In a significant development, a special gazette notification has been issued, reaffirming the status of electricity supply and related services, the supply and distribution of petroleum products and fuel, as well as health services as essential services in Sri Lanka.
The announcement was made by Acting Presidential Secretary Chandanie Wijayawardhana on September 17, 2023, in compliance with the directives of President Ranil Wickremesinghe. This decision was enacted under the authority granted to the President by Section 2 of the Essential Public Services Act No. 61 of 1979.
This recent notification follows a prior declaration of these services as essential in a Gazette Extraordinary published on May 17, 2023. President Wickremesinghe had previously issued multiple announcements to this effect, dated August 3, 2022, September 3, 2022, October 4, 2022, January 3, 2023, and February 17, 2023, underscoring the critical nature of these services to the nation.
