Grads, low-income recruits state jobs list posted online

The names of 50,000 graduates eligible for state jobs will be posted on the website of the Presidential Secretariat today, the secretariat announced.

This comes following President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s instructions to speed up a programme to provide jobs for 50,000 graduates and 100,000 others from low-income backgrounds.

Those recruited will be informed by letter tomorrow, and are required to report to work on September 1 to the nearest Divisional Secretariat. The 100,000 youth will start work the same day.

In February, applications were called from unemployed graduates and unskilled youth from low- income families for jobs in masonry, carpentry, agriculture, fisheries, and forest conservation in their residential areas, with a monthly salary of Rs. 35,000.

They will also be trained to support government officials to maintain state properties and other civil activities, prevention of diseases including dengue, natural disasters, uplifting rural infrastructure facilities, and coast conservation. Those with 10 years of continuous service and good performance will be eligible for a pension as well as foreign opportunities.

A multi- purpose development task force as envisaged in the “Saubhagyaye Dekma” manifesto, was appointed to look into recruitment at the Ministry of Defence and tri-forces providing training.

A senior official of the previous Public Administration Ministry said that transfers, job placements within the state sector that were held up due to virus-related curfews will resume.

The Venerable Thenne Gnanananda Thero, the convener of the Combined Association of Unemployed Graduates, said those who have passed government teacher examinations are awaiting appointments that have been held up due to the pandemic lockdown and elections.