The Hon. K. Kader Masthan

¶ 01 Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim.

¶ 02 Hon. Presiding Member, the 2026 Budget presented by Hon. President and Minister of Finance Anura Kumara Dissanayake is a key milestone in rebuilding our country. When the country collapsed, I served as a State Minister under former President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government. Many of the measures we proposed then are now being taken forward—this is welcome. This Budget aims not only to stabilize the economy, but also to ensure social justice and regional balance.

¶ 03 The Vanni Electoral District—Vavuniya, Mannar and Mullaitivu—has long been war-affected. Basic infrastructure, jobs, education and health still face major challenges. We need to establish vocational training centres in Vavuniya and Mannar to enhance employability among youth. The expanded Aswesuma social protection programme must reach genuinely needy families in the North. Increased assistance to elders, the disabled and women is welcome.

¶ 04 To attract investors and increase revenue, we must reform land procedures to give investors confidence. Tourism plans should be modernized to meet current expectations, including safe, reliable and quality transport for tourists, and legal frameworks that are enabling.

¶ 05 On agriculture, numerous issues persist. We need thorough studies, direct consultations with farmers, fair and timely price-setting, and effective enforcement. As you claim socialist and cooperative values, leverage the cooperative sector to spur economic growth. Engage youth through cooperatives. We must design programmes to productively absorb our annual graduates into national development; after nearly two decades of education, they face a job market that offers little—create pathways for secure employment.

¶ 06 Although this Budget offers new hope to the people of Vanni, success depends on implementation. Ensure that allocations reach every village in the North and East. The President’s effort to bring in a digital economy for clean administration and to reduce corruption is commendable. Sri Lanka aims for around USD 15 billion in the digital sector, which can enhance transparency and service delivery. Yet, it is regrettable that regarding the import of printed copies of the Holy Qur’an, the government seems to be acting archaically. Today, anyone can download translations of the Qur’an in about 50 languages via a QR code; I table the QR code document here. While there are hundreds of thousands of Qur’ans already in Sri Lanka, currently import of Tamil translations is being blocked by Customs. If such translations are freely accessible digitally, why should the printed Tamil translation be blocked? Continuing an outdated ban violates fundamental rights. You sought a system change to correct past wrongs; now act on it. I urge the Hon. President to summon the relevant officials and ministers and immediately release the seized Tamil translations of the Qur’an. Do not leave such a matter to a 7–8 member “review committee” to decide for 2.5 million Muslims in this country. Reject such outdated approaches and release the books forthwith—especially when this Budget allocates heavily for digital transformation.

¶ 07 On Mannar’s wind power project: while we welcome renewable energy, people in Mannar Island insist that towers not be erected within the island as per electoral pledges. Four towers have already been installed, and tenders are out for ten more. Please relocate additional towers to other suitable areas outside the island.

¶ 08 What allocation has been made this year for the Puttalam–Mannar road via Ilavankulam? It was promised—please proceed with it.

¶ 09 Regarding Puttalam District: Rs. 1,500 million has been allocated for the town. The Aruwakkalu waste dumping project, which people protested and which was suspended, has now been allocated Rs. 2.5 billion. Proceeding with this would be a grave injustice to Puttalam residents. You promised to consult people before implementing projects—consult them now. People are angry. You won many districts in the elections; please listen to the local people before implementing such projects. Thank you.