Former Director General
Born on 3rd December 1962, Mr. Chandrarathne Pallegama is the Director General of Sri Lanka Civil Security Department. He is an adept and eminent administrator in Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS). He is a past apprentice of Girithalegama Maha Vidyalaya, a learning institution from his village. With excellent scholarship results, he gained entry to Royal College, Polonnaruwa and later on, in 1984, he entered Sri Jayewardenepura University for higher studies. There, he obtained a Special degree in Business Administration.
On 5th September 1989, Mr. Pallegama joined the public service as an Audit Examiner in the Auditor General’s Department. He joined the Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS) on the 3rd of April 1995. With the record of being the island first from the Sri Lanka Administrative Service open competitive examination which was held in 1995, he attained his first appointment as an Assistant Divisional Secretary to Kekirawa Divisional Secretariat. Thereafter, he joined the Department of Elections as an Assistant Election Commissioner serving Anuradhapura, Kalutara and Colombo districts splendidly for over twelve years.
Having discrete twelve years of service in the Department of Elections, Mr. Pallegama chose to be a Divisional Secretary in 2008. His rationale was to effectuate his wish of serving the people more adoringly. This is after he had garnered profound experience in hefty numbers of senior administrative positions. For over four years, he obliged as a Divisional Secretary in Maharagama and Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte divisions. He was commissioned as an Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources Management after being one of the ultimate administrators of his batch. Here, he served for eighteen months.
In 2012, Mr. Pallegama had a protracted expedition in his SLAS administrative career where he clutched a number of positions. He was designated as a Commissioner of the Department of Prisons for his prospective administrative dexterity in July 2012, where he was delegated to the Commissioner General later on. In September 2012, he was designated as the Director General of Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA). In his capacity, he made the institution more organised and regulated with innovative policies as it is currently. In December 2012, Mr. Pallegama was handpicked by the Secretary to H.E the President to bestow the position of the Secretary of National Education Commission.
After three months of duty as the Secretary of National Education Commission, Mr. Pallegama was elevated as the 14th Commissioner General of Prisons in Sri Lanka. This is after the cabinet ratified him. Here, he perpetuated authoritarian discipline and enhanced prison protocols and canons to an unprecedented level. Under his patronage, new salary allowances were instigated, career promotion levels were put in place and a stratagem for the department to acquire new automobiles was introduced.
Other than being a top administrator, Mr. Pallegama has been engaged in peripheral affairs as well. While on duty, he functioned on his Post Graduate Diploma in Management at Rajarata University achieving it in 2001. Later on, he majored in Sociology and in 2013, he accomplished his outstanding Masters from the University of Kelaniya.
In addition, he is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Certified Professional Managers and a Member of the Association of Accounting Technicians of Sri Lanka. While being the Divisional Secretary of Maharagama, he won the third place in All Island Management Competition organised by the Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs. He was in the foremost place at the District level and procured the third place at the Provincial level in Agricultural Competition led by Western Provincial Council making, Maharagama Divisional Secretariat, one of the best Divisional Secretariats in the island.
He was a dynamic affiliate of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service Association (SASA) since the inauguration of his journey and was designated as the General Secretary of SASA for three consecutive years, as well as the Deputy President of SASA. In the year 2015, he was appointed as the President of Sri Lanka Administrative Service Association (SASA) unanimously by the executive board. Moreover, Mr. Pallegama was on the Board of Directors of National Food Promotion Board (Sri Lanka Freedom from Hunger Campaign Board) and also a Justice of Peace to all island.
Mr. Pallegama counts over 28 years of unblemished and steadfast service. He is also an illustrious product of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service. He is married to Mrs. Lakshmi Pallegama and they are blessed with a son and a daughter. His son, Kasun, is currently attending his higher studies while his daughter, Chamathka is a medical student at the University of Colombo. He appropriated over his duties as the 4th Director General of Sri Lanka Civil Security Department on 12th of February, 2015.
⚈ Chandrarathne Pallegama
( BSc (Hons), PgD, MA, FCPM, MAAT (SL), JP(All-Island))