Since there were insufficient funds they are idlying..!! This situation poses a serious threat to the future of the country...!!!

Vitarana laments step-motherly treatment
Saman Indrajith

Science and Technology Minister Prof. Tissa Vitarana yesterday told Parliament that he regretted that the Treasury does not release enough funds for his ministry.

Since 2005, there were huge differences between the amounts of money allocated to the Ministry of Science and Technology from the budget and the amounts actually received, he said.

In 2005 Budget Rs. 1,134,132,000/- had been allocated but the ministry actually received only Rs. 696,899,672/- which was Rs. 437,232,327/- short of the vote.

In 2006, the budgetary allocation was Rs. 1,934,900,000/-, yet the Treasury had released only Rs. 1,061,447,245/- which is less by Rs. 873,452,755/-, he said.

In 2007, the difference was Rs. 756,528,485/- as the Treasury had released only Rs. 1,107,293,515 of the allocated sum of Rs. 1,863,822,000/- he said.

The shortfall for last year (2008) was Rs. 1,517,931,651/- since the Ministry received only Rs. 1,326,257,349/- of the allocated amount of Rs. 2,844,189,000/- from the budget for the field of science and technology, he said.

This, year, the budget has allocated Rs. 2,788,404,000/- but upto June 31, the Treasury has allocated only Rs. 675,919,000/- making a huge deficit of Rs. 2,112,485,000/-, the Minister said.

The Ministry has 10 institutions under its purview namely: National Science and Technology Commission, Sri Lanka Standards Institute, Sri Lanka National Engineering Research Institute, Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Modern Technology, Industrial Technology Institute, Atomic Energy Authority, National Science Foundation, Sri Lanka Accreditation Board for Conformity Assessment, Planetarium and Information Technology Park Mannar and Jaffna.

All those institutes are meant to work for the upliftment of science and technology and conduct research to develop the country, but since there were insufficient funds they are idlying, JVP MP, Y. M. Navaratne Banda said.

He pointed out that the Treasury had not released around 40 to 50 per cent of the allocated amount. The released amount can only meet the expenses of maintaining these institutes he said, adding that this situation poses a serious threat to the future of the country.

The Minister admitted that the funds released by the Treasury could only meet the maintenance of these institutes said that he had brought this situation to the notice of Treasury officials several times during the last four years, but the ministry still gets only a lesser amount.


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