Under the existing provisions, a public officer is entitled to a maximum of 5 years No Pay leave during his tenure for study or foreign employment. But public officers are not interested in taking such leave due to non-inclusion of that period in the calculation of pensions, impact on seniority and other conditions.

Considering the prevailing economic situation in the country, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs and Provincial Council to issue circulars amending the existing provisions to enable public officers to take No-pay leave for a period of 5 years without affecting their seniority and pension for employment or other productive work abroad.