The Hon. Sujeewa Dissanayake

¶ 01 Presiding Member, it is a privilege to speak at the Second Reading of the 2026 Budget of the National People’s Power Government. A Budget sets the country’s future direction and development blueprint. Some in the Opposition today were counting applause. They have little else to offer.

¶ 02 The key Opposition criticism is that less than 50 percent of 2025 allocations were spent. The year is not over; we have about two months left, and District Coordinating Committees have not yet reviewed October progress. While we may not reach 100 percent, we aim for 85–90 percent execution by end-November/December. We will answer with updated figures.

¶ 03 They also claim officers do not take decisions. In fact, they have, which is why stability has improved. For example, the Ministry of Finance was able to retain Rs. 1 trillion in balances due to decisive management.

¶ 04 For 2026, revenue is Rs. 5,300 billion; expenditure Rs. 7,057 billion; the deficit Rs. 1,757 billion—down from about Rs. 2,800 billion in 2024 and around Rs. 2,200 billion in 2025. We are raising revenue, containing expenditure, and freeing resources for investment.

¶ 05 We restricted vehicle imports to save dollars, prioritizing essential imports like fertilizer, agrochemicals, fuel and medicines—things previous rulers failed to supply adequately, forcing even salt and onions to be imported. Through these measures we preserved Treasury balances.

¶ 06 We allocate: Education Rs. 704 billion; Health Rs. 654 billion; Transport Rs. 456 billion; National Security Rs. 407 billion; and Public Service Rs. 411 billion—over Rs. 400 billion each to five core sectors.

¶ 07 We are strengthening the public service: three-stage salary increases; regularization of employment; enabling those recruited after 2016 under the contributory scheme to transition back to a defined-benefit pension scheme through this 2026 Budget. The optimal service size is about 1.3 million; currently around 1.1 million are active. We will recruit about 75,000 through transparent exams and interviews, ending the old “political letter” method.

¶ 08 Data show 43,427 senior officers across central and provincial administrations. To enhance efficiency, we allocate Rs. 12,500 million for vehicle imports not only for MPs; Ministers and Deputies are not included; both Government and Opposition MPs will have access for official duties. The primary aim is to strengthen the entire public service.

¶ 09 In my constituency (Wariyapola), two DSDs—Bamunakotuwa and Wariyapola—share one old double-cab from the late 1980s. In Mirigama DSD, one double-cab is from 1984. Such constraints cripple service delivery; these allocations aim to fix that.

¶ 10 On human–elephant conflict in Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, we have sought approval for 294 vehicles for the Department of Wildlife Conservation to strengthen electric fencing and response, ensuring people’s safety.

¶ 11 We have also witnessed how in the past some MPs quickly obtained duty-free permits and sold them. We do not intend to recreate that culture. The current effort is to empower the State and build a prosperous country. We will pass this Budget at the Third Reading and take the country forward.

¶ 12 Thank you, Presiding Member.