Provide allowances without demeaning Grama Niladharis’ service, says Opposition leader

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa insisted that the allowances due to Grama Niladharis should be given without underestimating their service.

The Opposition Leader stated this during a discussion held at the Opposition Leader's office to discuss problems Grama Niladharis encounter.

The Opposition Leader said that the Grama Niladharis are a section of public servants making a special contribution to programmes building villages, building cities, and building the country in the country, and deliver a whole range of services at the grass roots level from residence certificates to social welfare, social services, health campaigns such as dengue control campaigns. Yet, he added, only one proposal out of the three proposals recommended by the Gammanpila report have been implemented to benefit the Grama Niladhari service and the government did not act to increase the 20-litre fuel allowance, as well as the communication allowance said to be increased from Rs. 750 to Rs. 1500.

The Opposition Leader added that if the Grama Niladharis' service is to be implemented to the people of the country at an optimum level, providing these allowances is important. He also added that the Gammanpila recommendations were presented through a 2024 cabinet paper, and since if one of the 3 proposals was implemented the remaining 2 should also be implemented immediately.

The Opposition Leader further stated that Grama Niladharis engaged in duty 24 hours as the closest public officers to ground-level people, both in their grief and happiness, and they do not receive disaster and risk allowances as well as even the 14-day risk allowance, and by now they withdrew even from government programmes because positive solutions were not given for requests, and the present government should give fuel and communication allowances as well as a risk allowance without underating the service of Grama Niladharis.