DailyMirror
The Parliament spends a whopping Rs. 100,000 a day for dinner alone when sessions were conducted till night, officials said.
During this budget period, parliamentary sessions are conducted from 9.30 am till 9.30 pm. There are around 650 parliamentary employees assigned for night duty every day along with about 250 police officers.“All are required to be provided with dinner. Therefore, we have to bear an additional cost of Rs.100,000 each day for food alone. Besides, additional expenses have to be made for other essential services such as electricity and water. The amount is yet to be calculated,” A top official who wished to remain anonymous said that.
The evening meals are also provided at a concessionary rate to journalists who cover parliamentary proceedings.
Meanwhile, Government’s MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara has also proposed at a recent Business Committee meeting that all the parliamentary employees should be given an allowance.
Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa has responded positively to this request. The request will now be taken up with the Staff Advisory Committee meeting.
This Committee comprises the Speaker, the Leader of the House, the Minister of Finance and the Leader of the Opposition. Only under the guidance of this Committee, the Secretary General of Parliament heads the administration and financial management of Parliament.