President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said the biggest issue concerning the country was the people's reluctance to work.

Addressing a meeting yesterday, Rajapaksa said this was the main reason for the mediocre performance of both the pubiic sector and the private sector.

The President also pointed out that the construction projects in Colombo and suburbs have shown "very little growth." He also instructed state authorities to expedite work and show tangible results without delay.