The Hon. Nihal Galappaththi
Hon. Nihal Galappaththi supported the proposed fisheries pension scheme, stating that it introduces benefits for contributors who have paid more than 75 per cent of contributions, allows those who paid between 25 and 75 per cent to withdraw contributions with Board-determined interest, and provides full pension arrangements in cases of disability before pensionable age. He said the scheme would improve the welfare and dignity of fishers and their families, and briefly criticised Hon. Dilip Wedaarachchi’s earlier remarks as insulting to the fisheries sector.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Thank you, Hon. Deputy Chairperson. Those who have paid over 75 percent of their total contribution will be eligible for a pension based on that percentage. This feature did not exist before and is very beneficial. Those who have paid over 25 percent but less than 75 percent can withdraw their contributions along with interest determined by the Board. Thus, with numerous benefits, this historic and valuable pension scheme—unlike any created by previous governments—enhances fisher dignity and sectoral progress.
¶ 02 Additionally, if a beneficiary suffers a partial or total disability before pensionable age, arrangements are made to pay the full pension accordingly.
¶ 03 This highly effective, beneficial pension scheme launched through the Ministry will deliver long-denied benefits to the fisheries sector, fishers and their families.
¶ 04 I also wish to say I was ashamed by Hon. Dilip Wedaarachchi’s 14-minute speech attacking fisher dignity with baseless words. Following his leader into ruin, he only insults. Thank you for the time given.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Tuesday, 6 January 2026 ·No. 23111 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Nihal Galappaththi. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 6 January 2026. No. 23111. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/17648