report in Daily Mirror online, 11 January 2023 As State coffers have run dry owing to the steep contraction of the economy last year, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has instructed all ministries to cut five percent of their allocated budgets for 2023 to manage limited funds by prioritising salary and pension payments to public sector employees. “President informed the Cabinet that the public sector is facing much severe crisis than initially expected. This is mainly due…