The Opposition has launched a website, oversight.lk, to track the government’s budget promises and spending, on the instructions of Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa.
The site went live on Wednesday, the day before President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is due to present the 2027 Budget to Parliament on Thursday, 12 November. The President presents the budget as Finance Minister. It will be the government’s third.
The Opposition said the website is designed to help the public compare the government’s performance with the commitments in its previous two budgets and the proposals in the coming one.
According to the Opposition, the platform carries information on how earlier budget proposals have been implemented, ministry-wise performance, audit findings on state institutions, and data on government revenue and expenditure.
The Opposition said it introduced the platform ahead of the Budget speech so that readers can read the new proposals against the record of the previous two budgets. It said the aim is to give citizens information they can use to assess government spending, financial management and the delivery of budget commitments.
Background
The launch follows Opposition calls for greater transparency over how earlier budgets have been carried out.
In Parliament on 22 October, Premadasa questioned the government on progress with the 2026 Budget. He asked for detailed information on ministry expenditure, project implementation and unused allocations.
Deputy Finance Minister Anil Jayantha Fernando replied that the information would take time to compile. He said the government follows a performance-based budgeting approach.
In Sri Lanka the Auditor General audits state institutions and reports to Parliament, and the budget is debated and voted on by MPs after the Finance Minister presents it. Audit reports and ministry spending figures are therefore among the main public records for judging how budget money is used.
What it means
For readers, oversight.lk gives a single place to look up how ministries have performed against past budget promises, according to the Opposition.
The site is an Opposition initiative, and its content reflects the Opposition’s selection and analysis of the figures. Readers who want the official position can follow the Budget speech on 12 November and the debate that follows in Parliament.
