Ranil to make a special statement on Thursday

By Yohan Perera  

Former Prime Minister and UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe is to make a special statement on Thursday on how the Sri Lankan economy will be affected by the COVID-19 crisis, sources close to Mr. Wickremesinghe said yesterday.   

Sources said Mr. Wickremesinghe will also come up with some fresh proposals on how the country could deal with the crisis in order to minimise the adverse effects.   

He will also elaborate on how it would be possible to draw funds from the consolidated account in a legal manner. A focus will be made on the legal implications on government spending in a situation where it will be possible only to spend funds from the consolidated account after April 30 as per the constitution. Opposition parties including UNP are of the opinion that it is not possible for the President to draw funds from the consolidated account as per the disingenuous. Section 150(3) it is not possible for the president to draw. This section says said the following   
 “Where the President dissolves Parliament before the Appropriation Bill for the financial year has passed into law, he may, unless Parliament shall have already made provision, authorize the issue from the Consolidated Fund and the expenditure of such sums as he may consider necessary for the public services until the expiry of a period of three months from the date on which the new Parliament is summoned to meet.”.