Sri Lanka Planning Service Exam key terms

Recent national and international events, policy decisions, and appointments that a candidate is expected to follow, usually covering the period shortly before the examination date.

An official government publication that gives legal effect to appointments, regulations, and statutory orders. Knowing that a rule takes effect only once gazetted is frequently tested.

The interest rate set by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka to steer inflation and credit growth. Movements in this rate affect borrowing costs, exchange rates, and budget planning.

A sustained rise in the general price level, reducing purchasing power. Sri Lanka commonly measures it through the Colombo Consumer Price Index and the National Consumer Price Index.

The total market value of goods and services produced within a country in a given period. It is the standard headline measure of the size and growth of an economy.

The shortfall when government expenditure exceeds government revenue in a year. It is usually expressed as a percentage of GDP and financed by borrowing, domestically or abroad.

The accumulated stock of money owed by the government to domestic and foreign lenders. Its sustainability is judged against GDP, export earnings, and revenue.

Renegotiating the terms of existing loans, such as maturity, interest, or principal, to make repayment feasible. Sri Lanka's recent restructuring involved both bilateral and private creditors.

A multilateral lender that provides financial support tied to policy conditions. Its programmes typically require fiscal consolidation, revenue reform, and structural changes.

Seventeen global goals adopted by the United Nations for 2030, covering poverty, health, education, environment, and institutions. National planning documents map Sri Lankan targets to them.

A composite measure of life expectancy, education, and income per person, published by the United Nations Development Programme. It is used to compare welfare across countries.

A measure counting deprivations in health, education, and living standards simultaneously. It captures poverty beyond income and is used in Sri Lankan poverty analysis.

The first major Sinhalese kingdom, centred on Anuradhapura, lasting roughly from the fourth century BCE to the eleventh century CE. It produced major irrigation works and Buddhist monuments.

The capital that succeeded Anuradhapura from the eleventh to thirteenth centuries. It is noted for ruler Parakramabahu I and for large reservoirs such as Parakrama Samudra.

The ancient Sri Lankan practice of building tanks, canals, and bunds to support dry-zone agriculture. It underpinned state formation and remains central to heritage and water policy.

A connected chain of small tanks and paddy fields in which water flows from one tank to the next. It is a traditional dry-zone water management model revived in modern planning.

The last independent Sri Lankan kingdom, centred in Kandy and lasting until 1815. It is known for the Temple of the Tooth and the Kandyan Convention with the British.

The 1815 agreement by which Kandyan chiefs ceded sovereignty to the British. It preserved certain customs and religious protections, making it a contested historical and legal reference.

Tangible and intangible assets inherited from the past, including monuments, sites, rituals, and crafts. Sri Lanka has several UNESCO World Heritage properties and a legal framework to protect them.

A place listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization for outstanding universal value. Sri Lankan listings include the ancient cities and the Central Highlands.

The process by which a government sets medium- and long-term development priorities, targets, and resource allocations. It links policy objectives to annual budgets and implementing agencies.

A national welfare and poverty alleviation scheme providing cash transfers and livelihood support to low-income households. It is a key instrument of social protection policy.

Policies and programmes that cushion people against income shocks, such as transfers, pensions, and insurance. Coverage, targeting, and fiscal cost are recurring analytical issues.

A management cycle that tracks whether projects deliver planned outputs and whether those outputs achieve intended outcomes. It supports accountability and evidence-based planning decisions.

A measurable value used to judge how effectively an organisation or programme achieves its objectives. Good indicators are specific, relevant, and verifiable over time.

A method of appraising a project by comparing the monetary value of expected benefits with expected costs, often discounted over time. It helps rank competing public investments.

A pre-investment assessment of whether a proposed project is technically, financially, and socially viable. It precedes detailed design and funding approval in public project cycles.

The staged process of identifying, appraising, implementing, and evaluating development projects. It ensures decisions at each stage are documented and reviewed before proceeding.

The machinery and processes through which government implements policy, including ministries, departments, and public servants. It covers staffing, budgeting, accountability, and service delivery.

A constitutional body in Sri Lanka responsible for appointments, promotions, transfers, and disciplinary control of public officers. It safeguards merit and independence in the civil service.

The principle that recruitment and advancement should rest on demonstrated ability rather than patronage or personal ties. It is a core standard for a neutral public service.

The principle that all persons and institutions, including the state, are subject to law applied equally and transparently. It supports predictability, rights protection, and accountability.

The constitutional officer who audits public accounts and reports to Parliament on the use of public funds. The role is central to financial accountability and oversight.

Transferring powers, functions, or resources from central government to provincial or local bodies. Sri Lanka's provincial council system is a form of devolution within this broad idea.

The principle that decisions should be taken at the lowest level of government capable of handling them effectively. It is used to argue for and against central control of functions.

Comparing quantities by division and scaling them consistently. These skills underpin questions on mixing, allocation of funds, and population or resource shares.

A fraction expressed out of one hundred, used to describe change, shares, and rates. Many exam problems require converting between percentages, fractions, and decimals accurately.

The sum of a set of values divided by the number of values. It is used in problems on mean speed, per capita figures, and combined group performance.

Reading tables, charts, or text to extract figures and compute derived values. Questions typically test careful comparison and quick arithmetic rather than statistical theory.

Drawing valid conclusions from given statements, assumptions, or sequences. Typical items include syllogisms, seating arrangements, and series completion under time pressure.