(LANKAPUVATH | COLOMBO) – Basil Rajapaksa, Minister of Finance says that permission will not be granted to import new vehicles next year either.
He also said that the recruitment of new staff for the state institutions will not be allowed in 2022.
The Minister of Finance announced these decisions addressing the Dairy Farmers’ Conference held in Battaramulla yesterday(9).
Mr. Rajapaksa said some government agencies were overstaffed, adding that some divisional secretariats were so overstaffed that some did not even have chairs to sit on.
The Minister of Finance said that the people are expected to get the required amount of protein from the fisheries sector as well as livestock and if it is possible to stop the import of milk powder from abroad, it will be a great help to the economy.
He said that despite the shortage of foreign currency even in the first few months of next year, every effort would be made to ensure the food security of the people of the country without uttering the word ‘famine’.
Mr. Rajapaksa also said that ministries would not be able to submit budgets to receive funds in the middle of the year.
Mr. Rajapaksa said the country was facing a serious foreign exchange crisis and had to spend large sums of dollars to import essential foodstuffs, fuel, and to pay off loan installments and interest.
He said that the money received from the tourism industry in the last two years has been lost and the money received from the migrant workers has also decreased this year.
Mr. Rajapaksa said it was important to safeguard the country’s food security in spite of any economic problems and if food security is lost, the stability of the country will be destroyed and a big problem will arise.
