The Secretary to the Ministry of Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local governments, Neel Bandaranaike Hapuhinna, confirmed that Rs. 200 million has been allocated for the 75th Independence Day celebration taking place on 4 February at the Galle Face in Colombo.
Hapuhinna stated that "we have estimated the budget for the 75th Independence Day celebration to be at Rs. 200 million and the Treasury has already made the necessary budgetary allocations for this. However, we are trying our best to minimize and cut down on costs."
Over the last year, Sri Lanka has been facing a debilitating economic crisis which has left populations without access to food, fuel or lifesaving medications. In April of 2022 the island defaulted on over $50 bn in foreign debt.
In 2022 the Sri Lankan government spent around Rs. 95 million for Independence Day celebrations which marks an increase of more than Rs. 15 million since the previous Independence celebrations in 2021.
Tamils on the island have long rejected Sri Lankan Independence Day, deeming it 'Black day for the Tamil homeland.'
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