The Hon. Mahinda Jayasinghe

¶ 01 No questions. Ask after my speech. I said nothing to you. I will not give even 10 seconds. Enough answers have been given. Sit down if it doesn’t concern you.

¶ 02 On this debate: Budget debates are largely for the Opposition—they get more time. They should critique and we can present what we have done and plan to do. But instead, every time we increase plantation wages by Rs. 200, again it’s like kerosene on hornets—the whole Opposition is against it.

¶ 03 I wish to clarify issues raised recently, especially pensions. To some in the Opposition, if you do not know, better not speak. The current pension issue originates from the Maithri–Ranil–Sajith government’s 2016 decision. About 100,000 retirees from 2016.01.01 were denied the contemporaneous pension calculations and deferred to 2020. Then, on 02 January 2020, the Gotabaya government decided not to pay the deferred pension as per that scheme, creating a problem that persisted five years. Hon. D.V. Chanaka claims we restored the original pension formula; but he hasn’t read our first Budget (2025). The staged resolution is in three phases—2025, 2026, and July 2027. As of 31.12.2024, all retirees will be aligned to one pension table. That part is resolved.

¶ 04 The next outstanding issue: 725,000 retirees up to 31.12.2024 did not benefit from the large salary increases given to those retiring in 2025 and thereafter (increases of Rs. 40,000–60,000 in many cases). We recognize this disparity and will resolve it; timelines will be worked out. Do not be misled by anyone. We, as long-time trade unionists, understand and will resolve it. For principals and teachers who retired between 1997 and 31.12.2021—about 85,000—their issue will also be resolved when we align pensions in 2025.

¶ 05 Without any agitation, posters or protests, we have delivered major salary increases in this Budget—historically these were achieved only after struggles. In our first Budget we raised salaries by 60–80%, increased the increment percentage by up to 80%, raised disaster loan limits from Rs. 250,000 to Rs. 400,000 last Budget, and allocated Rs. 10 billion to repay disaster loans this time. We increased festival advances from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 15,000. We have also provided interest concessions on housing loans—4% for the first Rs. 3 million and 2% for Rs. 3–5 million. We are regularizing about 9,800 temporary, casual, substitute, contract and relief employees. We doubled the allowance for gatekeepers at unprotected rail crossings from Rs. 7,500 to Rs. 15,000.

¶ 06 Regarding vehicles: from our Labour Department’s District Engineer Offices, many vehicles are 25–40 years old—Colombo 40, Gampaha 25, Kalutara 25, Kandy 40, Galle 30, Jaffna 28, Kurunegala 32, Badulla 29 years, etc. How can they function? The decision is to procure 2,000 vehicles, of which 1,775 are pickup trucks allocated to public officers.