Public Administration and Internal Affairs State Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said yesterday the salary increments of government servants and pensioners due for January this year had to be put off as no funds had been allocated from the Vote on Account presented by the previous government for the first quarter of 2020.
He told Parliament that even though Cabinet decisions had been taken by the previous government to increase salaries of government servants, pensioners and to grant Rs. 15,000 allowance for executive officers of the State sector from January this year, no funds had been allocated in that regard.
The Minister said this in response to a question raised by JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake claiming that government servants and pensioners had been disappointed due to the suspension of the proposed salary increments.
MP Dissanayake said Cabinet decisions had been taken to resolve salary anomalies of those retired between 2016 and 2019, grant salary increment in accordance with the Ranukge committee report and the grant of Rs. 15,000 for executive officers of the State sector and added that state employees had been disappointed due to the government’s decision to suspend the increments.
When asked when the increments would be granted, the minister said steps would be taken to implement the decisions at future budgets.
MP Dissanayake said the government could not cancel or disregard the proposals to increase salaries just because funds were not available and added that they were ready to support if the government presented a supplementary estimate in parliament to allocate funds.
“The government has presented a supplementary estimate to allocate funds to purchase vehicles, buildings for ministers and their officials and to purchase furniture for Temple Trees. But, they suspended the implementation of salary increments,” he said.
