Delay in payments halts midday meals to schoolchildren: Minister

26 April 2023 03:21 pm Views - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}} 5 Bookmark

A A A

The programme to provide mid-day meals to school children has been halted in all provinces except the Western Province due to a delay in payments to suppliers for February and March 2023, Education Minister Susil Premajayantha said today.

He told Parliament that steps were being taken to make the outstanding payments of Rs. 875 million to all provinces for February and March using the World Bank funds within the next two to three weeks and assured to continue the programme.

The Minister said this in response to a question raised by NPP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake on why the provision of midday meals to school children has been halted in several provinces including the Southern Province.

The Minister said payments to suppliers have not been made after February and added that Rs. 787.4 million was paid for January and Rs. 61.6 million for February.
He added that Rs. 16,600 million was allocated for this programme through the 2023 budget and that the payments were delayed due to the current economic crisis.(Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera)

Comments - 5

Tissa Fernando Wednesday, 26 April 2023 05:33 PM

Caterers will receive money but children will not receive food. That us formula for success. They use all kind of expired products to feed the children.

0 0

Citizen k Wednesday, 26 April 2023 06:32 PM

Minister even after increasing the taxes from all of us you still say there is no money .The priority is children our future generation and not overweight state administrators.

0 0

Mohamed Ifaz Inamdeen Wednesday, 26 April 2023 07:11 PM

Incompetent minister.

0 0

Jagath Ekanayake Thursday, 27 April 2023 09:11 AM

This usless politician should be made the minister for complaints. All this guy does is complain, unfortunately your idiot president is more interested in perades and pageants rather than education. And it's your job to secure funding and not bieng an "yes sir" man.

0 0

DJ Thursday, 27 April 2023 09:38 AM

You should be long gone. You have done nothing.

0 0

222

Add comment
Comments will be edited (grammar, spelling and slang) and authorized at the discretion of Daily Mirror online. The website also has the right not to publish selected comments.