New team to review ministerial expenses

In an effort to tighten public expenditure, a team of public employees will be selected from all ministries to review ministerial expenses, a Finance Ministry statement said yesterday, with supplementary estimates to be given only for emergency situations next year.

Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake was quoted in the statement as saying that such a move would be beneficial to improve financial accountability, during a meeting which was held on Wednesday with the participation of secretaries of all Government ministries at the Ministry of Finance.

The discussion was centered on how to implement the proposals made by Budget 2017, the statement added. 

“Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake asked all ministry secretaries to collect allocations for proposed capital projects and start them immediately. He further said respective funds will be released with effect from 1 January 2017.”

Meanwhile, a report on the expenses of each ministry should be submitted to the Cabinet after every three months.

Professional skills of public servants will be taken into serious consideration in this effort to make the Government development scheme a success, Minister Karunanayake had pointed out during the meeting.

All ministries should maintain transparency when they implement respective development projects under the National Planning Policy. In the meantime, Finance Minister Karunanayake reiterated that additional funds would be granted under supplementary estimates for only disaster situations in 2017.

Ministry secretaries, including Secretary to the President P. B. Abeykoon, Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi and Finance Ministry Secretary Dr. R. H. S. Samaratunga and Advisor to the Prime Minister R. Paskaralingam, also participated in the discussion.