1,000 Registered substitutes of the Postal Dept. to be made Permanent.
1,000 New substitutes to be registered with the Postal Dept,

The services of the Central Mail Exchange, which is part of the Sri Lanka Postal Department, were inspected by the Minister of Health and Mass Media, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa,on Tuesday afternoon (29). Following the inspection, the Minister of Health and Mass Media made held a special meeting with the officers and staff of the Central Mail Exchange regarding the current activities, future steps and existing problems.

The Minister’s attention has also been drawn to the renovation of the old Central Mail Exchange building, which is a donation from the People’s Republic of China.

The Minister emphasised that, since the government’s primary objective is to stabilise the country on a strong foundation, the Postal Department will also be guided by that objective. He also said that steps are already being taken to resolve the shortage of staff and transportation issues, which are common problems in the entire public service, as well as in the Postal Department. He also said that approval has been obtained to make the services of 1,000 currently registered substitutes of the department into the permanent cadre. He said that steps will be taken to register 1,000 new substitutes too. Accordingly, the Minister also stated that the necessary steps for the relevant recruitment will be taken soon.

The Minister also stated that the Postal service, which has a history of about 200 years, is undergoing modernisation activities such as providing revenue targets to Sub-post Offices, introducing new services, opening and modernising new Post Offices, etc., and that he hopes to discuss with the Chinese Ambassador in the future to obtain assistance in modernising the Central Mail Exchange Main Building, which was received as a donation from the People’s Republic of China, and to empower it with modern technology.

The Minister said that the Central Mail Exchange is operating amidst many difficulties and unresolved issues, and that it is a busy, demanding, and active place. He also pointed out that the Central Mail Exchange is a hub of the Postal Department as well as the State. He said that his aim is to gradually build the Postal Service by discussing with the officials, giving the Postal Service the necessary value, respect and proper place, and that it will take some time.