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Sri Lanka
10th Parliament· 154 sittings on record · 30,475 speeches · latest 10 June 2026

Sitting of Tuesday, 7 January 2025

10th Parliament· 17 debates· 212 speeches· 80 speakers

Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 1736487038022510 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard

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Order of business

Speeches load per item. Summaries shown here are AI-generated and labelled; verbatim text is on each speech page.

  8. 8 Oral question Oral Question: Economic Projections and Key Development Sectors (Q.234/2024) 7 speeches
    • The Hon. (Prof.) Anil Jayantha - Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development JJB

      AI summary The Minister, responding on behalf of the Minister of Finance, stated that Sri Lanka’s average economic growth over the past 30 years was about 4.2 per cent, with a high of 9.1 per cent in 2012 and a low of -7.3 per cent in 2022, and tabled detailed figures. He said current growth projections are prepared under the State Financial Management Act, No. 44 of 2024, with IMF and Department of State Financial Policy involvement using an autoregressive distributed lag model, but noted concerns with the model and said revisions are expected, citing the 2024 projection rising from 2 per cent to around 4–5 per cent.

      Public Finance Full speech →
    • The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF

      AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake requested that the ten identified sectors be provided, indicating the need for clarity on the sectoral breakdown being discussed. The intervention appears to be a procedural or informational request seeking specific details rather than a substantive policy argument.

      Public Finance Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Prof.) Anil Jayantha JJB

      AI summary Prof. Anil Jayantha identified ten key development sectors, including human resource development, modern agriculture, energy, digitalization, tourism, IT, fisheries, transport, MSMEs, and culture/environmental conservation, all linked to the “Clean Sri Lanka” initiative. He stated that investment projections are based on recent trends, incentives, improved investment conditions, and policy consistency, with USD 879 million in domestic investment projected for 2025. He said the Government aims to attract at least USD 2 billion in FDI annually up to 2034, prioritizing technology and capital-intensive projects, while addressing anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing grey-list concerns; a detailed answer with tables was tabled.

      InfrastructurePublic FinanceAgriculture Full speech →
    • The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF

      AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake questioned how the Government plans to achieve the IMF-agreed 2025 growth target of about 15 per cent, or roughly Rs. 5,000 billion in GDP expansion. He argued that inflation targeting alone would be insufficient and asked what measures would be taken to attract domestic and foreign investment, empower SMEs, and expand the economy.

      Public FinanceEmployment Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Prof.) Anil Jayantha JJB

      AI summary Agreed that guidelines and inflation targeting alone are insufficient, the speech referred to the State Financial Management Act and IMF-linked GDP projections underpinning 2025 revenue and expenditure limits. It noted limitations in statistical modelling such as ARDL, and stated that the fiscal framework targets revenue at 15 per cent of GDP and expenditure at 13 per cent, supported by proposed fair fiscal measures. The central policy objective identified was increasing production through expanded investment, with the programme to be adjusted and reformed as needed.

      Public Finance Full speech →
    • The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF

      AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake argued that economic recovery requires a clear government policy to support SMEs, which he said make up about 70 per cent of the economy and cannot recover under 13–15 per cent interest rates. He asked how the Government would reduce rates to 8–9 per cent, address the mismatch faced by borrowers whose rates rose from 10–12 per cent to about 30 per cent, and strengthen SMEs to mobilize Rs. 3.3 trillion and achieve 15 per cent growth.

      Public FinanceEmploymentCost of Living Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Prof.) Anil Jayantha JJB

      AI summary Hon. (Prof.) Anil Jayantha said the Government is working with Treasury officials to manage state finances while prioritizing increased production and growth. He stated that a 2025 programme would expand micro, small and medium industries, with further steps toward 2026 to be set out through the forthcoming Appropriation Bill and related measures. He emphasized that growth should reduce inequality and said support programmes would aim to connect people to the economic process rather than function as mere handouts.

      Land & HousingEmploymentPublic Finance Full speech →