Opposition flays Govt. over large budgetary allocation to Presidential Secretariat

*Ruling party denies, says inclusion of WFP allocation results in higher figure

*Allocation for President's personal staff slashed by 64 percent

By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana

Colombo, December 6 (Daily Mirror) - The opposition flayed the government yesterday saying that a large budgetary allocation had been made to the Presidential Secretariat for the first quarter of next year despite pious pronouncements in the pre-election period to prune expenditure.

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Kabir Hasheem took the matter up in the House during the debate on the Vote on Accounts announcing allocations for the first quarter of next year. He said the NPP as a party was critical of the expenditures incurred by then President Ranil Wickremesinghe in terms of helicopter rides and luxury vehicles involved in his convoy. However, he said the allocation made for the Presidential Secretariat under the current President, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, for the first quarter of 2025 was similar to the allocation made for the corresponding period of this year under the former President.

“There is no system change but Anura changed,” he said.

However, NPP MP Lakmali Hemachandra who responded saying that the inclusion of US $ 1300 million from the World Food Programme (WFP) under the head of expenditure of the Presidential Secretariat Account had resulted in this similarity and otherwise there was no extra expense for the President. She said allocation for the personal staff of the President had been cut down by 64 percent.

Government is slated to spend a greater portion out of the total allocated Rs 1.4 trillion (Rs 1,402,886,263, 000) during the first four months of 2025 for transportation, ports and civil aviation, defence and health as per the Vote on Accounts which was presented to Parliament yesterday.

A sum of Rs 220.05 billion has been allocated for transportation, ports and civil aviation Rs 142, 925, 000,000 (Rs 142.5 billion) is to be spent for defence, while Rs 161, 999,998,000 (Rs 161.9 billion) is to be spent for health. A sum of Rs 77.3 billion has been allocated for agriculture, Rs 92 billion for education.

A total sum of Rs 2.6 billion (Rs 2,644,940, 000) has been allocated for the expenditure of the President. A sum of Rs 1.3 billion has been allocated for development activities that will come under the President. However, the sum allocated for the Prime Minister is on the low side as only Rs 378 million is set aside for her expenditure during the first four months in 2025. A sum of Rs 2.2 billion has been allocated for expenditure connected with Parliament for the first four months of 2024.

In addition a sum of Rs 9.4 billion (Rs 9, 414,868,000) has been allocated for the Ministry of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment.