COLOMBO, June 2 -- President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Monday (2) pledged sweeping reforms aimed at protecting public funds and restoring public trust in government spending, announcing cost-cutting measures under the President's own budget and a nationwide push for digitalization across state services.

Speaking at the launch of National Tax Week at the Presidential Secretariat, President Dissanayake said, "I have taken steps to reduce expenditure under the President's budget wherever possible. Every rupee of public money must be safeguarded".

The event marked the launch of a new tax awareness campaign titled 'Badu Shakthi', which runs through June 7. It also saw the official rollout of a digital platform for submitting tax payment re...