Rs.300 b spent on anti-COVID efforts

The Government has spent over Rs.300 billion on COVID control efforts, despite which it has also allocated Rs.692 billion for development projects in 2021, Co-cabinet Spokesman Mass Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella stated yesterday.

Speaking at the Cabinet media briefing held yesterday at the Government Information Department, Minister Rambukwella said that the Government has so far spent more than Rs 300 billion to control the COVID-19 pandemic and to provide relief to the people.

Even during a very hard time of not receiving the expected income from the main income sources and a massive decline of the country’s local production, the Government has taken measures to implement all large-scale development projects pledged to be fulfilled this year, the Minister added.

‘When the Government allocated funds for large-scale development projects, certain groups laughed. They thought that the Government would never be able to implement these projects due to the economic crisis unleashed by the outbreak of COVID-19. But with pride, we can say that the Government has already taken measures to implement many large-scale projects,” said the Minister.

During this week’s Cabinet meeting held on Monday (14) under the patronage of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Cabinet Ministers considered the report on the progress of large-scale development projects at the end of the first quarter of 2021 furnished by the Prime Minister.

Since 284 large–scale development projects exceeding Rs.one billion of estimated cost are being implemented under 41 Ministries, Rs. 692.5 billion has been allocated for 2021 in this connection. Fifty three projects out of them are projects pertaining to the Government’s pioneering development targets such as “Drinking Water for All” and

“Development of 100,000 Km of roads”.

Submitting the report, the Prime Minister pointed out the necessity of immediately settling the procedural and legal issues relevant to land acquisition that directly affect the performance of some of the projects along with the requirement of all the relevant entities to work together in order to accomplish the precise investment targets expected from those projects.