Govt. to discuss with EC

The government will speak to Elections Commission chairman Mahinda Deshapriya about his ruling that the government must not proceed with issuing appointment letters to unemployed graduates for job training, now that an election has been declared, cabinet spokesman and Minister Bandula Gunawardana said today.

Minister Gunawardana said letters of appointment for job training had been already posted to 45,585 unemployed graduates and giving jobs to unemployed graduates was an election pledge of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Addressing the weekly cabinet news briefing last morning, Minister Gunawardana said interviews for graduate job training were held on February 27,28 and 29 and letters of appointment were posted before the gazette notification declaring the general election was issued.

“Providing employment to unemployed graduates is an election pledge of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the process to select unemployed graduates for job training was started long time ago the Parliament was dissolved. Therefore, the project does not violate election law. The prohibition of job placement of graduates also prevents them receiving of their first stipend of Rs. 20,000 this month,” Minister Gunawardana lamented.

The government could not understand as to why elections commission chairman ruled out giving of appointments to unemployed graduates and as such the government would meet him today to discuss the issue.

However, Minister Gunawardana made an appeal to unemployed graduates to contact their respective Divisional Secretaries if they had not received their appointment letters by now. (Sandun A Jayasekera)