A Grama Niladhari ("village officer") is a Sri Lankan public official appointed by the central government to carry out administrative duties in a grama niladhari division, which is a subunit of a divisional secretariat. The duties of a grama niladhari include the reporting of issuing of permits, gathering statistics, maintaining the voter registry and keeping the peace by settlement of personal disputes. They are responsible to keep track of criminal activity in their area and issue character certificates on behalf of residents when requested by them.