The Appropriation Draft Bill to provide for the service of the financial year 2022 has been presented to the Parliament today (October 07).

The estimated government expenditure for the said fiscal year is Rs. 2,505.3 billion. Of this figure, Rs. 1,776 billion is set aside as recurrent expenditure.

This bill will authorize the raising of loans in or outside Sri Lanka and make financial provision in respect of certain activities of the government for the said financial year.

Further, it is expected to enable the payment by way of advances out of the Consolidated Fund or any other fund or moneys, of or at the disposal of the government, of moneys required during that financial year for expenditure on such activities.

The Bill will also provide for the refund of such moneys to the Consolidated Fund.

As per the bill, a total of Rs. 12.6 billion has been allocated for public services, including expenditures of the President’s and Prime Minister’s offices, parliament and independent commissions.

The sum allotted for the President’s Office adds up to Rs. 2.78 billion, which is a reduction of more than Rs. 6 billion in comparison to the Rs. 9.34 billion set aside in 2021.

In the 2022 Appropriation Bill, the highest estimated expenditure was budgeted for the Defence Ministry. Rs. 355 billion was allocated for the Defence Ministry in 2021, however, this has been increased to Rs. 373 billion for the coming year.

The second-highest amount was allotted to the Ministry of Provincial Councils and Local Governments, which totals Rs. 286.7 billion.

The bill has raised the estimated expenditure for the Finance Ministry by Rs. 28 billion, with an allocation of Rs. 185.9 billion. 

For the estimated expenditure of the Ministry of Education for the next year, Rs. 127.6 billion has been assigned, marking an increase of Rs. 1.1 billion as compared to this year.

The allotment for the Ministry of Health in the 2022 Appropriation Bill is Rs. 153.5 billion. This is a reduction of about Rs. 6 billion as opposed to the year 2021.

The estimated expenditures for the following ministries mentioned in the 2022 Appropriation Bill are:

Ministry of Finance – Rs. 185.9 billion
Ministry of Highways – Rs. 250.1 billion
Ministry of Mass Media – Rs. 20.2 billion
Ministry of Justice – Rs. 19.4 billion
Ministry of Trade – Rs. 4.4 billion
Ministry of Industries – Rs. 2.6 billion
Ministry of Ports and Shipping – Rs. 1.5 billion
Ministry of Youth and Sports – Rs. 5.5 billion