(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) –Co-Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Dr.Bandula Gunawardane yesterday said the newly recruited graduates will be paid an allowance from March itself and those who have not received their appointment letters can submit an appeal to the relevant Divisional Secretariat.The Minister stressed that the government’s decision to absorb 50,000 unemployed graduates to the state sector was not done targeting the upcoming Parliamentary elections.
Speaking at the Cabinet Media Briefing at the Government Information Department yesterday, Dr. Bandula Gunawardane said this programme was implemented in keeping with an election pledge made by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. These comments came after Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya ordered the Public Administration, Internal Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government Ministry Secretary to suspend the training programme for newly recruited graduates until a week after the election results were published.
Appointment letters had been issued to 45,585 graduates by the end of February before the dissolution of Parliament.
He said that the government plans to discuss the matter with the Election Commission Chairman.
