Sri Lanka's Ministers Required to Cut Expenditure Immediately

Sri Lanka's ministers and deputy ministers have been required to immediately comply with the directive of President Chandrika Kumaratunga issued early this month pertaining to the limits of their usage of official vehicles, fuel and telephones, the official Daily News reported on Thursday.

The paper quoted a press communique issued by the Presidential Secretariat on Wednesday as saying that the president hopes that the ministers will prove themselves illustrious leaders at the time of escalating war expenditure since the beginning of last year and increasing state cost due to an enlarged cabinet as well as oil price hikes.

It further stated that under the strains of state tax revenue and limitation on state borrowing the government has to take these steps to curb state expenditures.

Facing financial difficulties in her country, Kumaratunga issued a detailed directive restricting the number of working staff of ministries and the costs of their vehicles and telephone fares earlier this month.






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