The Hon. Gamagedara Dissanayake - Deputy Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs

¶ 01 Sir, this morning several matters related to the Head of Expenditure of the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs were discussed in this august House. Some were expressed with goodwill; some had ill will hidden within apparent goodwill. I must say that here.

¶ 02 This Head of Expenditure is, in my view, special compared to other Ministries. As our Hon. Minister said in his opening remarks, while many Ministries focus on material matters, our Ministry can be seen as one that evokes humanist bonding. A special feature in this Budget is the significant allocation to this Ministry. Therefore, we believe we can present a different level of practical activity to the nation than what has traditionally been seen.

¶ 03 Sir, I will focus on the key functions in the Buddhasasana and religious spheres. As a Ministry we are already implementing many activities. We have paid special attention to developing rural Buddhist viharas. Members representing all ethnicities and religions here know that the development of viharas, churches, mosques and kovils at the rural level is essential. In the past, allocations were insufficient. But for 2025, we are paying special attention, using the allocated provisions, to develop places of worship at village level.

¶ 04 The Puja Bhoomi Development Programme has recently become a particularly important programme. When we say places of worship, this includes Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic and Catholic sites. We are including any such sites under the Puja Bhoomi Development Plan, considering their conditions, and will continue with plans to implement it. For the Buddhasasana in particular, we have increased our support for the needs of the Sangha, with significant allocations.

¶ 05 We have paid special attention to Dhamma school education. In meetings at temples, at ceremonies, and at Shasanarakshaka Mandala discussions, the matter of Dhamma education frequently arises. There are 10,126 schools in the formal education system administered by the Ministry of Education, with over 4 million students. But there are 10,646 Dhamma schools, with over 1.8 million students. This shows that Dhamma education today faces major challenges due to various factors. Therefore, as a Ministry, in the coming period, we intend to move beyond discussions to practical work programmes.

¶ 06 We also have the network of Shasanarakshaka Mandalas across all Divisional Secretariat divisions, through which many organizational activities occur. As a Ministry, we are paying attention to giving priority to the requests of the venerable clergy in those Mandalas.

¶ 07 The Ministry is also introducing very good programmes like the Punya Gramme (Merit Village) initiative, to build social cohesion at village level in this complex society where rural lives have been subject to many upheavals.

¶ 08 Through the Hindu Religious and Cultural Affairs Department, we have planned a large volume of work—especially to promote and develop Hindu Dhamma schools and fulfill their needs. As we said earlier about viharas, we have also allocated special provisions to develop places where our Hindu people conduct their devotions, and to enhance Hindu cultural activities. You all know we held the Thai Pongal festival at a high level in Jaffna this past January.

¶ 09 Likewise, for the Islamic community we have increased our focus—to promote Muslim culture, improve places of worship, and so on. For Christian religious affairs too, we have planned significant interventions.

¶ 10 The Central Cultural Fund, which performs a major function under our Ministry, has identified 24 projects and is carrying out important works. It is an institution that showcases our national identity, and we have provided strong support to it.

¶ 11 As a Ministry, this year we have planned, with greater focus, to protect and conserve archaeological sites that show our heritage and identity, and to implement those plans. Across the Departments for Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic and Christian affairs, and 26 institutions under the Ministry, under the intervention of the Hon. Minister, these tasks are being carried out. We believe that if we can bring a practical programme, we can build harmony and a religious revival among our people. We can give many lectures and discussions, but religious harmony will rise only within a practical programme.

¶ 12 Sir, we must tell society that the practical reality differs from pictures created by controversial talk. The ideas of the Dhammapada, the Bhagavad Gita, the Holy Quran, and the Holy Bible all, when carved together, aim to build a good society. On that basis, we are prepared as a Ministry to act and intervene accordingly. With that message, I conclude. Thank you, Sir.