The Hon. Governor of the Northern Province, Nagalingam Vethanayahan, stated that the new officers who have joined the Northern Provincial Public Service in a transparent and merit-based manner, free from political interference or corruption, should step forward to serve the people with the same honesty and dignity.
The ceremony to handing over the appointment letters to 3 Colonization Officers and 48 Drivers to fill vacancies in the Northern Provincial Public Service was held this afternoon – on Tuesday 24 March 2026, at the Auditorium of the Chief Secretary’s Secretariat Northern Province in Kaithady. The Hon. Governor, made the above remarks while attending the event as the chief guest and formally handing over the appointment letters.
Continuing his address, the Hon. Governor stated:
Due to the economic crisis that has affected the country over the past few years, no new government appointments had been made. Although certain special appointments were carried out across the country in 2020, the Northern Province was not included. However, soon after the government led by HE the President Anura Kumara Dissanayake assumed office, the shortage of personnel in the Northern Province was brought to its attention in detail. As a result, a special committee was appointed under the leadership of the Hon. Prime Minister, and approvals for new recruitments are now being granted following a proper review process.
Initially, approval was not granted to recruit for the driver service and office staff positions. However, when Hon. Bimal Ratnayake visited Jaffna, these concerns were brought to his attention, in the presence of Hon. Ramalingam Chandrasekar. It is through the continuous efforts of both Ministers that these appointments have been made possible today.
These appointments have been granted solely on the basis of your merit, without any political interference or recommendation lists. It is doubtful whether such a transparent and fair opportunity would have been available had this government not come to power.
In particular, those of you appointed as drivers will carry the responsibility of transporting government officials. Therefore, you must remain constantly alert, act with diligence, and perform your duties with the highest level of discipline. Even a moment of negligence or indecision can lead to serious consequences
With regard to the Northern Province, the Governor noted that the shortage of personnel and the demand for public services are greater in the other four districts than in the Jaffna District. Understanding this reality, he emphasized that all newly appointed officers should be prepared to serve in any part of the Northern Province.
The event was attended by the Hon. Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic and Ocean Resources, Ramalingam Chandrasekar, the Chief Secretary of the Northern Province, the Coordinator of the Jaffna District Coordination Committee, Sundaramoorthy Kabilan, Secretaries of the Northern Provincial Ministries, Deputy Chief Secretaries of the Northern Province, and many other senior officials.
