It has been made necessary to get at least Rs.3150 million as loans every day to meet the government expenses during the year 2012. The deficit in the budget presented by Mahinda Rajapaksa for this year is Rs.1150000 million.
The estimate this time has exceeded past estimates for a year by Rs.50000 million and accordingly the daily expenses has risen by about Rs.100 million. Then the expenditure for a day would be about Rs.3250 million.
The estimate this time has exceeded past estimates for a year by Rs.50000 million and accordingly the daily expenses has risen by about Rs.100 million. Then the expenditure for a day would be about Rs.3250 million.
Already paying of farmers’ pension has been stopped and ex-gratia allowance for pensioners has not been paid for several months. Mahinda Rajapaksa government also has taken away prices of rice, coconuts, fresh food, fuel and transport expenses from the Colombo Consumer Price Index. By taking away prices of these five items that cost a larger amount of the income of a person the government has very craftily slashed the ‘cost of living’ allowances of the working people.
These facts indicate that except members of Rajapaksa family, its henchmen, members of the underworld and racketeers, all others will have to tighten their belts this year not around their waists but around their necks.
‘Let the New Year overflow with curd and treacle!’
LT