Sri Lanka's Ministry of Finance has presented its Appropriation Bill for 2022 with the largest allocation, 12.3% being allocated to the Ministry of Defence.
The bill comes as Sri Lanka faces increasing scrutiny from the international community and the public over its increasing militarisation. During the 48th UNHRC session, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet , slammed the "corrosive impact of militarisation" highlighting the continued culture of impunity and deterioration of "fundamental rights, civic space, democratic institutions, social cohesion and sustainable development".
It also comes as Sri Lanka's face a severe food crisis with the prices of basic commodities increase by as much as 37% across the board.
The allocated expenditure includes non-military expenditures such as the Multi-purporse Development Task Force but signals a growing militarisation of the state with civil administration coming under the perview of the Defence ministry. Of the funds allocated to the Defence ministry, Rs. 308 billion was set for direct military allocation to Sri Lanka's Army, Navy and Air force. The amount allocated is an increase of 1.74% since the previous with the total government budget amounting to Rs. 2.5 trillion.
Read more here: Sri Lanka’s new president is putting soldiers in charge of everything – The Economist
Source: World Bank
Compared to similar nation's, Sri Lanka is spending an inordinate amount on its military with 1.93% of its GDP being allocated for it. This is more than Japan, Sweden, Bangladesh, Germany, and China. The number of military personnel has also expanded over the years. According to the World Bank, as of 2018, Sri Lanka's military personnel as a percentage of the population was second only to Israel, 1.46% compared to 2.00%.
Source: World Bank
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