As substantial financial allocations are expected to be received this year for the Northern Province from various sources, a special high-level discussion was convened this evening – on Monday, 23 February 2026, at the Governor’s Secretariat under the leadership of the Hon. Governor of the Northern Province, N. Vethanayahan, to explore ways of meeting the human resource needs required for the effective implementation of large-scale development projects funded through these allocations.
At the outset of the discussion, the Governor clarified that funds for development activities in the North are expected from multiple sources, including Provincial Specific Development Grant (PSDG) allocations, Ditwah disaster reconstruction funds, allocations through District Secretariats and central ministries, as well as foreign financial assistance.
He pointed out that, beyond the usual allocations, the significant additional funds to be received would pose a major challenge due to the existing staff shortages in provincial departments. Therefore, he stressed the need for immediate measures to address this situation, particularly by filling vacancies for engineers and technical officers, in order to ensure the smooth and uninterrupted implementation of development programmes.
Subsequently, the Deputy Chief Secretary – Engineering Services of the Northern Province, Eng. N. Suthakaran, presented several constructive proposals to meet human resource and technical requirements.
He suggested alternative measures such as filling vacancies on a contractual basis, transferring officers between provincial departments based on necessity, and recruiting trainees. He further clarified that even if the currently approved cadre positions are fully filled, they would still be insufficient to meet the demands of the upcoming large-scale projects. He emphasized that recruiting additional technical personnel is an urgent necessity to complete quality projects within stipulated timelines.
After extensively reviewing the proposals presented by the Deputy Chief Secretary – Engineering Services, the Governor instructed the relevant officials to take prompt action accordingly. Matters relating to allowances and procedures for newly recruited personnel were also discussed. The Governor further directed that recruitment processes be completed without delay so that development projects can commence swiftly.
The special discussion was attended by the Chief Secretary of the Northern Province, the Secretary to the Governor, Secretaries of Provincial Ministries, Deputy Chief Secretaries, Heads of Provincial Departments and the Commissioner of Local Government of the Northern Province, along with several other senior officials.
