Speaking at an event in Avissawella on Saturday Minister of Youth Affairs and Skills Development, Dullas Alahapperuma requested that if anyone opposes the raiding of illegal gambling centres , such persons need to be exposed.

An event to lay the foundation stone for a University Education Centre took place at the Batangala Animal Farm in Avissawella.

The Minister further stated,

‘This is the time, where the National Flag of our country was raised above the flags of 54 other nations. Do not look negatively . Some said they will boycott it. They sent international messages over this. We did it too. We need to accept our flaws before the nation. Margaret Thatcher arrived in the country on invitation extended by Gamini Dissanayake for the Mahaweli project. She was to address the Parliament of Sri Lanka. We as the Sri Lanka Freedom Party said that we will boycott the parliamentary proceedings. This is tribal politics. I am the treasurer of the party. We need to accept that, we looked at the international community negatively. The Sri Lanka Freedom Party committed that mistake in the 7^th decade of the 20^th century. Today, the United National Party is committing that same mistake in the 2^nd decade of the 21^st Century. If there are flaws point them out. If thefts occur, show it. I am telling this our friends in the media as well. If there are people who are against the raiding of illegal gambling centres please expose them”

Minister of Telecommunication and Information Technology, Ranjith Siyambalapitiya also expressed his views,

“This budget has been created to bring the deficit to 5 percent. However, we need to maintain the growth rate of the country at 7 percent. It is difficult to do this. We see this as a budget that can be taken as an example , compared to the previous budgets that were presented. Today, some are asking where is the development? Where is the education ? There is no country in the world where funds were allocated for the education via the Ministry of Telecommunication. Seven hundred and fifty million has been given. Computers have been given to children in rural areas. Five hundred million has been allocated for Nenasala. Two hundred and fifty million rupees has been granted to complete the work at the Hardy Institute, where Deyata Kirula took place. All this is for the education.”

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