New guidelines issued on unpaid leaves for public officials

The Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government of Sri Lanka has issued a special notice to all District Secretaries , outlining the guidelines for approving domestic and foreign unpaid leave for public officials without affecting their pension entitlements.

The Ministry has also provided a set of guidelines for District Secretaries to follow when granting unpaid leave. 

The directive aims to address irregularities observed in the leave approval process and ensure compliance with the Public Administration Circular dated June 22, 2022.

Accordingly, the District Secretaries have been instructed to follow a detailed set of procedures when processing unpaid leave applications. The Ministry emphasized the need for vigilance, citing instances where some officials had taken domestic leave for up to five years and subsequently applied for foreign leave without properly canceling their prior leave arrangements.

To prevent such practices, the Ministry has mandated that applications for foreign leave include a comprehensive review of the applicant’s leave history. District Secretaries must verify and document details of previously obtained domestic and foreign leave in the cover letters accompanying the applications.