Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation, K.D. Lal Kantha, states that the state machinery has deteriorated due to staff shortages in government institutions. The Minister pointed out that while Sri Lanka's public service frequently faces harsh criticism, the inability to effectively utilize allocated government funds—resulting in unspent balances—has become a critical issue at present.
The Minister urged any state institution facing financial difficulties to submit requests without hesitation, assuring that such requests would be met with a prompt response and the necessary funds provided to the respective institution. Elaborating further, he stated the following. “The current problem is that allocated funds are not being utilized effectively. By the end of the year, unspent funds remain; that is the issue at hand. The challenge facing the Director of the Department of Agriculture right now is, ‘How do I effectively utilize and exhaust at least 90% of the funds I’ve received?’ So, they are left grumbling. Why? Because there is a staff shortage. You see, the state machinery has deteriorated.
We have a public service that faces criticism from all quarters; that is why it has deteriorated. So, let us not worry about financial constraints—just make the request. You need to state, ‘We require this much for the year.’ The request then moves up the chain, reaches our Secretary, and is subsequently incorporated into the budget.”