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High-powered body to act on public complaints
High-powered body to act on public complaintsThe Government is to introduce a law to give legal effect to new mechanisms to address public grievances.
The move, ahead of a possible presidential election next year, comes after a six-member official committee, tasked by the Cabinet of Ministers, set out the guidelines.
The committee has said that every ministry, provincial council, department and any other state institution should form the bulwark. It has said that they should work in concert with a standing committee chaired by the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Relations to attend to public complaints.
Others will include a representative from the Presidential Secretariat, the Ministry of Finance and Planning, the Ministry of Public Administration, the Ministry of Public Management Reforms, the Ministry of Local Government and the Ministry of Home Affairs. The committee, headed by Cashian Herath, Secretary to the Ministry of Public Relations and Public Affairs, has said that the proposed law should make provision to enable the standing committee to summon any official, obtain documents or make visits to different state institutions.
It is also to be empowered to compel officials to take action on directives given by the standing committee. The standing committee is also to be given legal powers to initiate disciplinary action against state officers who do not act on public complaints or grievances.
Such a committee will formulate guidelines and procedures to deal with different institutions.