and responsibilities under the **Agrarian Development Act, No. 46 of 2000**, with a formal duty list issued accordingly, though no research activities have been assigned to them by the Department to date. Regarding performance evaluation, District Offices have been directed to use standardised reporting formats, with ARPAs at divisional level responsible for data collection and field-level coordination with relevant parties. Supporting annexures detailing cadre structure, duty lists, and evaluation procedures were placed in the parliamentary library.