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Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe gave instructions to the treasury yesterday not to grant even a cent for the importation of vehicles for ministers and MPs until funds were allocated to build houses to replace those destroyed by the floods and the blast at Kosgama, and to renovate the partly destroyed houses.
He gave this order in accordance with the government’s primary policy (in the Yahapalanaya), which is to provide relief to the people.
It was further stated in the prime minister’s directive to first calculate the sum required to provide relief to the affected people and that, until this exercise is complete, the treasury should under no circumstances make allocations for the purchase of vehicles for ministers and MPs.
Accordingly, the supplementary estimate to purchase vehicles will be suspended until the requisite funds are allocated to provide assistance to construct houses to replace the destroyed ones and to repair the damaged ones. (Anjula Maheeka Weeraratne)