The initial discussion on this was held Monday at the Public Administration Ministry under the patronage of Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon. A large number of heads of institutions including the armed forces, police, ministries, departments and the Colombo Municipal Council were present.

The Minister has informed the relevant officials that the National Anthem will be sung in Sinhala only at the Independence Day celebrations next year.The Minister also instructed the relevant authorities to take measures to minimize the inconvenience to the public during the armed forces rehearsals.The Minister also instructed the relevant authorities to carry out the renovation work of the Independence Square before the national ceremony on February 4th.

Also, the Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government has taken steps to launch a tree planting program covering the entire country on the instructions of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.Following the preliminary discussion, the Minister, the Secretary to the Ministry, senior officers of the Armed Forces and the Police visited the Independence Square for observation of the site.