By Rathindra Kuruwita
President Ranil Wickremesinghe and his associates are critical of the cost maintaining a huge public sector for the past few months, but in the Budget 2023, Wickremesinghe has proposed to establish 11 new state entities, a spokesman for the dissident SLPP MPs, Udaya Gammanpila, MP, says.
“Besides, there is a proposal to establish non-standing committees, presidential commissions, presidential task forces, and new institutions that amalgamate existing institutions,” Gammanpila said.
“The government plans to establish a national productivity commission, a department for cinnamon development, a national development committee, a board to check the standard of degrees, a medical faculty for the Uva Wellassa University, a history research institution, an institution to manage state revenue, a data protection authority, an authority to regulate micro credit and a university on climate change.” Gammanpila said at least new directors and heads of institutions need to be appointed to all these novel institutions. There is also a need to expand the vehicle pool.
“Given the massive economic crisis, the government must try to manage with existing institutions and staff. For example, the University Grants Commission can easily monitor the quality of the university degrees. The Central Bank can regulate the micro finance sector. There really isn’t a need to establish new institutions. The government only wants to give perks and privileges to their friends.”
Gammanpila said that the government claims the budget deficit to be 2.4 trillion. However, this is without debt repayment. Previous budgets also allocated significant sums for debt repayment, he said
