COLOMBO (News 1st): What is the current status of government expenditure and government affairs?

When News 1st spoke to Secretary to the Prime Minister S. Amarasekara, he said that the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers cannot perform their duties as per the orders given by the Appeals Court. However, he said the normal functions of the ministeries, departments and the Prime Minister’s office will be performed as usual under the President’s guidance.

“When there is no minister, those functions automatically go to the President. So now these days we consider the President as our Minister,” he added.

He also stated that the government has no budget from January 2019. “When there is no budget, the President can approve a vote on account. The problem is, when there is a vote on account, the difficulty is you cannot accommodate new projects,” he said.

• Students should be equipped with modern technology – President
• Sarah Jasmine mystery solved? DNA test claims she died in Sainthamaruthu suicide bomb
• Bus fares revised with effect from Thursday (30); Authorities release Full List of revised fares
• 20 petroleum workers sent on compulsory leave, says Minister
• Snr. DIG & several top cops from North Western province transferred to Colombo