The Cabinet has approved the appointment of Lasandamala Muhandiramge, a Grade I officer of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service, as the Director General Registrar of the National Secretariat for Non-Governmental Organizations. The post had remained vacant for nearly six months.
Muhandiramge previously served as the Director of the National Secretariat for NGOs. She is an alumna of Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo, and holds a degree in Agriculture from the University of Ruhuna as well as a postgraduate degree in Business Administration from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.
Meanwhile, the government is considering a major structural change regarding the Secretariat. Currently under the Ministry of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, plans are underway to transfer the Secretariat to another ministry. This move comes amid pressure from several influential NGOs, who are lobbying to bring the Secretariat under the Ministry of Rural Development and Community Empowerment, according to reports.