Fact Check
On 4 February 2019, Mawbima reported that Minister of Ports and Shipping and Southern Development Sagala Ratnayaka made the above statement.
The 2017 Central Bank Annual Report shows that:
i) the 2018 budget allocation for the health and education sectors was Rs. 544 Bn; and
ii) the total allocation for government expenditure was Rs. 2,913 Bn (see Exhibit 1).
Therefore, the allocation for health and education was 18.69 percent of the total allocation, not 25 percent as the minister claimed. As such, we have classified Minister Ratnayaka’s statement as FALSE.
Sources
- Central Bank Annual Report 2017: https://www.cbsl.gov.lk/en/publications/economic-and-financial-reports/annual-reports/annual-report-2017