Sri Lanka President Dissanayake Orders Overhaul of Regional Administration

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake directed senior officials to draft a comprehensive plan that will restructure Sri Lanka’s regional administrative units into development‑oriented bodies. The overhaul aims to shift these units from purely bureaucratic functions to proactive agents that identify local needs, coordinate resources and deliver measurable social and economic outcomes. The directive is part of a broader reform agenda that includes digitalising government services, reviewing more than 2,000 under‑utilised government buildings, and prioritising essential construction projects such as District and Divisional Secretariat complexes in Ampara, Batticaloa, Kegalle, Polonnaruwa and other districts. Officials are to submit a report on which services can be offered via digital platforms and to outline the policy, capacity‑building and institutional changes required for the transition. A preliminary roadmap is expected in the coming weeks, followed by stakeholder consultations before any formal changes are enacted.