The Hon. Manjula Suraweera Arachchi

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, before speaking on the Budget, I must address the sensitive situation now faced by potato, onion and upcountry vegetable farmers in Nuwara Eliya District, which I represent. This Government was formed for farmers and workers — for progressive people. Some problems cannot be solved in a very short time, but we will find real answers through medium- and long-term measures. Right now, the price issue confronting seed potato, big onion, and upcountry vegetable farmers is acute, and we express regret as a Government. The present Agriculture, Industries and Trade Ministers are working through a coordinated mechanism to stabilize prices from the next season and find durable solutions.

¶ 02 This is the 80th national Budget. Within about one year in office, our Government has presented two Budgets. This Budget targets development and confirms economic democracy, with short-, medium- and long-term actions to build a prosperous country and better lives, through a collective effort with the people. The Opposition, which led 78 previous Budgets that brought hardship and even labeled Sri Lanka as bankrupt, now treats this Budget lightly and with disdain. We have stopped theft, fraud and waste in one year, and the Treasury has begun to fill up. Those responsible for emptying the Treasury over decades lack the humility to admit their mistakes.

¶ 03 This Budget delivers a major commitment to plantation workers. We pledged to uplift their lives over the next five years, and we are creating the surrounding conditions to raise them to a higher social level. The daily wage for estate workers has been raised to Rs. 1,750 from Rs. 1,350, even amid a downturn in the tea industry and higher input costs. While companies agreed to add Rs. 200 per day, the President decided to add another Rs. 200 as an attendance incentive. Nearly Rs. 5,000 million has been allocated so an estate worker’s monthly income can rise by Rs. 10,000. For the first time in our history, the Treasury has set aside funds to give a daily Rs. 200 incentive to these workers; we thank the President.

¶ 04 We also know many estate families still live in old line rooms in harsh conditions. The Government, led by the President, has prepared plans to build 4,000 houses in 2026. In our District there are 611 rural roads without ownership under PRDA or RDA — over 4,500 km require construction or rehabilitation. This Budget allocates Rs. 324,000 million nationally for rural roads, transport and highways, and in 2026 we can fund a significant share of 611 priority roads across 10 DS divisions in Nuwara Eliya — a revolutionary change; we thank the President.

¶ 05 Only about 11% of our District receives potable water from NWSDB; around 89% — including schoolchildren — consume contaminated water with heavy metals. This Budget allocates Rs. 85,700 million for drinking water, of which Rs. 2,000 million is to raise Nuwara Eliya coverage from 11% to 22% within a year — a decisive gain.

¶ 06 Hatton, central to the tea era, now hosts roughly 50,000 daily visitors but remains disordered. Rs. 2,000 million is proposed to develop Hatton as a modern town by 2028, with the first Rs. 500 million given through this Budget — a landmark for our District.

¶ 07 Some in the Opposition are unsettled, yet even certain Opposition MPs acknowledged that this is the best Budget to relieve plantation and other distressed communities. Still, a few oppose the Rs. 200 Government support to estate workers. Late Minister Thondaman studied our Budget deeply; he now even contemplates moving to India. As for Opposition MPs of Nuwara Eliya who seek to vote against this Budget and the small increase to hardworking people, they should be prepared to pack up and move to India too.

¶ 08 I gratefully conclude, thanking the Hon. Presiding Member.