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Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella to mudslinging
media:
Talk about terror of 10,986 days
*Ridiculous to talk about what had
happened during 14 days
*One child soldier accepted fact that
he killed 81 persons
Nadira GUNATILLEKE
It is ridiculous to talk about what had happened during 14 days
without talking about what had happened during 10,986 days, Cabinet
Spokesman and Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said yesterday.
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Relief for public servants on
cards |
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Nadira GUNATILLEKE
The salaries of public servants
and recruitment to the public service are to be increased
significantly by the 2012 budget.
The growth rate of eight percent is highly satisfactory because
it is one of the highest in the region.
Cabinet approval has been granted to the Appropriation Bill for
the financial year 2012, submitted by Financial and Planning
Minister President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Cabinet Spokesman and
Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said.
Addressing the weekly Cabinet press briefing held at the
Government Information Department Auditorium yesterday, Minister
Rambukwella said that the first reading of the Appropriation
Bill will be on October 18 and the presentation of the budget in
Parliament will be on November 21.
The total expenditure for 2012 is estimated at Rs. 2220 billion
necessitating an increase in recurrent expenditure from Rs. 1029
billion in 2011 to Rs. 1109 billion in 2012 and the capital
expenditure from Rs. 938 billion to Rs. 1111 billion. According
to Minister Rambukwella, the total income will be Rs. 1,115
billion. Public investment has increased from Rs. 453 billion in
2011 to Rs. 541 Billion in 2012 in order to maintain the
momentum in the growth rate of eight percent.
Budget estimates for 2012 are to be prepared with the aim of
containing the budget deficit at 6.2 percent of the GDP to
ensure that economic development in maintained at eight percent
and the rate of annual inflation at six to seven percent.In the
preparation of the Bill, the President and the General Treasury
had consulted each line ministry and other stakeholders, to
formulating a realistic budget to divert resources for priority
areas identified in the ‘Mahinda Chinthana’ and phased out in
the medium term expenditure frame work 2012 – 2014. In this
process, priority has been given for the completion of ongoing
development activities, before allocating resources for new
projects, Minister Rambukwella added. |
“This is what some media are doing to tarnish the image of the Sri
Lankan leader who rescued people who lived for 30 years in the clutches
of barbaric terrorists. Nobody talks about what happened during those
10,986 days and how thousands of people including pregnant mothers,
children, members of the clergy and world leaders were brutally hacked
to death by terrorists,” he said at the weekly Cabinet press briefing at
the Government Information Department Auditorium yesterday.
“Channel 4 talks about four or five persons. The government released
7,800 murderous former LTTE cadres. One 12 - year- old child soldier
accepted the fact that he killed 81 persons. He had been rehabilitated
and released,” the minister said.
Rambukwella said that certain websites and media are trying their
best to lead the people in a direction where public unrest can be
created.
“The strategy and function of these websites are obvious,” the
minister said.
“It is very hard to make people realize the truth because such
websites fabricate stories in a very creative way that make people
believe everything. Taking money from organizations and publishing
‘features’ and ‘news’ is one of the lowest levels of journalism,” he
said. The minister also said the intelligence services have discovered
that certain elements are spreading rumours to mislead the public and
create unrest in the country.
“It is also found that there is a tendency to create religious,
ethnic and social unrest in the country. President Mahinda Rajapaksa
informed Cabinet to be aware of the situation and take action to prevent
the creation of trouble,’’ Rambukwella said. |
