Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who returned to the country after fleeing in the midst of public protests, has been allocated 19 vehicles by the government for his personal use.
In addition, the former president is paid a sum of 950,000 rupees for monthly expenses, including food and drinks.
Journalist Asanka Atapattu disclosed the information was received at a written request made to the Presidential Secretariat under the right for access to information.
In response to his disclosure, the minister presiding over the press briefing said that this is only a small fraction when looking at the overall expenses of the country.
The question he asked was about incurring such an expense in a situation where it was not possible to even pay the salaries of the public servants.
The minister further commented that since 1977, government expenditure has exceeded government income, and we have become a country that does not have enough income to maintain daily expenses.
“Before looking at these small expenses, we need to look at large-scale expenses.” That is government employee salaries, pensions, and loan interest payments. It is not possible to cut anything from these large-scale projects. See Wages and Pensions. Government Servants’ Interest in Government Debt A small expense does not affect the big picture.
By now, even the ministers of the country have made big sacrifices. I am now carrying the weight of four ministries by myself; see what is left of them. The secretary of the Ministry of Finance should tell us how much money has been reduced.
However, he did not make any statement about vehicle allocations for Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
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