Sri Lanka has declared July 27 to 31 as National Integrity Week in a drive to curb corruption in the public sector and build a more transparent governance culture, EconomyNext reports.
The initiative, originally planned to coincide with Anti-Corruption Day in 2025 before being postponed in March, will be led by the Ministry of Public Administration alongside the Presidential Secretariat and the Clean Sri Lanka programme.
Ministry Secretary S. Alokabandara said the campaign aims to go beyond enforcement of anti-corruption law. “Our focus is on how to further solidify a culture of integrity among public officers and within the system where officers interact with the general public,” he told a media briefing. He noted that despite extensive establishment codes, financial regulations and departmental circulars, allegations of corruption keep surfacing, requiring a deeper cultural shift.
As part of the week, internal affairs units will be set up within ministries, and district and divisional secretariats will run localised action plans. Certain sections of the Establishment Code governing public officials are also to be amended. Every public institution has been instructed to prepare short, medium and long-term plans to close procedural gaps that create room for corruption. Twenty-five awareness marches will be held across all 25 districts on July 28, with the main Colombo walk starting from Independence Square at 8.00 a.m.
The push comes as the government faces mounting criticism over a multi-billion-rupee coal procurement scandal. A National Audit Office special report found severe procedural flaws and substandard coal imports for the Lakvijaya Power Plant, prompting the resignation of Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody.
