Media Minister Ruwan Wijewardena said the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) is now running at a loss and his attempts to revise the state-run TV stations have been thwarted by President Maithripala Sirisena.

"Through Treasury, tax payers have been funding SLRC’s salary bill of Rs 40m per month. For months I’ve been trying to change the management but was obstructed by the President. The latest attempt resulted in @MaithripalaS gazetting SLRC under his purview," Wijewardena tweeted.

Last night, President Sirisens issued a Gazette notification amending the functions of the Ministry of Mass Media and placing the SLRC under the Ministry of Defence.

With this move, the SLRC comes under the direct purview of President Sirisena.

This is the first time in history that the SLRC has been placed under the Ministry of Defence, which has no relation to the functions of mass media.