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

Sitting of Wednesday, 5 February 2025

10th Parliament· 19 debates· 240 speeches· 52 speakers

Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 1739175806099814 ·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.

  6. 6 Oral question Oral Question: President's Fund Distribution (Q.288/2024) 7 speeches
    • The Hon. T.K. Jayasundara JJB

      AI summary Hon. T.K. Jayasundara asked the Prime Minister for details on the President’s Fund amid public criticism and parliamentary and media debate over its benefit disbursement. He sought information on the Fund’s sectors, funding sources, annual beneficiaries and expenditure since 2015, the current disbursement procedure, and whether access to applications and benefits would be simplified through Divisional Secretariats.

      Public Finance Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) (Ms.) Harini Amarasuriya - Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education JJB

      AI summary The Prime Minister, responding to Hon. T.K. Jayasundara, outlined the sectors supported by the President’s Fund under Act No. 7 of 1978, including poverty alleviation, education, religion, national service grants, and public welfare, with assistance such as medical aid, scholarships, and self-employment support. She provided annual beneficiary and expenditure figures for 2015–2024, noting the Fund’s main income sources are dividends and interest from the Development Lotteries Board. She stated that the Government plans to simplify access by enabling applications and payments through all 341 Divisional Secretariats, supported by officer training and a new online IT system for verification and approval.

      Public FinanceEducationCost of Living Full speech →
    • Mr. Speaker procedural
      Full speech →
    • The Hon. T.K. Jayasundara JJB

      AI summary Hon. T.K. Jayasundara said he was satisfied with the response but raised concerns that the President’s Fund, despite high public expectations, had disproportionately benefited privileged persons and political associates. He asked whether a disciplined process would be established to prevent future misuse and what action would be taken regarding past unethical or unlawful disbursements, referring to information and documents recently tabled in Parliament.

      Corruption & Governance ReformPublic Finance Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) (Ms.) Harini Amarasuriya - Prime Minister JJB

      AI summary The Prime Minister stated that the President’s Fund is legally intended to assist low-income households and alleged that it had previously been misused through favouritism, with investigations underway. She said the current Government would restrict disbursements to legally defined sectors and improve access and transparency by decentralizing and digitizing applications through Divisional Secretariats.

      Corruption & Governance ReformPublic Finance Full speech →
    • The Hon. T.K. Jayasundara JJB

      AI summary Hon. T.K. Jayasundara asked under which category grants of up to Rs. 1 million from the President’s Fund had been provided to certain MPs, as shown in a list tabled by the Chief Government Whip. He further questioned whether the same mechanism would be used to open higher education opportunities.

      EducationPublic Finance Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) (Ms.) Harini Amarasuriya - Prime Minister JJB

      AI summary Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya stated that certain grants did not fall within the approved sectors or the relevant legal framework, including the category for persons who had rendered service to the nation. She said the list tabled by Minister Nalinda Jayatissa indicated the grants were made at the President’s discretion outside proper procedure, and that further information would be gathered and disclosed to the public.

      Public FinanceCorruption & Governance Reform Full speech →